“IT DOES NOT MATTER WHERE WE ARE STAYING”!!! BELIEVE IT OR NOT, POLICE SAY TWO SUSPECTS KEPT TWO SMALL CHILDREN IN STROLLERS INSIDE A REPORTEDLY ABANDONED, SWELTERING HOME INFESTED WITH COCKROACHES AND LITTERED WITH DRUG PARAPHERNALIA… AND BOTH DEFENDANTS NOW FACE MULTIPLE FELONY CHARGES.
On August 19, police arrested two individuals in North Charleston.
Kendall Zayne Witherspoon, 25, was taken into custody by authorities.
Christopher Lee Morris, 43, was also arrested at the scene.
The incident began shortly after midnight on Southern Street.
An officer arrived in the area in response to a report of a possible burglary.
Upon arrival, the responding officer spotted Morris.
Morris was shirtless.
He was walking away from the front gate of the property.
The officer was aware that Morris did not live at that location.
Then, officers entered the residence.
The structure was badly damaged.
It was a reportedly abandoned house.
The windows on the building were broken.
The home had no running water.
It also had no electricity.
Inside the entryway of the residence, officers found Witherspoon.
She was with two small children.
Both children were sitting in strollers.
Outside, the officer’s patrol vehicle recorded a temperature of 88 degrees.
Humidity levels in the area were high.
But conditions inside the powerless building were far more severe.
Police said the heat inside the residence was extreme.
The heat was so intense that an officer became uncomfortable during the brief time spent inside.
Officers proceeded to conduct a protective sweep of the premises.
During that sweep, officers allegedly found drug paraphernalia throughout the residence.
The items discovered included a glass pipe.
Officers also found foil.
Several butane lighters were located inside the home as well.
And insects were found throughout the property.
Cockroaches, both living and dead, reportedly covered nearly every surface.
Emergency Medical Services evaluated the two children at the scene.
EMS then transported both children to a hospital.
Workers from the Department of Social Services met with police at the hospital.
Authorities subsequently placed both children into emergency protective custody.
Officials have not publicly released the exact ages of the children.
Their medical conditions have not been disclosed.
Officials also have not released the children’s relationships to the two defendants.
Police arrested both Witherspoon and Morris following the discovery.
Both individuals were booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center.
Charleston County booking records list two counts of unlawful conduct toward a child against each defendant.
Each felony count carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison upon conviction.
The charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.
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