A suburban Atlanta couple accused of locking their son in the basement of their home for more than a year has surrendered to police…Ricardo Wimbush, 33, and his wife, Therian, 37, turned themselves in to the police Friday evening, June 27, 2014. Police said the couple is accused of confining the 13-year-old to a small room with a mattress and makeshift toilet. They face charges of child cruelty and false imprisonment.
The Georgia Division of Family and Children Services received an anonymous tip on June 15, 2014. The boy's parents told authorities their son was locked up for disciplinary reasons. Police said the teen didn't appear malnourished, and neither he nor his nine siblings showed signs of physical abuse.
The Georgia Division of Family and Children Services took custody of all the children...
"The boy was essentially being treated as a prisoner would be treated," officer Jake Smith said when the warrant was issued for the couple earlier in the week. "The window had been painted over. There was a bucket the child used as bathroom, a mattress and a box spring," Smith said.
In the arrest warrant, a detective wrote: "Therian and Ricardo justified the treatment of the boy saying he had molested three of the younger siblings. The child stated he was locked in... the basement for taking the family DVD player and lying about it…
Wimbush played for Georgia Tech from 1999 to 2002 and led the team in tackles for three years. He signed a contract with the Atlanta Falcons in 2003 but was cut before the season started.
[In January 2017, Ricardo and Therian Wimbush were each convicted of second-degree child cruelty. The judge sentenced them to 20 years in prison.]
"Georgia Couple Accused of Locking Son Up Turns Selves In," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 27, 2014
The Georgia Division of Family and Children Services received an anonymous tip on June 15, 2014. The boy's parents told authorities their son was locked up for disciplinary reasons. Police said the teen didn't appear malnourished, and neither he nor his nine siblings showed signs of physical abuse.
The Georgia Division of Family and Children Services took custody of all the children...
"The boy was essentially being treated as a prisoner would be treated," officer Jake Smith said when the warrant was issued for the couple earlier in the week. "The window had been painted over. There was a bucket the child used as bathroom, a mattress and a box spring," Smith said.
In the arrest warrant, a detective wrote: "Therian and Ricardo justified the treatment of the boy saying he had molested three of the younger siblings. The child stated he was locked in... the basement for taking the family DVD player and lying about it…
Wimbush played for Georgia Tech from 1999 to 2002 and led the team in tackles for three years. He signed a contract with the Atlanta Falcons in 2003 but was cut before the season started.
[In January 2017, Ricardo and Therian Wimbush were each convicted of second-degree child cruelty. The judge sentenced them to 20 years in prison.]
"Georgia Couple Accused of Locking Son Up Turns Selves In," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 27, 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment