Posted on 07/19/2006 1:28:03 PM PDT by presidio9
A Torrington man and his girlfriend have been charged with risk of injury after a 3-year-old boy was found locked in a room in their home with a broken arm.
Police said the boy was forced to stay in the room for a month as punishment for swearing. He was allowed to leave only to use the toilet for a bowel movement. A 20-ounce soda bottle was provided when he had to urinate, according to the police report.
The child's father, Jeremy Lacey 29, and his girlfriend, Mistee Lee Lemons, 27, were charged with three counts of risk of injury to a minor ordered held on $150,000 bonds. They are scheduled to return to court on August 2.
The boy and seven other children in the home were taken into state custody.
The boy told police he hurt his arm trying to climb on a milk crate to open the door.
He was found Monday by a neighbor, who told police she went into the apartment after seeing several children hanging off a second-floor balcony.
Jenny Loomis told the Register Citizen of Torrington that when she unlocked the bedroom door and saw the boy with a bloody lip and cradling his swollen arm, she was devastated.
"I was shaking and it took everything I had not to cry about what I was seeing," Loomis said.
"When I opened the door and told him he could come out, he looked around and said he was not allowed to talk," she said. "I thought something has to be done."
The child's fracture appeared to be at least 15 hours old, according to the police report.
The children told police the couple also forced them to balance books on their heads as punishment, and would spank them if a book dropped.
I believe she's making the point that perhaps just a spanking with a belt is a happy medium.
As the parent of a three-year-old, they do me as well.
It breaks my heart to know there are parents who treat their children this way, and that there are others who would give their left arm to have more kids to love, but can't.
Screw the baseball bat. That's why God gave us nails and teeth.
I had guy run from my susp. vehicle stop the other night. Left his 3 y.o. in the car with a guy the kid didn't know.
I knew the driver/loser/dad by sight. He ran because he had a piddly 500 buck misdemeanor warrant, for which I would never have booked him because I then would have had to deal with getting the kid back to mom. Who knows where she's out getting high.
BTW, the other guy I've met once before. He has been sht by our local Sheriff's dept, (3x during one incident) and did time for assaulting Police with a weapon. That's called assault 2 here and you don't do the 35 months in prison he did without actually getting sentenced to closer to 5 years.
Just pushing back the tide here.
We also have row of apartments, behind our Pct no less, with multiple "refugees" from New Orleans. If I know your name and date of birth within a week and half of you moving to my area, you have serious life problems.
I was accused of being predjudiced against people from New Orleans of all things. Jeez!
I'd trade one "refugee" for another 1,000 illegals from Mexico.
I did have some nice cosmic justice a couple of weeks ago though. The dept. sent a guy from our video unit out to try and get some video of officers, in this case me, handling calls.
I roll by some local bangers that I know and they ask "who's the guy with the camera." I said, "if you want to be on COPS, start runnin."
Apparently they thought I was serious because not a minute later I'm about 3-4 blocks away and they try to strong arm rob this guy in a van. The desciption is so good that after dispatch broadcasts the call I name 3-4 of them and say I'm just saw them and will be contacting them in about 30 seconds.
I roll up on them, 7 of them now, and order them all onto the hod of my car. Of course, 6 comply and one decides to start arguing and not comply.
He's screaming about being harassed by the Police and how he's already suing my dept.
I attempt to escort him to the hood of my car and he starts trying to pull away. I've got about 80 lbs on him and I am able to control him easily while watching the others, who are on their knees as ordered.
Dude starts banging his own head on the hood (2x) and yelling about his "payday is just getting bigger." Of course his loser "mom", more like a turd delivery system, is across the street and she has to try and get into the action and interfere.
The upshot is everything worked out fine and the whole thing was on video, from me whipping my head around towards him when he started yelling at me, to me escorting him to the car and telling him nicely to calm down, to his slamming his own head on the car and talking about his "payday" increasing.
It's funny seeing it on video. I got to see how calm I look on the outside, while churning the possibilities through my stomach at the same time. I never saw myself on video before. It was kinda cool.
Please see my tag line as I find it the most appropriate phrase for my line of work.
I could go on and on and on. And I'm a rookie for god's sake.
Same here. I have a child just a little bit older than this and I can't imagine the terror she would be in. Have to go give her another hug now.
"As the parent of a three-year-old, they do me as well."
Last Sunday, a 3 1/2 year old girl was hit by a car and killed in a trailer park here. It was 8:30 at night and the child was unattended. The driver took off because he hadn't had a valid license in two years. Some poor kids never stand a chance. Heart-breaking.
Just another "alternate" family doing what such families do.
There is a big news story in NY right now about an 11 year-old who was shot in killed playing in a fire hydrant spray in Queens. Of course this is a terrible tragedy for the family, but none of the news stories that I have seen found it remarkable that an 11 year-old girl was playing in the street at 11:30 at night.
Sarcasm.
susie
Well, you're more generous than I, but yes, I know good parents.
susie
That really is the 64K question.
BTW I agree, this story is disgusting and disheartening and alot of words I can't say for fear of being banned or sanctioned or something.
susie
Stand behind me, I'm in line first.
When parents do things like this, they give family a bad name.
At the very least, they should have all parental rights terminated.
If the most they can get is a month in jail, the D.A. should offer them no jail time under the condition that they be sterilized.
Yes and most parents find it. It is just that the exceptions are shocking that they stand out more.
My neighbor's kids never leave their rooms. Their mother never leaves the house. She doesn't shop, cook, clean (husband, maids do that). Laundry is picked up and delivered. We understand they are gated upstairs. Probably so as not to annoy her when she watches Oprah and eats bon-bons all day.
Probably true.
susie
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