Mother Bonds Out After Child Cruelty Charges

Police charged 22-year-old Melissa Wituka of Powder Springs with two counts of second-degree cruelty toward children on May 30 after they found her daughters caked in dirt at an apartment with no air conditioning, electricity or food.

Wituka was released on a $25,000 bond from the Cobb County jail shortly before midnight Monday, a jail spokeswoman said.

Someone wanting to remain anonymous came to the on May 30 to inform authorities that the girls, ages 3 and 4, were living in a house with no electricity or food, according to a police report.

“The complainant stated that they had seen the juveniles on three straight days wearing the same clothing and believed that they have not had a bath in the same amount of time,” the report says.

The person told police that the apartment at 4432 Lynn Drive (see map at right) had not had power for at least three weeks.

When police arrived about 6 p.m., they met with Jacob Wituka, who said it was OK to check out the residence. The report notes the children were playing on the porch caked in dirt “from head to toe that appeared to have been there for a while.”

Police entered the apartment, where things were cluttered on the floor, and were hit with a strong odor, the report says. The arrest warrant said the apartment smelled of rotting garbage, spoiled food and body odors.

The fridge was empty and the kitchen had dirty dishes “everywhere,” the report says.

One officer opened a cabinet and roaches fell toward him, the report says.

The warrant says the house was hotter than 90 degrees and had no fans or air conditioning. The mattress the children slept on was stained with urine and food, it says.

The police report doesn’t say what Jacob Wituka's relationship is to Melissa Wituka. But the warrant says the charges toward Melissa Wituka stem from her being in charge of caring for the children.

Melissa Wituka said they had food, but it was at her boyfriend’s mother’s house. She said the power had been off for a week because of an error from the power company, but that it would be turned back on shortly, the police report says.

After she was taken into custody, a Family & Children Services employee, who had been called to the scene earlier, was unable to find a relative to take care of the children because those who Melissa Wituka suggested weren’t eligible for “various reasons,” the report says.

The children were taken to a foster home, the report says.