Dad arrested on child neglect and animal cruelty charges (Daytona Beach, Florida)

Dad LENNIS STEPHENS appears to be a single father who couldn't bother to do any housekeeping. There was no working toilet, there was rotten food, and there were holes in the floor. There was animal abuse, too--9 malnourished dogs. And pornography. Yet the reporter seeks out the idiot neighbor to say how good the dad is to the 5-year-old daughter. Get a clue, lady. Animal abuse and child abuse very often go hand in hand.

And as is usually the case, not a word on how this dad ended up with this child. Maybe we should start asking, huh? Or might that embarass a local judge who sanctioned this arrangement?

http://www.wesh.com/news/20287919/detail.html

Child, Dogs Removed From Unsafe Home
Investigators Find Broken Toilet, Holes In Floor
POSTED: 8:12 am EDT August 5, 2009UPDATED: 9:10 am EDT August 5, 2009

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Police in Daytona Beach arrested a man and charged him with child neglect and animal cruelty on Tuesday.

Investigators said they were investigating an animal abuse complaint and found Lennis Stephens' 5-year-old daughter living in deplorable conditions.

Authorities said the only toilet inside the home wasn't working, there was a stench of spoiled food in the refrigerator, and there were holes in an unstable floor. They also said the child had access to pornography.

Nine malnourished dogs were also removed from the homee, and officials with the Humane Society said they were malnourished and may have been involved in dog fighting.

"That's sad because ... she seems like a smart little girl, and to go through that, that's bad," neighbor Erika Carn said.

"The young man just got caught up in a situation. He's a good dad," neighbor Linda Bostick said.
The child was taken into the custody of the Department of Children and Families.

Stephens was jailed on a $43,000 bond.