SerpApi.Org
NORTH CHARLESTON — Police answered the call of a concerned apartment property manager on the morning of July 21. A young boy had been throwing toys from a unit window and appeared to be alone.
Officers responded to a townhome in the Icon @ Park Circle complex around 10:30 a.m. The boy opened the door for officers naked, according to an incident report.
A spokesperson for the North Charleston Police Department declined to provide the age of the child, but confirmed that the juvenile had not reached teen-age.
An officer grabbed a blanket from a nearby stroller and wrapped the boy up. The child’s mother came down from an upstairs room after hearing the officer call out.
The officer explained that apartment workers were concerned about the child’s safety. The woman, later identified as 32-year-old Desire Teaira Breazell-Johnson, agreed to a welfare check on the property after initially refusing, the report states.
The officer found several garbage bags in the kitchen and living room, but otherwise noted that the fridge was stocked and there was food in the home.
The child was returned to Breazell-Johnson and the state Department of Social Services was called.
A little more than four hours later, DSS called police to return to the residence.
A social worker had attempted to follow up but was denied entry into the home. Police attempted to knock on the door as well.
The young boy who had opened the door for an officer hours prior appeared at an apartment window then tried to turn the front doorknob, according to a supplemental report.
From outside the apartment, the responding NCPD officer could reportedly hear Breazell-Johnson come downstairs. Then, the child made grunting noises and started yelling for help.
After commanding Breazell-Johnson to open the door, the officer busted it down and handcuffed her.
The condition of the home had gotten worse since officers were there that morning, the report states.
Feces was smeared all over a bathroom, into a hallway and across walls throughout the home. Food was scattered throughout the space. Puddles of bleach pooled on the floor.
The same window from the boy had looked out of was broken in a way that could have easily cut him, according to the report.
Breazell-Johnson was booked into the Charleston County jail around 6:30 p.m. on one count of unlawful conduct toward a child.
She was granted a $10,000 bail but had yet to post the amount for release as of 12:30 p.m. July 22, according to a jail clerk.
Breazell-Johnson has no criminal history in the tri-county area, according to court records.
