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Cantonment Couple Accused Of Child Neglect
May 29, 2013
A Cantonment couple is behind bars, accused of allowing their children to live in squalor with no electricity or running water.
Sheena Renee Goins, 30, and Bruce Christopher Forste, 35, were both charged with three counts of felony child neglect. They remained in the Escambia County Jail early Wednesday morning with bond set at $30,000 each.
The children were allegedly living in a home in the 1300 block of Woodfield Drive in Cantonment with no electricity and no running water. Neighbors said the children would cross the street to get water from a house that’s currently up for sale. Deputies said the house was in a mess and covered in animal feces. The only food in the house was reportedly canned beans, rice and coffee grounds.
The kids, ages 9, 11 and 13, are in the care of a local pastor.
Comments
47 Responses to “Cantonment Couple Accused Of Child Neglect”
Many commenters appear fixated on the lack of electricity and running water. It appears, however, that the animal feces and limited food issues are driving the child neglect charges.
When you have kids (or have any standard of decency), animal feces are not allowed to accumulate in a house! You find a way to make food happen, too. The parents know this, no matter how poor they are, that is simply pure parental instinct. No excuses on this front.
The eyes on these two say it all. Spaced out, hopelessness. They need a new start in terms of their life skills, education, and ethical values.
Show me the law too!!! then the next time light people come to shut me off maybe I can show it to them and we can keep our lights on cause its the LAW. Lol
No Excuses – there is no law that I am aware of that states you must have water and electricity. we had a neighbor that had neither for years. and this was not long ago, it is here and now.
if there was such a law, who pays the bill when a person has no money to pay.
if there is a law, please show me.
@confused,
You must have misunderstood what I said, regarding people living what they learn. I too was raised in an abusive home and I have changed my path due to refusing to raise my children in that type of situation. But unfortunately, it has been my experience in investigating these types of cases that a large majority of the people that grow up in those types of homes are not as determined as you or I to make their own path. Many of them just accept that that is the way life is, since that was the way THEY were raised. It is unfortunate, and I definitely agree with you that people use their childhood as an excuse, and that is not right. I just wanted to make a point that in this case, they lived what they learned. I’m not saying they were right, or powerless to make their own choices as to how they would raise their children. My point is that they allowed the cycle of abuse to continue on to their own children.
@ mnon
You stated it correctly…..” There is NO excuses to live like that. Poor doesn’t mean a loss of pride.”
Benn in this boat before,
If you had no money and no income, then actually, yes, you WERE poor by the very definition of the word.
Poverty need not be a permanent thing in this country and usually isn’t unless folks are trapped by too many benefits to dare loss due to employment.
Methinks the whole thing being coated with animal feces was tbe kicker rather than the water, power, food lack. I have to guess those who think it’s a minor thing may not know what feces is. Maybe you know dung, manure, digestive waste, shoot it’s another word you might know but I probably shouldn’t mention. Oh yeah,poopoo.
Anyhoo, at least having the children clean it up would be more sanitary.
Or you can keep griping at those who disapprove of having children live wallowing in such.
@someone who knows, If my statement was read completely you would notice that I ASKED if there had been any previous dcf cases, nothing about them going door to door. I KNOW for a fact that when dcf is involved they get you into programs to help you out with food, utilities, counseling, child care, job placement, etc. When a house is filthy then they make it a point to have you clean the house up to livable standards. The continue the case as long as they need to in order to make sure that you are getting the help that you need. I was just curious to know if they had ever had previous cases, if that was the case then they would KNOW how to go about getting the help that they needed for food, lights, water, jobs, etc. I 100% disagree with “we live what we learn” I was raised poor, in filth and an abusive home, that did nothing but make me want to grow up and never have to live like that again. That’s just an excuse to let people be lazy and have a pity party for how they raised!!!
You people ever here of cooking over a fire?
It can boil water too in order to cook rice.
Heating water by fire can also be used for bathing, etc.
And how can anyone tell (via the article) if the children have suffered any physical or metal harm ?
You all are jumping by leaps and bounds to wild conclusions.
I, myself have lived with no electricity & water for MANY months with 3 children. Was I poor, no, I just couldn’t find work BUT I made sure my children had clean clothes, a bath, & food everyday. I would have friends take me to the store to fill up buckets of water to flush my toilets & jugs to make kool-aid. Not having water or power doesn’t make you a bad parent & may I also add that my house was CLEANER with no water & power than it was with it. Being in this situation DOES NOT make you a bad parent!!!!! In my opinion it is how you deal with the situation & the measures you take to get yourself out of it and back on stable ground.
