Exterior view of the Fort Walton Beach property where authorities uncovered deplorable conditions and illegal narcotics. Courtesy: Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office.
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. - Three people have been arrested, and a young child was removed from a home after deputies say they discovered deplorable living conditions while serving a search warrant as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation.
Fort Walton Beach drug investigation
What we know:
According to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were executing a search warrant at a Fort Walton Beach home on June 30.
Inside the home, investigators said they found rats running throughout the residence, rodent droppings covering the floors and furniture, inadequate food, and no clean running water.
Eveland Colbert, 22, was arrested and charged with child neglect without great bodily harm and violation of probation.
Eveland Colbert, 22, was arrested on charges of child neglect and probation violation following a narcotics search warrant. Courtesy: Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies said they also recovered a firearm and ammunition that she was prohibited from possessing due to the terms of her probation.
During the search warrant, according to OCSO, investigators located burnt foil containing fentanyl residue.
James Wendell Nesmith, 44, of Fort Walton Beach, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia after the residue field-tested positive for fentanyl.
Christopher Lee Daniels, 39, of Fort Walton Beach, was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia after investigators located a smoking device that field-tested positive for methamphetamine residue.
Deputies and tactical vehicles line the street during a June 30 narcotics investigation in Fort Walton Beach. Courtesy: Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office.
Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office investigation
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet confirmed the exact relationship between the three suspects and the child found inside the home. It remains unclear who has custody of the child following the removal from the house.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, which detailed the arrests, specific charges and living conditions inside the home in an official report.