Florida couple forced son to live in locked structure in garage for years, police say

A Florida pair was arrested soon after they allegedly locked up their 14-12 months-outdated son in a little framework in the garage, in which he was monitored with a digicam and experienced a bucket to use as a rest room, police mentioned.

The mother and father, Tracy and Timothy Ferriter, both equally 46, were being billed with aggravated kid abuse and wrong imprisonment, the Jupiter Police Department introduced Wednesday in a information release.

Authorities discovered of the dwelling ailments the boy was allegedly subjected to on Jan. 30, when detectives frequented the Ferriter residence in Egret Landing after the boy was described as a runaway. 

Tracy permitted a person detective into the home, who discovered an 8-foot-by-8-foot construction in the garage that the mom claimed was used “as an workplace or for storage room,” law enforcement explained.

It experienced a doorknob and a deadbolt, “equally locking from the outside, as nicely as a light-weight switch only on the exterior,” according to authorities.

There was a digital camera, mattress and a bucket in the composition, law enforcement explained.

The boy was located the up coming working day at faculty and interviewed by detectives. 

He told officers he ran away “because I truly feel like no one particular loves me,” according to a prison probable cause affidavit. 

The boy told detectives he did not want to return to his family members, pleaded to be arrested and stated “he would instead be in jail than be back again home,” the doc states.

He claimed the longest occasion he remembered currently being locked in the place was 16 to 18 hours, according to the affidavit. The teen also advised police he had a area identical to the framework in the garage when his relatives lived in Arizona.

Police also interviewed just one of the boy’s siblings who said the victim was locked in the composition when he was misbehaving or in trouble just before incorporating he “is in hassle a ton.”

Law enforcement later established the boy “has been physically abused and forcibly confined to live inside the garage structure” considering that at the very least 2017. 

He was allowed to show up at faculty but was “forced to remain in the framework the rest of the day,” police claimed.

“Meals were introduced to the boy or girl and the bucket was furnished for toilet use,” police mentioned in the information release. 

Law enforcement obtained a research warrant to search the Ring digital camera in the space and located “thousands of videos” demonstrating the baby “being continuously locked inside of of his place every day.”

A single movie confirmed him remaining locked in the place following “being observed to have ‘stolen’ chocolate and cookies from the kitchen area even with currently being told he was not allowed to have them,” according to the affidavit.

It also states that the police office been given a simply call in December 2021 from a guy who stated he was contacted to develop an business in the garage of the household and he found the unique guidelines to be “very bizarre.”

His description of the composition matched the description provided by law enforcement in the information launch.

The guy informed law enforcement “if a person had been inside of the business they would not be equipped to exit except somebody opened the doorway for them from the outside,” according to the affidavit. He also reported “the complete job was to be finished within two times.”

It was not crystal clear Thursday what authorities did following the person went to police with that information and facts.

The pair experienced 3 other kids living in the residence. They have been eradicated by the Florida Section of Youngsters and People, police explained. Law enforcement reported the boy had been adopted by the Ferriters they did not mention the position of the other 3 youngsters.

The investigation is ongoing. 

The Ferriters appeared in court Wednesday and ended up requested to be held on $50,000 bail and to have no make contact with with their children unless of course presented authorization by the condition Division of Young children and Households, NBC affiliate WPTV of West Palm Beach front, reported. They ended up later on unveiled on bond, according to the information station.

The couple’s attorney, Nellie King, instructed NBC Information Thursday that she introduced “significant proof” in the scenario to police that was “disregarded.”

“Legislation enforcement has an obligation to perform investigations in an goal and thorough fashion. I produced information and facts acknowledged to the law enforcement in purchase to help them in the factfinding system, like proof from Arizona in which this household had lived up until eventually a month back. This critical proof was overlooked,” she said.

“In the felony lawful technique, the temptation for a group to hurry to judge is tempered by the judicial procedure, a presumption of innocence, and the info,” she additional. “What Tim and Tracy have lived through the previous quite a few years will thus be introduced in court docket.”