Florida woman charged with neglect after child was found covered in flea bites, cops say

A child in Florida was found covered in bug bites and who said he didn't take showers. Now, the woman who was supposed to care for him faces criminal charges, police say.

Leslie Livingston, 30, of Pensacola, Florida, was charged with child neglect and resisting arrest.

According to the arrest report obtained by WEAR-TV, Okaloosa County deputies and the Department of Children and Families arrived at the home for a welfare check.

They found multiple fire pits with copper, glass and car parts that had been burned. The dirt driveway was also covered with glass, screws and sharp objects, according to WEAR-TV.

Authorities say the home did not have any running water or electricity.

Investigators also described the home as cluttered and filthy with a moldy smell. The kitchen sink contained a 1-foot stack of opened can goods and food scraps, WEAR-TV reported.

The refrigerator allegedly had an unbearable smell of decomposition and had rotten contents with hundreds of maggots.

When authorities asked the child the last time he took a shower, he told deputies that he didn’t take showers, according to WEAR-TV.

Police say the victim had bug bites and flea bites on “every part of his body,” according to the arrest report. The child’s feet, legs and arms also had scabs and bruises.

When deputies asked him to open his mouth, he told them he couldn’t because it hurt, according to the report obtained by WEAR-TV.

Police say Livingston refused to start a safety plan with child service workers and became argumentative.

Livingston kept refusing arrest, so deputies had to carry her to the patrol car, which led to the charge of resisting arrest, police said.