Grovetown Mom Leaves Toddler Alone for Hours Locked in Closet
A Grovetown woman is behind bars, charged with leaving her 22-month-old son home alone locked in a closet for hours while she made DoorDash deliveries.
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office says the child’s grandmother notified authorities late Saturday night that she believed the child was home alone. Deputies arrived at the apartment on Gristmill Court around 10 p.m. and had to use a ladder to get inside. Once in the apartment, the toddler was found locked in a closet, asleep on the floor, and wrapped in a blanket. Deputies said the boy was surrounded by trash. They also found a pit bull roaming loose in the apartment, as well as five cats, a bird locked in a closet and a tarantula in a plastic container in the kitchen.
Deputies said the apartment was filthy, adding they found dog feces and dirty diapers throughout. The child, who had visible bruises, also had fecal matter in his ears.
Authorities say the boy’s mother, 24-year-old Shania Sebastian, was taken into custody when she arrived back at the apartment around 4 am Sunday. She was charged with one count of Child Cruelty and one count of Cruelty to Animals.
The child is now in the custody of his grandmother. Animal control removed the animals from the apartment.
