Another Child Taken Into Child Protective Services

Couple charged with abuse for leaving boy, 11, locked up

DAVID L. TEIBEL Tucson Citizen


A Northwest Side woman and her live-in boyfriend have been released from jail on child abuse charges in connection, deputies said, with locking the woman's 11-year-old son in his room while the couple was out.

The boy's room was locked from the outside, there were bars on the window and he was left with a jug of water, a sandwich, a roll of toilet paper and a bucket in which to relieve himself, said Deputy Dawn Hanke, a sheriff's spokeswoman.
"The room itself reeked of feces and urine, leaving it nearly unbearable," Hanke said.
There was a small fan in the room, but no ventilation, Hanke said.

Norma Barrientos, 29, and Nicholas Geisel, 31, of the 7200 block of North Magic Place, near West Ina Road and North La Cholla Boulevard, were each arrested on suspicion of child abuse.
At an initial court appearance Saturday, Barrientos and Geisel were ordered released to the supervision of the Pima County Superior Court's Pretrial Services program.

Deputies went to the home, Hanke said, after the boy got access to a cell phone and called 911 about 9:45 a.m. Saturday.
When deputies got there they found the boy locked in his room, Hanke said. He would not have been able to get out of the home in an emergency, such as a fire, she said.

Barrientos told deputies her son has attention deficit hyper-activity disorder, Hanke said. Barrientos said she and her boyfriend were at work Saturday morning and locking her son up was the only alternative when they were away, Hanke said.

The boy has been placed in the care of state Child Protective Services workers, Hanke said.

It never ceases to amaze and appall me when I hear the excuses that people give to justify abuse. Locking up a child because he has ADHD?! I have a feeling that is only an excuse and not the real reason behind why they locked him up. At any rate, he has been removed from their home and with any luck he will soon be living in a loving foster home. Hopefully his mom will now get the help she needs to learn how to treat her child with respect and love, not like an animal, and that this family will be able to reunite someday.

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