BARTLETT, Tenn. — Dead cats, human waste and children. Bartlett Police say they found evidence of all three in a family’s home during an eviction Friday.
Now, Nicole Cate, the father of her children, Rickey Moore, and her mother, Winnie Kermick-Cate, are locked up, according to police. Police say they were arrested Friday.
A police report says the couple’s two young children were intentionally exposed to horrible living conditions. As a result, police say DCS gave the children to an uncle.
Police say a Shelby County process server was evicting the suspects from a home when he found trash and human and animal feces throughout the house, along with three dead cats in an upstairs bedroom.
The police report says feces were found under the beds and throughout the bedrooms of both children. One is a 7-year-old girl and the other is a 7-month-old boy, according to police.
All three suspects are charged with aggravated child neglect and aggravated animal cruelty.
One man who lives in the neighborhood was shocked to hear about the child neglect charges.
“I didn’t see anything to suggest that they were being abused or anything. They’re out playing almost everyday, out here having fun,” he says.
The police report also says Cate’s mentally handicapped sister lived in the home but that her room was caged off. The report says feces were found on the wall and in buckets she reportedly had to use to go to the bathroom.
Police say Kermick-Cate is also her primary caregiver. That’s why she’s also charged with aggravated adult neglect, according to the police report.
As for the eviction, a pile of stuff has been sitting on the lawn for days, and may still be. Josephine Mcghee took a car-full of items today. She told us she had permission and will use and sell the items for her charity, which helps the less fortunate in Tunica County, Mississippi.
“I feel good because I have blankets that I’m going to wash out and we have toys for the children, and we have a clothes closet where they can get clothes free,” she says.
A search online shows her organization, which is The Queen Community Organization Program, to be registered with the state.
One more thing to note, the police report says Moore has a warrant out of Bartlett and a felony warrant out of Tipton County.
