SULPHUR, La. – A Louisiana father is accused of punishing his teenage son by hog-tying him and placing shock collars on his ankles, sometimes for several hours.
Officials with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office in Sulphur, Louisiana, arrested Thomas Wininger, 40, and his girlfriend, Desirae Tomcanin, this week.
Investigators said the case came to light after the 15-year-old escaped around 10 p.m. on July 3, when his handcuffs had been taken off so he could use the bathroom. He ran through the woods to a nearby house and got help from a neighbor who called police.
The teen had injuries to his face and belt marks on his back that he said were inflicted by Wininger, police said. The boy told police that his father would place him in handcuffs and put a shock collar on him for up to 12 hours a day. The shock collars on his ankles left burn marks, police said.
Police said Wininger and Tomcanin traveled with the teen from state to state for Wininger to work. The teen hasn’t attended school in “some time,” according to investigators.
Police arrested the pair and charged them with second degree cruelty to a juvenile and false imprisonment. The 15-year-old has been placed in state custody.
