A couple in Louisiana were arrested after a 15-year-old boy escaped their home, where he was hog-tied and forced to wear a shock collar, sometimes up to 12 hours a day, authorities said.
Thomas Wininger and Desirae Tomcanin (Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office)
Thomas D. Wininger, 40, and his girlfriend, Desirae Tomcanin, 34, were arrested on charges of second-degree cruelty to a juvenile and false imprisonment after the boy escaped the Sulphur residence on Tuesday, KPLC reports.
Wininger and Tomcanin allegedly punished the boy on an ongoing basis by handcuffing and hog-tying him, as well as forcing him to wear shock collars on his ankles, which left burn marks, according to the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The abuse would sometimes last up to 12 hours per day, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Kim Myers.
The boy managed to escape the home at about 10 p.m. Tuesday when he was uncuffed to use the bathroom. He then ran through a wooded area to another nearby home, where a resident called police. Responding deputies later found the boy with facial injuries and belt marks across his back that were inflicted by Wininger, Myers said.
The couple and the boy lived a transient lifestyle, traveling across state lines looking for work. Wininger is originally from Sylvester, Georgia, while Tomcanin hails from Pennsylvania, according to the station. The teen, meanwhile, had not attended school for an extended period of time, Myers said.
The juvenile is now in state custody, KPLC reported.
By JOSHUA RHETT MILLER
Source: NYPost