I have read what you all had to say. So here is mine. Just because they don’t have what you have does not make them trash . And one who said the kids was out of school for two week and the 11year old told a neighbor you must be the neighbor that called the law. So you should clean out around your own door. Before you judge. God is the only one who should judge
I understand these children were older, but regardless of age, no child should be left for OVER A MONTH with no electricity or water. How were they supposed to get baths, have clean clothes or even cook the rice without WATER? When you make the decision to have a child, or 3 children in this case, you make the decision to put them first over yourself EVERY single moment of the day. No matter what it takes. There’s really no excuse for living in a dirty environment because of the airborne diseases that come from inhaling such things over a long period of time. I have a large pet in the house and a 16 month old child. I can promise you that no matter what time of day or night, my house is spotless. And I work a full-time job. That’s just a part of being a parent, a GOOD parent. Anything less is just pure lazyness on the parent’s part. There shouldn’t be any blame on these children or justification, they are CHILDREN. Thank you to the pastor who has stepped up to take care of the children.
It might not be illegal to go without power or water but explain why the children didn’t go to school for two weeks. I cared for young children at 13 but these parents would leave their children alone all day to do what? It wasn’t too work. If the parents weren’t doing anything wrong why would the 11 year old resort to telling her neighbor…it was a cry for help. Also, the parents had worked with dcf before and had a chance to correct the problems and obviously they didn’t. I feel sorry for the children and honestly I hope the parents can get their kids back if they can provide a life the kids deserve.
@me, and yet you have internet service and have the freedom to read/comment on this news article. Really bad off people that hit “hard times” do not have internet or a cell that has internet service… unless your priorities aren’t straight, or know someone with access.
I never said I was judging them. heck I eat beans and rice once a week now because they’re good. Only thing that bothers me is putting these children through it…living in animal feces, dirty, nasty, sorry living conditions. Then with no lights at night how can they not avoid the feces on the floor. At that point it would be more sanitary to sleep outside on the ground. Then no water… you can even flush your toilet, so I can imagine their bathroom was horrid. There is NO excuses to live like that. I had a relative who hit hard times several times. Guess what they did with their child? They sucked it up and let the child stay with family until they got on their feet. That is the responsible thing to do.
I’ll say it again, being poor is one thing. Being filthy trash and putting your children through it is another. Poor doesn’t mean a loss of pride.
Let’s forget the legal/illegal issues of this case for just a minute. Think about how living under these conditions have affected and will have a lasting effect on these children mentally. Mental abuse can be just as devastating to a child as physical abuse.
Again, I say that there is absolutely no excuse for living under these conditions, none whatsoever. I grew up dirt poor and always lived in houses commonly referred to as shanties, but the house was never filthy and we always had food on the table.
You can make up all the excuses for these people that you want too, but not a single one would be valid. This is neglect, if not abuse, pure and simple.
I did not see the house that law says was filth so one person idea of a filthy house may different than another’s but as far as animal feces that is the only thing I read that I would say is horrible we have hit hard times and lost our lights and water and all these programs some of you are talking about well you can call and call and then be told all appointments are taken its not Like your saying I know. As far as food I have stood in line at the food pantry and those of you turning your nose up at riceand beans what the hell do you think they give . Stop judging these people sweep your own back door and pray you never have to face what so many families face now days . And I have had help one time from a local church and the pastor that helped made me feel less than nothing won’t do that again. We will get by week to week month to month and most people who know me and my family would never know our hardships .. andfor the most part my kids are happy may not have near what most of you think they should have but they are just fine. My house is clean not spotless and we don’t have animals . This couple won’t be judged by me ..
Coffee grounds are food?
Live and learn.
@confused,
As far as the State of Florida doing something the first go round. First of all, the Department of Children and Families goal is “family engagement” with the hopes of keeping families together if at all possible. DCF tries to initially engage the family in services that would help maintain and strengthen the family unit and resolve the issues that brought DCF into the home to begin with. Sometimes this does not work and DCF has to end up removing the children, but they really try to keep the families together if they can. Also, you don’t know if this family actually has had prior history with DCF, as DCF does not know to get involved until someone makes a report. DCF is not authorized to go door to door just looking for environmental hazards in random homes, they have to have an abuse/neglect report first. Also, even if they had been involved with DCF before, you don’t know the circumstances. Maybe in prior cases (if there were any), the condition of the home may not have risen to the level of being hazardous. You also have to understand that DCF investigators don’t make the final call of whether to remove children; it has to be staffed with a supervisor and the legal department to ensure legal sufficiency.
By the way, I used to live next door to Sheena Goins many years ago, when she was a child herself; and she was raised in similar conditions. We live what we learn.
