Parents arrested for child neglect of...

SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Two Sarasota parents facing child neglect charges after an anonymous tip was sent to Sarasota police about their child being in danger.

Police said on Sept. 5, around 1:30 p.m., officers and Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) responded to a home on 24th Street to do a welfare check on a five-year-old girl. When they arrived, they found Crystal Kates, 37, and Torrance Boles, 50, under a tent, drinking beer without their child with them, according to police.

Authorities said when they went inside the home, they found the girl alone in a room with a baby gate blocking the bedroom door. The girl's hair was matted with debris and food, and she was wearing a "heavily soiled" diaper. She was also unable to speak.

Investigators said they found dirty twin mattresses, a box spring on the floor, and a partially torn, dirty sheet. There were no clothes in the closet or in the dresser, and no blankets or pillows. Kates and Boles tested positive for THC, cocaine, and alcohol while investigators were at the home.

After assessing the conditions, DCF determined the conditions were severe enough to remove the girl from the home and place her with a family member in Manatee County. She was also evaluated at the Child Protection Center, and staff there determined she was a victim of medical neglect and abuse.

On Sept. 11, police arrested Kates and Boles and charged them each with one count of child neglect without great bodily harm. They were booked at Sarasota County Jail.

On Sept. 12, a judge set Kates’ bond at $30,000, while ordering a random drug and alcohol testing, in addition to no contact with the victim and no contact with Boles.

Boles’ bond was set at $40,000. He was ordered to undergo drug and alcohol testing twice a week and to have no contact with the victim or any other children.

The investigation is ongoing. And anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call Det. Angela Cox at 941-263-6075.