MARION COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida woman was arrested on Tuesday after deputies say six children in her care were living in some of the worst living conditions they've ever seen.
Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Sara Nicole Resko, 30, after some of the children were found wandering in the street on Tuesday afternoon.
Deputies say that a 2-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy were found wandering in the road alone. The little girl was not clothed from the waist down and a witness provided a towel to the child so she could cover up. Deputies say they immediately saw that both children were infested with lice and covered with open sores.
The little girl was in worse condition than the little boy, having multiple open sores on her arms, legs, chest, back, feet and face, deputies say.
While deputies were trying to figure out where the two children came from, they saw more children riding bicycles down the roadway, later identified as the siblings of the two and 4-year-old.
These children, ages 6, 8, 9 and 13, told deputies that Resko had left them alone at the home while she was at work.
Deputies entered the home and found that there was no running water, no food and no electricity. The floor was covered in dog feces and the home was infested with flies. The home was in complete disarray and the children were only given mattresses on the floor with no linens to sleep on, deputies say. All of the children had open sores and lice on them as well.
After deputies had been on scene for an hour and a half, Resko finally arrived at the home. She told deputies that she had just been gone for a few minutes, but quickly began changing her story once deputies told her how long they had been there investigating.
MCSO says that upon further review of Resko’s history, deputies found two previously reported incidents where the children had been left unsupervised. The Department of Children and Families responded to an incident on February 2, and implemented a supervision plan with Resko, who was instructed to not allow the 13-year-old to babysit the other children anymore.
Deputies ultimately determined that Resko failed on multiple occasions to provide care and supervision for these children. DCF responded and took custody of the six children. Resko was arrested and charged with six counts of Child Neglect.
Resko is being held on a $12,000 bond.