I have to admit, after first reading this article, I felt the same way as the majority of the comments. I thought these parents should be locked away forever, and never be allowed to get these children back. I know you cannot totally judge someone from what you see on his/her facebook page, however, after closely examining both of their pages, I feel differently about this couple. It became obvious to me that they care very much about their children. There are lots of pictures of them spending time together, pictures of letters of acclamation of the children’s academic achievements, and pictures of the house, which was not immaculate, but NOTHING like I had imagined from the description given by the deputies. The girls’ room was decorated with a fairy theme. The kids were well dressed and looked happy. I guess what I am trying to say is I am sorry for judging so harshly. Of course, I think children deserve to be fed and have water and electricity, but we do not know all of the circumstances, and I am praying for this family and would ask others to join me.
OK, they had food, But how the heck was it to be cooked….Being poor is one thing But being sorry is another,,,
I don’t even know what to make of this story. I’m curious as to how many times (if ANY) DCF has had open cases on this family. I know of a family that has had MULTIPLE cases opened for living in filth, no food, children being unsupervised leading to gashes and burns…..but yet nothing has happened to that family and no help has been given to those kids!!! I’m starting to think if the state of Florida would take action the first go around the kids wouldn’t have to suffer like these have. Good job to whomever placed the call!!!!
Ok. This is my two cents. And I will keep it short. Society is backwards. If this would have been 3 dogs living in a house with no electricity or water and poop everywhere you people would have wanted this couple put away for life. These are children!! Innocent children, not animals! My mother ALWAYS kept the house clean. No pets were allowed inside. And my dad worked HARD to keep our lights on. We didnt always have what we wanted but we had what we needed. l
chrstefl
Thank you for your thoughts. I agree.
These two people look very depressed and lost and quite sad. I hope all true followers of Christ, will pray for them, and try to help this situation.
Sad to see some heartless judgemental comments. It is not illegal to live without electricity. It is not illegal to have a dirty home although being poor does not justify filth.It states there was food rice and beans. I grew up poor and yes there were times all we had were rice and beans. We did not go hungry. Maybe just maybe if people had less they would appreciate more. Also a pet is a child too. You can’t just put them on the street to fend for themselves. Unless you know the situation you should not judge. The media beefs everything up and everyone knows this only to get ones blood pressure to rise.. I wish everyone was kind. I wish everyone could put themselves in someone elses shoes before they start ranting. I don’t know these people and yes I am as guilty as the next to judge but lets give them the benefit of the doubt until we find out all the facts.
Did any of the school workers notice these children were doing without? Did they not notice they were not clean or were extra hungry? I bet they were getting free breakfast and lunch and doing without the rest of the time. I hope these children never have to do without again.
I would love to have 3 kids,,,that don’t have good parents,,I was not able to have children so we adopted 1 he was at a young age,, he knew the he was adopted and I will do anything for him, So Please give the Children a good life,,, but they will never forget what they have went threw…the parents may need someone to help them be a parent,,, but Please don’t let them have the children back until they learn how to care for them,,,,
The two of the three children are 11 and 13, well old enough to babysit themselves and the younger one a few hours per day.
They had water and know where to get more.
They had food, maybe not what you would like, but more than some get.
Dog poo in a bedroom or three (as reported elsewhere) does not equate to “covered in feces”.
Fla. Stat. Ann. § 39.01 is a catch all to convict those that will plead guilty instead of fighting those charges.
Your arguments that they should have electricity and running water are also silly.
Just ask the hundreds of thousands of families living without either here in the U.S.A. i.e. the Amish and others.
They do just fine and better than most, thank you very much.
And………… they are far from “stupid” as some would think.
I’m not sure of all the circumstances surrounding this couple but I do know that it IS ILLEGAL to live in a dwelling with no electricity and running water.
No excuse for a filthy house. Mom could have gotten a bucket of water from across the street to clean with and kept the animals outside. Why do they have animals when they can’t afford their utility bills?
There are programs where poor people are assisted to keep these utilities on, especially if they have children or there are individuals with medical issues in the home. These people seem to have failed on a number of different levels. Hope they can learn a better way to live so they can be good parents for their children.
I don’t care what anyone else thinks about this but,in this day and age there is no excuse for anyone to have no water,food and electricity..this is stupidity on there part….They shouldn’t be allowed to have them back , and should be locked up for a long time……
@jeeperman: You may want to read this statute before you rush to judgement about what qualifies as neglect.
