Fla. Couple Accused of Locking Up, Starving 7-Year-Old Girl

AP Breaking News/ Tampa Bay Online ^ | 9/22/02

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - A mother and her boyfriend were arrested for allegedly locking the woman's 7-year-old daughter in a room for four months and giving her so little food she looked like "a walking skeleton."

The girl weighed just 25 pounds, less than half the normal weight for a child her age, when police found her this month, according to a police report.

Connie Warrington, 23, and David LaPointe, 36, were arrested Friday on multiple counts of abuse, including caging, food deprivation and medical neglect, police said.

"She looked like a walking skeleton," police spokesman Joe Durkin said.

The girl told police that LaPointe hated her and deprived her of food because she "was bad." He punished her by biting her in the back, the police report said.

LaPointe and Warrington have two children of their own, a 1-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl, who are healthy and in state custody.

The couple, originally from Glens Falls, N.Y., were being held without bail. Police did not know if they had attorneys.

The girl is now in the custody of her father, Daniel Sims, who alerted police to her condition after he went to Warrington's home this month with a court order to pick up the child.

In May, Warrington unlawfully took the girl from a New York hospital, where she was being treated for the effects of abuse, and moved to Tampa, Durkin said. Tampa police didn't have details of the alleged abuse.

AP-ES-09-22-02 1514EDT

[Paul Atreides]

I wouldn't even do to a pet what people, like this couple, did to their child.

[Great Dane]

Perhaps I'm too optimistic, but I don't think this kind of lawsuit stands a chance.

But for people who abuse animals, animals are just the beginning, these people progress to bigger and better things.

[justsomedude]

Is our world spinning backwards? What has brought about this change? Can't you see that people aren't the same?

Wish I were dreaming, and could wake up from my sleep and find us all the way we used to be.

Chris Rice, Sometimes Love

[justsomedude]

I wouldn't even do to a pet what people, like this couple, did to their child.

Don't misunderstand this, but it reminds me of a line from the movie "Wall Street."

"That's the thing about WASPS. They love animals, but they hate people." --- Gordon Gekko.

[advocate10]

There seems to be more of this kind of crap in Florida than elsewhere. I wonder why. Florida seems to get bad publicity time after time.

Not far from where I live, a brother and sister were living together as man and wife! They had 8 kids, and daddy had inpregnated one of his older daughters!

[justsomedude]

There seems to be more of this kind of crap in Florida than elsewhere. I wonder why. Florida seems to get bad publicity time after time.

That's because in New England, noone will talk about it.

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

I think this and the perversion you named is widespread everywhere. Florida only has dumb demokrats that can't vote nor walk and chew gum at the same time.

[TotusTuus]

...after he went to Warrington's home this month with a court order to pick up the child.

Yea, no kidding. I'm wondering about the time frame here. The girl was so malnourished that the starvation had to have been ongoing for a long time. I would expect to read that the court order was given - THIS DAY! Get the police over there immediately!!

[Cultural Jihad]

And a couple of others to wring their hands and bemoan mob mentality and moral outrage.

[FITZ]

There seems to be more of this kind of crap in Florida than elsewhere.

Maybe that's why they have so much trouble when they go to vote and find themselves voting for Buchanan when they meant to pick Gore and vote for the wrong democrat in a primary when they clearly intended to vote for Reno.

[Paul Atreides]

At least a security cam wasn't used!

[Cultural Jihad]

Well, the article does state: "Florida Couple Accused ...." so this case also qualifies as statist intervention into the private affairs of people. < /sarcasm >

[Paul Atreides]

It was bad enough seeing the beating that the Toogood woman gave her daughter. I don't think I could see this one.

[TomB]

Hey, I'm sure the little brat was asking for it.

I mean, haven't you been sent to bed without dinner before?

(/sarcasm)

[Intimidator]

Apparently many people don't grasp the difference between swatting a kid on the behind and punching them in the head.

Yes and unfortunately freerepublic has become full of sickos like that. Too bad, used to be a good website but way too many wackos on here now.

[Paul Atreides]

Not to worry, it would have made her a better person. </sarcasm>

[Sungirl]

I would hope no one would do that to a pet or a child. Bu unfortunately, many people see nothing wrong with doing horrible things to pets as they are considered property. Hopefully that will change.

[Paul Atreides]

Well, pets are property. However, that does not mean that they should be mistreated.