Georgia Couple Arrested for Allegedly Leaving 3-Year-Old Child Alone in Shed 'Without Running Water or Electricity': Reports

A Georgia couple has been arrested for second-degree child cruelty after being accused of keeping a three-year-old child alone in a backyard shed for weeks.

On June 2, Sarah Pombert, 34, and Joseph Turner, 35, were arrested for allegedly leaving three-year-old Bjorn Turner “unsupervised, unbathed and unclothed” in a backyard shed in Douglasville from May 1 to May 22, ABC News, Fox 5 Atlanta and the Miami Herald reported.

An arrest warrant filed on May 29 by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office stated that the accused “kept a dirty living space in a shed without running water or electricity, and left the child unsupervised, unbathed, and unclothed with criminal negligence,” according to the outlets.

Officials have not disclosed the child’s connection to Pombert and Turner, nor have they shared how they became aware of the child being left in the space, ABC News and the Miami Herald reported.

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A neighbor, Matthew Govoni, alleged that the couple had lived at the home for over a decade and the shed recently “burned down during Memorial Day weekend,” ABC News reported, citing Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB.

He also allegedly told the outlet that he was “not surprised” to hear about the child’s treatment and living conditions, considering “the lifestyle [the family] live.”

“I’m saddened for them and the child, but I mean, for the child, I hope they can get to a place where they can be helped,” Govoni told WSB, per ABC News. 

Pombert and Turner are currently being held at the Douglas County Jail.

The couple faces felony charges for allegedly causing “cruel or excessive mental or physical pain” to a child, according to Douglas County jail records obtained by Fox 5 Atlanta.

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As of Friday, June 6, no defense attorney was listed for Pombert or Turner, ABC News reported, citing court records. 

PEOPLE has reached out to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office for comment.