Ross Judy, a 44-year-old resident of Collins Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested Sunday on felony child neglect and a misdemeanor charge of abandoning an animal to neglect after his 2-year-old child was found wandering alone in the middle of a street in pajamas and a soiled diaper and a dog was found barely alive.
A neighbors had called law enforcement after seeing AJ, the child, wandering on Collins Lane and causing traffic to stop for his safety. The neighbor had initially seen AJ in his yard, thinking his father was nearby. Thirty minutes later, she saw people in the street looking after the boy and realized he’d been alone the whole time.
Several neighbors were in the driveway when Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies arrived. As one deputy approached the house, the deputy saw Judy in his doorway, with AJ holding his hand. Judy closed the door. The deputy called out several times, getting no response. Judy then exited his house through a back door, with AJ. Deputies made contact, and noticed strong indications that Judy had been drinking.
The house from the outside looked in disarray. The walkway that leads to the front door was “covered with trash, bottles, rusty cans, rusty tools, electrical wiring, and other miscellaneous hazardous materials,” a sheriff’s report states. “At the front door where AJ had exited the residence a rusty chainsaw was located on the ground. The back of the residence has a pool that does not have any child gates around it.” The pool could be accessed from inside and outside the house.
Judy agreed to let deputies inspect the house out of welfare concerns for the child. They saw “feces and trash all over the ground consistent with the state of the exterior of the residence,” and the same scene apparent throughout the residence. There were “excessive amounts of garbage, alcoholic beverage containers, and miscellaneous household items” covering floors and countertops, with only rotting or rotten food in the kitchen. The bathrooms were unusable, being overrun with “trash, feces, general filth, alcoholic beverage containers, bugs swimming in toilet water.” The sink was pilled with several inches of cigarette ash to the point that the sink was no longer visual. “Pill bottles in spare room and living room shelves accessible to AJ, along with exposed razors and hypodermic needles,” the report states.
A dog was locked in his cage inside the house. According to the report, “the dog had a rotting ear infection to the point that the ear was literally rotting. Urine stains on the under belly of the dog. Fur was gone on his back and his tail partially. The dog bed was ripped and rotting and dog fur matted into
corner from falling off [the] dog.” Animal Control responded to take the dog.
Deputies contacted the child’s grandparents elsewhere in Palm Coast–and inspected their house before letting them take custody of the child. They found the house in good condition. The child’s biological mother, who shares custody, lives outside of Flagler County and was also contacted. Judy was booked at the Flagler County jail on $4,000 bond. He remained at the jail this evening. A judge forbade him contact with the child pending the resolution of the case, or an amended order.
Abuse Hotline: Report Abuse Online
The Florida Abuse Hotline accepts reports 24 hours a day and 7 days a week of known or suspected child abuse, neglect, or abandonment and reports of known or suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult. Please use the links below to report a child or adult abuse.
If you suspect or know of a child or vulnerable adult in immediate danger, call 911.
TEL: 1-800-962-2873
FAX: 1-800-914-0004
Any person who knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that a child is abused, abandoned, or neglected by a parent, legal custodian, caregiver, or other person responsible for the child’s welfare is a mandatory reporter. § 39.201(1)(a), Florida Statutes.
To report an allegation in Spanish or Creole, please call 1-800-962-2873, for TTY use 711 or 1-800-955-8771. This toll free number is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with counselors waiting to assist you.
Karen A, Bivone says
Omg… that poor child… where is the mother, and or grandparents… they were not aware??? The neighbors were also not aware of the situation ..thankfully that child was not harmed.
DMFinFlorida says
Put HIM in a cage with no edible food or water. Long-term. You know, “an eye for an eye” style. Disgusting POS.
R.S. says
It’s amazing how much we tend to ignore each other, even if we’re just living nextdoor to each other. I wonder what depressive thoughts haunted that poor family.