'Octomom' Investigated by Social Workers After $520 Haircut: Report
The words "Octomom" and "social worker" seem to go together better than peanut butter and jelly these days. The latest incident in the never-ending Nadya Suleman scandal finds the mother of 14 under investigation by social workers for child neglect.
Police and social workers in Orange County responded to a complaint at Suleman's La Habra, California home. They received reports that the house only had one functioning toilet and Suleman's children appeared unclean, the Los Angeles Times reports.
But the most shocking aspect of this news isn't the alleged neglect, it's how it was uncovered.
Apparently the whistleblower was Octomom's hairstylist, Stephanie. She discovered the conditions when she was called to the house to cut Suleman's hair and give her a Brazilian blowout, TMZ reports.
Even more shocking was the price of her do: $520.
Suleman cut the check to Stephanie despite previously reporting she had to go on welfare because she had become "totally destitute." Octomom currently gets $2,000 in monthly food stamps.
To be fair, some of that $520 was owed for a previous haircut, as well as $80 worth of hair products.
Stephanie claimed Suleman locked all 14 of her kids in another room and barricaded the door with a chair while her hair was being cut. As for the plumbing issue, Stephanie claimed Suleman told her she declined to have it fixed because the $150 quote for the job was too much.
Yet, $520 for hair care is absolutely reasonable.
In California, when a parent fails to give their children necessities (such as food, shelter, medical care, etc.), that parent is liable for misdemeanor child neglect. Penalties include up to a year in jail, fines up to $2,000, or both. Serious cases can also affect a parent's parental rights.
Fortunately for Octomom, social workers and police determined her children weren't endangered following a half-hour investigation of her home.
Related Resources:
-
Nadya Suleman: Under Investigation by DCFS Over "Horrendous" Living Conditions (The Hollywood Gossip)
-
Latest 'Octomom' Nadya Suleman Headlines (FindLaw's Legal Pulse)