A 32-year-old North Charleston woman was arrested Tuesday after police conducted two welfare checks at her apartment and alleged her young child was living in unsafe conditions.

North Charleston Police officers (NCPD) were first dispatched around 10:30 a.m. to an apartment on Pine Ridge Circle after the property manager reported that a child appeared to have been left alone. Workers had reportedly seen the child throwing toys out of a window and observed the child alone inside the apartment.

When officers arrived, the child opened the front door and attempted to leave the apartment unclothed. An officer wrapped the child in a blanket before speaking with the child's mother, identified as 32-year-old Desire' Breazell-Johnson. She told officers she had been working upstairs and that her son often removed his clothing while inside the home.

After initially refusing, Breazell-Johnson allowed officers to conduct a welfare check. Police reported finding trash bags and clutter throughout the living room and kitchen but also noted that the refrigerator and cabinets contained food. The South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS) was contacted.

Around 3 p.m., officers returned at the request of DSS after agency workers said Breazell-Johnson refused to answer the door during a follow-up visit. Police said the child came to a window, waved at officers, and repeatedly tried to open the front door. Officers reported hearing the child begin yelling for help while Breazell-Johnson ignored repeated commands to answer the door.

Believing the child was in danger, officers forced entry into the apartment and detained Breazell-Johnson. During a subsequent search, police reported finding significantly deteriorated conditions inside the residence, including fecal matter in the bathroom, hallway, and on walls, trash and food scattered throughout the home, puddles of bleach cleaning solution, and a broken window that officers said posed a risk of injury to the child.

Breazell-Johnson was arrested and charged with Unlawful Conduct Toward a Child. She was booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center.