Catoosa couple sentenced to prison for abusing children in squalid home
Courtesy of Lookout Mountain Judicial Court District Attorney's Office
CATOOSA COUNTY, Ga. - A Catoosa County couple has been sentenced to 20 years each in prison for cruelty to their children. They were tried by a jury the week of March 24 and convicted on all counts March 27.
What we know:
The couple, who are not being identified in consideration of the age of their victims, lived with their teenage children in a mobile home that did not have adequate heat or hot water. The only running water was in a single bathtub. The home was in a state of disrepair and filth and was unlivable, according to Catoosa County Code Enforcement.
In addition to forcing their children to live in squalor, they punished the teenagers by shooting them with Airsoft guns. They also restricted what their daughter could eat by placing a padlock on the refrigerator.
Courtesy of Lookout Mountain Judicial Court District Attorney's Office
Additionally, the daughter was sexually molested by her older half-brother, who bribed her with food. The parents were aware of the molestation and left their daughter with her half-brother on a weekly basis while they stayed at another home they owned. The half-brother was sentenced to life in prison with 25 years to serve.
According to the District Attorney's Office, the father was an electrician who made $1,100 to $1,800 per week after taxes.
The couple was charged in December 2023 after a joint investigation by the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office, the Catoosa County Division of Family and Children Services, and Catoosa County Codes Enforcement.
What they're saying:
"The wickedness of a parent who treats their own flesh and blood with such cruelty and neglect will be met here in northwest Georgia with the full force of justice," District Attorney Clayton M. Fuller said.
The couple were charged in December 2023 after a joint investigation by the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office, Catoose County Division of Family and Children Services and Catoosa County Enforcement.