TMP Reports
Posted: Sunday, October 4, 2009 7:09 am

Parents accused of locking a 5-year-old boy into a pen and failing to educate a 7-year-old boy faced questioning Thursday by Department of Children’s Services workers, a sheriff’s deputy reported.

A DCS case manager found the 5-year-old boy locked in a playpen when she responded to a referral Wednesday at the Sharpsville Road home, Deputy Mellody Stephenson reported.

The playpen was “rigged with a plywood lid,” Stephenson said. “The plywood lid had a hasp on the front of it, which was fastened down with a rope. The lid was also fixed to the wall with hardware.”

Parents of the boy were ordered to disassemble the pen before the case worker returned Thursday.

Stephenson, Cpl. Brandon Cisek and the case worker returned about 11:15 a.m. Thursday to the home where they located the birth mother of the 7-year-old who is the stepmother of the 5-year-old.

When asked why the younger boy was placed in the pen, the stepmother replied he urinated and wiped feces everywhere. He wears diapers.

The mother told authorities she home schools her 7-year-old son but could not produce any paperwork. He told Stephenson his mother placed the 5-year-old in the pen when he misbehaved. He has heard the younger boy yelling when he wanted out of the pen.

He appeared small for his age and spoke with a limited vocabulary, Stephenson reported.

“The home had a strong odor of feces and five cats were in the home,” Stephenson reported. “The carpet was extremely dirty and soiled clothing was on the floor scattered about the residence. There was a full pill bottle located on the couch” near where the 5-year-old boy sat.

Stephenson retrieved the pen and lid and turned it over to the DCS case worker, who took the children to her office to meet with both parents.

Detective Steve Brown is investigating.