Oakland Co. Mom Arrested After 3 Kids Found Alone In Trash-Filled Apartment: Sheriff

PONTIAC, MI — An Oakland County mom is in trouble after police said she frequently left her three kids unattended in a trash-filled apartment.

Teriomas Tremice Johnson, 31, of Pontiac, was charged with three counts of second-degree child abuse, which is a 10-year felony. She was placed in jail with a $250,000 bond.

During her arraignment, police said Johnson threw a chair and yelled an expletive at the judge. The judge then ordered Johnson to be held without bond.

Johnson is currently serving a 36-month probation after she was convicted for first-degree retail fraud, fourth-degree fleeing and eluding and fourth-degree child abuse. Police said she fled officers at the time with two of her children in the car.

Officers said they responded to a call last Friday of a possible break-in at an apartment on South Francis in Pontiac. Officials said the eldest of Johnson's kids, a 12-year-old girl, called police for what she thought was a possible break-in of their apartment.

Officers did not find a break-in attempt, but found the apartment in deplorable condition, officials said.

Johnson was not home at the time, but her three children - the 12-year-old girl and her brother and sister, both age 9 - were in the apartment with three cats, officials said.

Officials said there was no working plumbing in the apartment. They also said the sinks were clogged and believe the children had been defecating in a cardboard box in the bathroom.

The kids told officers they hadn't seen their mom since the previous day. Officers located Johnson in Ann Arbor and she eventually made her way back to Pontiac roughly three hours later, officials said.

Officers then arrested her due to the condition of the home and the children, officials said.

Officials said the kids were all enrolled in school, but their attendance was sporadic.

Child Protective Services placed each child with their biological fathers.

"It defies understanding how parents blessed with the gift of a child could show such cruelty," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "The complete lack of compassion and humanity is heartbreaking, and I am eager to see justice served for this unconscionable act."

Earlier this year, another Pontiac mom was charged after police said she abandoned her kids inside a garbage-filled home years ago.