KINGSPORT, TN - A woman in her thirties allegedly left her four children, including three under the age of eight, alone all weekend in an "unsanitary and unsafe" home without checking on them until the police arrived.
The mother, 33-year-old Thea Chyanne Sorrell, has been charged with three counts of child abuse or neglect of a child under eight, along with misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty and child endangerment. Another individual, 37-year-old Matthew Brown, faces drug and weapons charges in connection with Sorrell's alleged absence, Law & Crime reported.
In a press release, the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) said that deputies responded to the home around 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 13. Upon arriving on scene, deputies found the four children alone. "Deputies also observed unsanitary and unsafe conditions inside the home," the press release stated. "A dog was found without adequate access to food or water."
The Department of Children's Services and Sullivan County Animal Control also responded to assist deputies. The children said they had been alone since Friday, September 11, and had not heard from Sorrell since then.
Later in the day on Sunday, September 13, a pickup truck arrived at the home with Sorrell as a passenger. Deputies arrested her without further incident. Deputies then identified the driver of the truck as Brown, of Elizabethton, which is about 30 miles away from the home where the children were found.
He allegedly had what deputies believed to be methamphetamine in his pocket. Inside the truck, deputies said they found heroin, several baggies of methamphetamine, and four loaded handguns, including one that was reported stolen.
Deputies also recovered a bag with nearly 20 prescription pills, 18.5 grams of marijuana, mushrooms, and $5,000 in cash. Additionally, a set of brass knuckles and an ax were found in the truck. Brown gave consent for deputies to search his home, where two more firearms were located, according to the press release.
Brown faces a slew of drug and weapons-related charges. He was booked into the Sullivan County Jail, where he remains on a $100,000 bond. Sorrell was also booked into the Sullivan County Jail on a $50,000 bond.
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