The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A pair of Pennsylvania caregivers was taken into custody after authorities learned of severe mistreatment involving their adopted teenage son.
School staff contacted police in early September when the 16-year-old arrived looking underweight after months without in-person classes. Investigators said he reported being confined to a nearly empty room under constant camera surveillance, punished for moving around, and denied regular meals, leading to significant weight loss. He also reportedly described being forced into cold showers, made to stay in the basement with minimal clothing, and at times bound to the floor with duct tape. It was reported that the teenager told officers he had been cut with a blade and threatened with additional harm. Child welfare officials removed him from the home, and medical staff helped him regain weight within weeks.
Both women were taken into custody and booked into the Jefferson County Jail. They are facing many charges, including more than 460 second-degree felony counts of unlawful restraint of a minor by a parent with risk of bodily injury, more than 460 second-degree felony counts of false imprisonment of a minor by a parent, two second-degree felony counts of endangering the welfare of children by a parent, six third-degree felony counts of endangering the welfare of children by a parent, two first-degree felony counts of aggravated assault with attempts to cause serious bodily injury with extreme indifference, one second-degree felony charge of aggravated assault with attempts to cause serious bodily injury with extreme indifference, one count of second-degree felony strangulation, one first-degree felony count of involuntary servitude, five second-degree misdemeanor counts of simple assault, five second-degree misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person, three first-degree misdemeanor counts of terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another, and one second-degree misdemeanor count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. At the time this was written, both women were being held in lieu of $500,000 bonds.