sws4420
03-09-2005, 05:44 PM
http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0309/4268414.jpg
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The adoptive parents of a 17-year-old boy who weighed 49 pounds when found in a home where he was forced to wear a diaper and sleep in a locked, cage-like bed have been charged with child neglect, authorities said.
Child welfare workers called to Wilson and Brenda Sullivan's home Jan. 10 found the teen wearing a diaper and appearing developmentally delayed, a police report said. The boy was less than 4-foot-6 and was in the weight range of a 61/2-year-old, officials said.
Chief Steve Weintraub of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said the parents told investigators that the boy was forced to sleep in a criblike cage with a wooden lid kept shut with chains and a lock because he had behavioral problems and was overeating at night. The crib was the size of a twin bed with locks that prevented its sides from being lowered.
The teen and two adopted 10-year-olds -- all with physical or mental disabilities -- were taken from the home and placed in protective custody. The Sullivans were charged with felony child neglect Tuesday, and each was being held on $200,003 bail.
Weintraub would not say if the younger children were abused, but the Department of Children & Families issued a statement saying the condition of the three children was a concern. The older boy, whose name wasn't released, has gained nearly 30 pounds and grown a half-inch in two months.
"We were disgusted and outraged by the condition of the children at that time," the statement said.
Wilson Sullivan's sister, Ordrianne Sullivan, moved to Jacksonville a week ago from Akron, Ohio, to help her brother and sister-in-law through what she called "blatantly wrong accusations."
"They're painting a picture of my family as monsters, and they're not, they truly are not," she said.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The adoptive parents of a 17-year-old boy who weighed 49 pounds when found in a home where he was forced to wear a diaper and sleep in a locked, cage-like bed have been charged with child neglect, authorities said.
Child welfare workers called to Wilson and Brenda Sullivan's home Jan. 10 found the teen wearing a diaper and appearing developmentally delayed, a police report said. The boy was less than 4-foot-6 and was in the weight range of a 61/2-year-old, officials said.
Chief Steve Weintraub of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said the parents told investigators that the boy was forced to sleep in a criblike cage with a wooden lid kept shut with chains and a lock because he had behavioral problems and was overeating at night. The crib was the size of a twin bed with locks that prevented its sides from being lowered.
The teen and two adopted 10-year-olds -- all with physical or mental disabilities -- were taken from the home and placed in protective custody. The Sullivans were charged with felony child neglect Tuesday, and each was being held on $200,003 bail.
Weintraub would not say if the younger children were abused, but the Department of Children & Families issued a statement saying the condition of the three children was a concern. The older boy, whose name wasn't released, has gained nearly 30 pounds and grown a half-inch in two months.
"We were disgusted and outraged by the condition of the children at that time," the statement said.
Wilson Sullivan's sister, Ordrianne Sullivan, moved to Jacksonville a week ago from Akron, Ohio, to help her brother and sister-in-law through what she called "blatantly wrong accusations."
"They're painting a picture of my family as monsters, and they're not, they truly are not," she said.