Second Pontiac Child Neglect Case Stuns Sheriff Bouchard

A mother in Michigan, Teriomas “Terry” Johnson, is accused of abandoning her three young children in a home so filthy that a commentator described it as a “house of horrors.” The true crime incident in Pontiac is the second such case to emerge in the area, following another strikingly similar situation.

A Child Called the Cops

The situation came to light when one of the children, a scared 12-year-old, called the police after someone tried to break into the house while her mother wasn’t at home.

The attending officers discovered the children living in deplorable conditions. Reporting on News Nation on Friday night, Ashleigh Banfield expressed shock that two nearly identical cases could happen in the same city.

She explained that the home was filled with rotten food, garbage, and both human and animal feces. The plumbing was broken, forcing the children to use a cardboard box as a toilet.

County Sherrif Was Affected

Next, she brought in Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, whose office handled both true crime incidents. Clearly affected, he said, “I got a page at night when they had discovered the situation and I thought, wait, this can’t possibly be happening again.”

The children’s mother, 31-year-old Teriomas “Terry” Johnson, hadn’t been home for an entire day and night. Police tracked her down and arrested her on three counts of child abuse.

Getting Angry With The Judge

Banfield also discussed how the woman made her situation worse during her court hearing. Reportedly furious over a $250,000 bond, she allegedly threw a chair at the judge, who immediately revoked her bond.

Sheriff Bouchard revealed the deep emotional toll such scenes take on the responding deputies. He elaborated on how these images deeply affect his officers, many of whom are parents themselves.

“You can’t unsee what you see,” Bouchard said, adding that the department uses a peer support system to help personnel cope with the trauma.

The Other Case

The recent case is similar to the arrest of Kelly Bryant a few months ago. Back then, her three children were found abandoned in a house full of trash and human waste. They never got regular meals, and survived on occasional food deliveries.

The recurrence of the true crime in the same community left officials and the public searching for answers. For Sheriff Bouchard, the comparison was shocking. “We would remove animals from a setting like this,” he said, “let alone children.”

The three children from the recent incident were placed in the care of their biological fathers. As the court process continues for Teriomas “Terry” Johnson, the community is left to wonder: how could this happen again?

Reactions By Viewers

The neglect of children really angers a whole bunch of folks. Many people had their say in the comments section. One of them wrote, “I can almost smell the stench in that place. The children are most likely desensitized to the smell by now!”

Here are a few more responses from the discussion that followed:

• This is absolutely disgusting and horrifying for those children to be left alone what in the world is going on.
• And the baby daddys are where? Im in michigan and im wondering are there no resources their or something? I had not heard of this case but did hear of the other one. We have had several of these cases thru out michigan.
• She needs to go to prison.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below, and come back here often for all your true crime news and updates.