Inset: Amanda Gaisford. Background: A gun atop DVDs found within reach of children at Gaisford’s Palm Coast, Florida, home (Flagler County Sheriff’s Office).
A Florida mother is facing child neglect charges after cops allegedly discovered a loaded gun atop some Disney DVDs in the living room entertainment center that was easily within reach of kids.
According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, deputies originally responded Saturday to a Palm Coast home when a 16-year-old boy pointed a gun at a group of people sitting in a car. Deputies obtained a search warrant for the home, which is owned by the boy’s mother, 37-year-old Amanda Gaisford. She also cares for three other children in the home, ages 13, 9 and 7. The older two kids are Gaisford’s biological children, while the younger two were adopted by her late mother, cops say.
A probable cause arrest affidavit said the search of the home unveiled “multiple hazards” and unsanitary conditions. Cops found the loaded gun atop such DVDs as “The Lion King,” “The Polar Express” and “Harry Potter,” per the affidavit and photos. The gun was easily accessible to the youngest children, cops noted.
In one kid’s bedroom, cops allegedly found a large amount of marijuana paraphernalia, such as baggies and pipes. They also discovered three bullets on the bed under a blanket, per the affidavit. Cops also recovered a Smith & Wesson gun magazine with 11 bullets buried in a clothes hamper, the affidavit said. There was no running water, and the toilets were filled with feces and urine.
“The residence was infested with roaches, fleas, and other insects, making conditions that are likely to cause physical pain to the children located within the residence,” cops noted. “The infestation would be avoidable if not for the hoarding conditions of the home, the trash and perishable items left within the home and general level of completely unsanitary conditions observed within the residence.”
Deputies also allegedly found multiple bags containing narcotics residue, including cocaine and marijuana, inside the garage and bedroom. Drug paraphernalia and prescription medication were also scattered throughout the residence, per cops.
The home stank, even from the outside, deputies said.
“The entire home emanated with a very strong foul/rancid odor, that smelled similar to spoiled food, urine, and fecal matter,” cops wrote.
Gaisford told detectives she and the kids had been using the restrooms at a nearby park. Cops arrested her on four charges of child neglect. She remains at the Flagler County Jail on a $10,000 bond. The Florida Department of Children and Families took custody of the three younger children while the 16-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly pointing the gun at the people in the car earlier in the day.
“This house was in disgusting condition that nobody should be subjected to, especially children,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement. “I am happy that we were able to get these children out of this house before any of them seriously hurt or accidentally killed themselves by stumbling upon a loaded firearm in the living room or became seriously ill due to the deplorable living conditions and exposure to illegal narcotics.”
