Grandma told 911 she was 'tired of taking care of all these kids,' leading to arrest of their parents

Jessica Marie Bailey, Steven Bailey (Carroll County Sheriff’s Office) and the home where they were arrested (WAGA/YouTube screenshot)

A Georgia grandmother called 911 to request help with her unruly grandkids but ended up having the kids’ parents arrested after deputies say they kept their three children in a deplorable home where they hoarded air conditioning and food to themselves.

Steve Bailey, 61, and Jessica Marie Bailey, 40, were taken into custody and charged with three counts each of first-degree cruelty to children — deprivation of necessary sustenance and three counts each of second-degree cruelty to children — criminal negligence, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.

According to a probable cause affidavit, deputies with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home on White Rose Lane — about 40 miles west of Atlanta — on a call from a woman seeking help with her grandchildren. The woman requested that a deputy speak to her 10-year-old grandson and get him to stop riding his bike on Highway 113.

Once there, deputies said they found three unaccompanied minors who confirmed that they were alone. The kids explained that their grandmother lived next door and had already gone home.

The deputies went next door, where the grandmother told them the grandkids’ parents were largely absent and that she was “tired of taking care of all these kids.” She also claimed it was so hot in the trailer where the kids lived with their parents that the children often slept on the floor, which was slightly cooler.

After deputies contacted the Department of Family and Child Services, Jessica Bailey came home yelling at the kids and asking, “Do you want to go back to foster care?” She then allowed the deputies into the trailer.

“Upon my initial entry, the overwhelming odor of animal urine and poop made it hard to breathe through my nose,” the deputy wrote in the affidavit. “I noticed how hot it was inside the residence, as (the grandmother) stated,” adding that it was akin to “being inside a vehicle on a hot summer day with no air flow.”

Deputies said the fridge had “heavy-duty” locks and two shut doors, one belonging to Jessica and Steve Bailey and another belonging to a daughter Jessica Bailey said was “in boot camp,” the affidavit said.

When deputies entered the parents’ room, the air conditioning unit was set to 54 degrees. The room was described as “WAY colder than the entire trailer.” Inside the parents’ bedroom, police said there was also a “fully stocked” mini fridge.

Jessica Bailey allegedly said she only gets $1,350 monthly in food stamps, and “the kids eat all the food so Steve (Bailey) put a lock on the fridge and freezer in hopes to make the food last longer.” However, deputies said there was “no food located in the kitchen cabinets besides sauces.”

The parents were arrested and taken to Carroll County Jail. They have both since been released on bond. It was not immediately clear when they were scheduled to appear in court.

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