Grovetown mother charged with leaving toddler in closet while delivering Doordash

A Columbia County woman recently was arrested after allegedly leaving her toddler in a closet while delivering Doordash orders.

Shania Sebastian, 24, of Grovetown, is charged with cruelty to children in the first degree and cruelty to animals.

At about 10 p.m. Saturday, Columbia County deputies responded to the 2300 block of Gristmill Court in Grovetown for a welfare check on a child.

When deputies arrived, a family member said she believed a 22-month-old was locked inside the apartment by himself, according to an incident report.

The family member told deputies Sebastian leaves the child by himself, locked in a closet, while she runs orders for Doordash, according to the report. The family member said they didn't know how long it had been going on.

Deputies could not reach Sebastian via phone so they entered the apartment and found the toddler in a back bedroom closet with the door shut, according to the report. The toddler was sleeping on the floor, wrapped in a blanket and surrounded by trash and other small items, which deputies noted he could have easily choked on.

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First responders found several bruises on the toddler and what appeared to be fecal matter in one of his ears, according to the report.

Deputies noted the inside of the apartment was in "deplorable condition" and the floors were covered in trash, animal feces and dirty diapers. The apartment also had an extremely strong odor of fecal matter and urine, according to the report.

Five cats were found without water and locked in a fly-infested bedroom with feces covering the floor, according to the report. A bird was found locked in a closet with bird feces covering the walls and floor, and a pit bull was found roaming freely throughout the apartment, with dog feces on the floor all over the apartment. A tarantula was found in a plastic container on the kitchen counter.

Animal control responded to the scene and took possession of all the animals, according to the report. The Department of Family and Children Services also responded to the scene and placed the child into the custody of the family member who reported the incident.

Deputies tried to call Sebastian again, with no answer, according to the report. She arrived back at the apartment at 3:52 a.m., where she was taken into custody.

Sebastian verbally waived her Miranda Rights and told deputies she was out delivering Doordash orders, according to the report. She said she left the toddler unattended in the apartment because "it was not good for his spine to be in a car seat."

Deputies noted Sebastian showed no remorse for her actions and was only concerned about what happened to her animals. Deputies also noted she never asked about the child or his condition.

Sebastian was taken to the Charles B. Webster Detention Center for booking.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Grovetown woman charged with cruelty to children, animals