A Kissimmee couple has been charged with child neglect, accused of leaving their 5-year-old alone at home, Osceola County deputies report.
Mohamad Khoja, 31, and Sakina Hamcho, 37, parents of the toddler, were arrested on Thursday evening and booked into the Osceola County Jail.
A security guard at the Club Cortile apartment complex in Kissimmee saw the child throwing rocks with two other kids, unattended just after 8:30 p.m. on Thursday. The 5-year-old child told the guard her parents were not at home.
Deputies and the guard went to the apartment and found it in disarray with live and dead roaches on the floors and countertops. They also observed a refrigerator with a metal chain and padlock lock. The 5-year-old said she had only eaten watermelon and drunk water all day.
Khoja and Hamcho were at work, deputies said. Hamcho explained that she had left the child with her husband and went to work, but he had called saying he had to go into work early. She also told deputies that she forgot to return home before her husband left the apartment.
Khoja said the refrigerator was locked to make sure the child didn’t eat sugary foods because she has an unknown medical condition.
The 5-year-old child told deputies she didn’t have access to a phone nor did she know how to call for help, if needed. She was placed in the care of the Department of Children and Families.
Khoja and Hamco were charged with child neglect and booked into the Osceola County Jail.
