Florida son, 14, begged to go to prison after parents locked him in garage outside of school for five years
The teenager said 'he would rather be in prison than be back at home,' a police report alleges.
A 14-year-old boy reportedly begged to be put in prison instead of going home because his parents allegedly locked him in the garage for at least five years when he was not in school.
Police went to a home in Florida in late January after the teenager’s mother Tracy Ferriter reported him missing, according to a police report obtained by CBS 12.
Upon arriving, cops said they saw an eight-by-eight structure inside the garage that the mother called a small office. But police officers also saw a deadbolt that locked from the exterior, as well as a light switch that was outside. The structure contained a mattress, sheet, books and other items.
The teen appeared at school the next day and confessed to officers that his parents locked him up in the garage structure for 18 hours, WPTV reported.
He allegedly told cops he ran away ‘because I feel like no one loves me’, and pleaded that they arrest him.
‘He would rather be in prison than be back at home,’ the report states.
The teen was apparently allowed to go to school but locked up for the rest of the day when he returned home. He had his meals delivered to the structure and used a bucket as a toilet.
A search warrant uncovered thousands of videos from a Ring camera showing the teen locked in the structure, according to court documents.
The teen’s mother and father, Timothy Ferriter, both 46, were arrested in Jupiter, charged with aggravated child abuse and taken to Palm Beach County jail.
Child Protective Services took three other children living at the home, according to WPEC.
The Ferriters reported to court on Wednesday morning and pleaded not guilty. Their lawyer Nellie King argued that the teen, who was adopted, had a reactive attachment disorder in which he failed to form a healthy emotional bond with caretakers.
Each of the Ferriters has a bond set at $50,000 and have been ordered not to be in contact with their children unless allowed to by the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.