GLENDALE, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) - A man and woman in Arizona have been arrested for child neglect, authorities said.
KPHO reports the incident took place last weekend after someone reported seeing a young boy with his arms tied inside a Glendale-area convenience store. Bungee Straps
Officers with Glendale police said they responded to QuikTrip, a gas station and convenience store, at around 11:45 p.m. last Sunday.
When officers walked into the store, they reportedly saw a man holding a young boy, around the age of 3, who was wearing a T-shirt and diaper.
According to police, the child’s arms were inside the T-shirt, and an elastic bungee cord was wrapped around his arms just below his shoulders.
According to court documents, officers told the man to remove the bungee cord, which was so tight that it left red marks on the child’s arms. The man and the boy’s mother told police that the cord was a child harness that you can buy online with a dog leash.
Per court documents, police found that the man was on probation for drug-related charges and officers reported that he was exhibiting signs of drug use and acting “extremely paranoid.”
Officers also reported noticing the boy’s shirt was covered in dirt and his diaper was extremely saggy. Police then contacted the fire department to check the boy’s condition.
The child was later taken to a hospital for further evaluation.
Medical staff said the boy had bruising on his knees and they were unsure when his diaper had last been changed. Nurses told police the diaper was physically stuck to the boy’s bottom, and it had to be peeled off.
The man, who is the mother’s boyfriend, later told investigators that they had been homeless for about a month, sleeping at the homes of friends and family.
He reportedly told police that over the previous weekend, they had slept outside at a park. The man said he had taken the boy into the store to clean him in the bathroom sink and put his hair into a ponytail.
Court documents said that when the child tried to remove the ponytail, the man put the bungee cord around his arms.
During a separate interview with the boy’s mother, she said she didn’t know her boyfriend had placed a bungee cord around her son’s arms until police arrived and that she was “infuriated.”
The man and woman were booked into the Glendale City Jail for child neglect.
Police said they notified the Arizona Department of Child Safety, and the case is under investigation.
Note: To protect the identity of the child, the names of the suspects have been omitted.
Bungee Cord Trampoline Copyright 2023 KPHO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.