ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) – A St. Charles County husband and wife have been found guilty of child endangerment for putting their autistic son in a makeshift cage.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that a jury reached the guilty verdict Friday for 45-year-old Terry Smith and his 44-year-old wife, Victoria. The jury has recommended the couple face 7 years in prison and fines. A sentencing date is set for May 29th.
An anonymous call tipped authorities in December 2010, when the boy was 6.
When police, paramedics and a case worker responded, the boy’s grandmother was watching him and five siblings. Authorities say she led them to the basement, where the autistic child was in a 3-foot-by-6-foot crib covered with a plywood top and held together with bungee cords and zip ties.
Investigators said he was naked and sitting in feces and urine.
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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch