A Nebraska state teenage mother and boyfriend have been convicted of child abuse—following photo evidence that the pair had duct-taping the woman’s 22-month-old toddler to a wall.
A friend (or, now, former friend) came to Beatrice police, showing officers photos of the toddler boy with his wrists taped to the wall behind him and above his head.
Another photo shows the toddler boy with his hands taped shut in green duct tape--and pictures including the boyfriend trying to instruct the boy to raise his middle finger from his taped hands.
Yet another photo displays the struggling boy trying to reach his sippy cup, the cup taped to the wall, just beyond possibly reach of the toddler.
Prosecutors say the boy's 18-year-old mother and 19-year-old boyfriend were high on drugs, choosing to duct-tape the boy for “fun” and entertainment after smoking pot. The child is said to have been crying and screaming throughout.
The boyfriend, with a record of unrelated 'priors' is facing 3-5 years in prison at age 19. More disturbing, after being convicted on negligent child abuse charges, the duct-taping mother is already out of jail. The 18-year-old mom served only 10 short days in jail, all on weekends in order to preserve visitation hours, is now reunited with--and in custody of—the son she so recently tortured.