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 Recardo Wimbush, 33, and Therian Wimbush, 37, who have 10
children, told officials they locked the oldest in the basement
because he ran away frequently and molested their other children,
according to an incident report released by the Gwinnett County
Police Department.
"The house, even the room he was in was clean, but the conditions
were not acceptable," said police spokesman Corporal Jake Smith.
"It's pretty disturbing."
The case started with an anonymous call to the county's child
protective services department, reporting that a child was being
held in a small room with a large jar to use as a makeshift toilet,
Smith said.
During a hearing to authorize the removal of the child and his nine
siblings from the home, "the parents admitted they kept the child
locked in the basement room, but said it was because he ran away
often and molested the other children," the police incident report
said.
The child, whose name was not released, and his nine siblings were
all removed from the family home in suburban Atlanta, Smith said.
Police found the room clean and the child well-fed, but there was no
light bulb in the room's single fixture, and the only window was
painted over with white paint, Smith said.
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None of the children attended public schools, although police
believe nine of them were being home-schooled. Police believe the
boy held in the basement did not receive instruction, Smith said.
The parents face charges of first degree cruelty to children and
false imprisonment, he said.
(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, Calif.; Editing by
Eric Beech)
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