‘Neglect’ occurs when a child is deprived of, or is allowed to be deprived of, necessary food, clothing, shelter, or medical treatment or a child is permitted to live in an environment when such deprivation or environment causes a child’s physical, mental, or emotional health to be significantly impaired or to be in danger of being significantly impaired.
Fla. Stat. Ann. § 39.01
@ Smokey; I grew up in rural Mississippi in what was then referred to as a shotgun style houe. No insulation and cracks between the boards that we could see outside through. There was 5 of us kids and mom and dad living in that house. However we did not live in squalor. Our mom kept the house as neat as you could keep a house such as that. Beds were always made, dishes were always washed and put away. We did not have a nickel to our name, but what we did have is love for family and mom and dad did everything they could do to provide for us.
Regardless of what your opinion is there is absolutely no excuse for living in conditions such as this Cantonment couple put those children through.
I am with smokey……….
Not having electricity or running water is not a crime and is not child neglect.
If they had permission to get water from a neighbor, there is no crime there either.
Starving the children is a crime and maybe the other stuff but not the above.
I can’t believe someone would even try to defend this situation. My mother always told me that there is nothing wrong with being poor and I completely agree because so many people find themselves living at or below the poverty line at no fault of their own. However, there is some many things wrong about living in filth and neglecting innocent children. There are so many resources available that could at least provide for the children. It is ashamed that the parents didn’t take time nor have the desire to care enough for their children to ask for help. Again, no one is slamming this couple for being “poor” but they are slamming them for making “poor” decisions regarding their children.
I am poor! Sometimes we get low on diapers and sometimes we eat ramen noodles…But there is no feces of any sort in my house and though my house is “lived in” I know there is a difference between things that need to be organized or cleaned up and living in filth and squalor. I have had to suck it up and stand in line for food pantries and toys for tots…but I’ll starve to death as long as my children have enough to eat. They sure aren’t having to steal for water. Looks like “mom” is on drugs and “dad” is just surprised they got caught!
@ smokey – child neglect is illegal. And those children were neglected. Exposed to the disease potential of animal feces (e-coli and who knows what else). Also, the children were put in the position of resorting to theft (taking the water from the vacant house) for a basic necessity.
Oh Smokey, did you raise your family like this? I am appalled to think that anyone would defend this sorry couple. If you want to live in dog feces, go for it, but NEVER subject an innocent child to this. It is DEPLORABLE.
well they might be lazy and sorry. The house is filthy. Not much food. But is it ilegal? Were the kids hurt or sick? Yet? So when people dont like you or yovr life style you re screwed.
There are too many churches and too many programs setup to help people just like this. In this day and age there is no excuses. Also this guy is supposed to be the man of the house, it is his fault the water and electricity is not paid. If I allowed that to happen to my family I would jump off a bridge. There is also no reason for animal feces in the house and living in filth, that’s mama’s fault. It takes a sorry woman to allow her house to get that far gone. I am a stay at home dad/work at home and my wife works, I make sure the house is clean and dinner is going. I also make sure the bills are paid and our children aren’t living in squalor. Until these people learn to live life like real adults they should not get the children back.
@smokey there’s a difference between poor and being filthy trash0. I grew up poor but my mom made sure we had a clean house and my dad made sure we had lights and water.
@smokey
I feel sure there are more problems with this story than the fact that they only had beans and rice and their home was “covered in animal feces”. What’s your point?
Kids do not have to live in filth and go hungry, no excuses!
@ Smokey You can’t possibly be defending these people??! No, being poor is not a crime but there is a difference in being poor and just not caring at all! These parents could have very well received help if they wanted to. There are several programs available for families such as these! Did you ever once stop to question why the children were going to get the water?? Why not the parents? If they were “poor” I could understand doing anything necessary to provide for your children…as in the PARENT finding means. Not the children. Sounds to me like those poor children had to survive on their own! This makes me sick! There is NO excuse for their behavior. Poor or not! Also, a dirty house is laziness and being sorry!
Jack Diamond, you have my vote…… No excuses for that except lazyness…
Spay and neuter come to mind.
So, being poor and not keeping your house clean is now a crime. I remember times where a can of beans and some rice would have been awsome. Glad I didn’t get caught being poor.
No excuse for this…there are EBT cards, Manna Food Pantry, and churches often help with food. I feel so sad that the children had to suffer. Children are often the ones who suffer when the parents are not responsible (for whatever reason).
I’d be willing to bet they had beer and smokes though. Never ceases to amaze me anymore.
The “Cantonment Couple” Should both be made to work on the Alabama Chain Gang for the next 25 years!!! What do YOU think?
I do not know what this families circumstance is, but it is not good.
I pray they are able to find help and a path to improvement.