That’s the only word I could think of that described my feelings when I read this.
PORT ORCHARD – A couple was arrested Saturday after a battered boy was found wandering a roadway wearing only his pajamas and saying he had escaped from a nearby residence, sheriff’s deputies said.
A Kitsap County sheriff’s deputy called to the area around 4:30 a.m. found the 10-year-old boy undernourished, wet and muddy, Deputy Sheriff Scott E. Wilson said in a statement.
The boy allegedly told authorities he had escaped from his grandparents’ house, Wilson said, and the deputy noticed excessive bruising on the boy’s body, including his face, arms and legs. A plastic tie was attached to the boy’s ankle and there were ligature marks on his wrists.
The child said he had been hog-tied – his hands tied behind his back and to his ankles – and restrained for several days in his bedroom as punishment by the couple. He managed to free himself and escaped by pushing out a bedroom window screen, he said, then made his way to a creek, where he stopped for water before walking along the road.
The boy said his younger sister was also at the mobile home, and when deputies arrived they found an 8-year-old girl lying on a mattress on the floor and tied up as the boy described, Wilson said. A third boy, 11, was also at the residence but was not restrained.
A 66-year-old man and 61-year-old woman were taken into custody and booked into Kitsap County Jail for investigation of unlawful imprisonment. Bail was set at $100,000 each. They’re scheduled for an initial appearance in Kitsap County Superior Court on Monday at 3 p.m.
Authorities determined that the two younger children are not related to the couple, however, the older boy is their grandson.
The two younger children said they were given graham crackers and ice cube chips but were not untied to eat them, Wilson said. They were allowed to use the bathroom but were immediately tied up again.
All three children were taken to Harrison Memorial Hospital in Bremerton, then released to state Child Protective Services.
Authorities on Saturday did not immediately know the location of the children’s parents.
While they await their first court appearance, they should both be hog-tied…and branded…and cattle prodded…and tasered…and…