Carolina Couple Accused of Child Neglect

Andrej and Natalia Sokil

(Spartanburg, South Carolina)

A Spartanburg couple have been charged with the neglect of a child or helpless person after a deputy discovered 10 children, some with bruises and sores, living in a home with no air conditioning and a swarm of bugs.

Andrej Sokil, 46, and Natalia Sokil, 38, of 270 Old Lowe Road, face three charges each after the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office received a call on Friday. According to a Sheriff's Office incident report, a 15-year-old girl called and told deputies that her father, Andrej Sokil, twisted her arm and slapped her while trying to take her cellphone.

When a deputy arrived at the home, he discovered the 10 children home alone, and he noticed a 14-year-old boy with a black eye, the report states. The boy told the deputy police had been called recently to the home about his black eye. The deputy also noticed a 9-year-old boy with red sores on the front and back of both legs, the report states.

According to the report, the deputy also found a 1-year-old girl asleep in a crib with red sores all over the lower half of her body and noted that there was a “swarm of bugs flying around the child.”

The Sokils were booked into custody at the Spartanburg County Jail.