Wednesday, March 09, 2005

From the Jerry Springer School of Parenting...

In Jacksonville, Florida, a 17-year old developmentally disabled youth was found to be severely underweight, dressed in a diaper, and locked in a "cage-like bed." His parents (and I use that term ever so loosely) were each jailed on $200,003 bail... (think they can come up with the extra three bucks?).

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 49-pound 17-year old boy was overeating at night? And these are adoptive parents? Who were the mental giants (or rather, gnats) that approved that arrangment ?!?

But as is often the case, enter the ever-present apologist that serves to enable the monsters in our society:

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.


I'm sure that John Wayne Gacy had his good points, too.