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Parents charged with child cruelty for filthy house

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

A Peachtree City couple faces five charges of child cruelty after officials found poor living conditions inside their home.

The five children living with Michael O’Toole, 40, and Tina O’Toole, 32, were taken into custody Tuesday by the Fayette County Department of Family and Children Services, police said.

Police Chief James Murray said the conditions inside the house could best be described as “squalor.” Fecal matter and other trash was found all over the inside of the home, police said.

“In addition to the health risk, it also is a danger to their physical and mental well-being,” Murray said.

The children range in age from three to 14 years old, police said.

Murray noted the city had a similar case in late June and more are expected. He urged citizens to be on the lookout for signs of child abuse such as bruising or other injuries, and to call the police so they can investigate “to make sure children are protected.”

“At least let the police know so we can ask questions,” Murray said.

The department gets “a lot” of DFCS referrals that it must follow up on, Murray added.

In the O’Toole case, the investigation began with a code enforcement case in Peachtree City Municipal Court, according to city Building Official Tom Carty. The conditions of the exterior of the O’Toole home were such that Judge Stephen Ott referred the case to the Fayette County DFCS, Carty said.

“You have to compliment the judge for referring the case to DFCS so they could get involved and investigate,” Murray said.

The house has been condemned as uninhabitable by city officials, but the O’Tooles are being allowed to enter the home to collect their belongings, Carty said.

The house was deemed unsafe for a number of reasons, including blocked access to bedroom windows and a significant amount of trash in the rear yard, Carty said. The hot water heater had items packed close to it, creating a fire hazard, and the roof to a shed in the backyard had caved in, he added.

The city will work with the family to help them get the house back in a livable condition, Carty said.

Animal control took possession of several pets including two dogs, a cat, two turtles and a gerbil, officials said.