Authorities have charged four individuals from Pahrump with child abuse after discovering a distressing incident involving a young boy who was found tied up and blindfolded, enduring extreme heat.
Deputy Kaleb O’Rourke and Deputy Elias Armendariz from the Nye County Sheriff’s Office promptly responded to a residence on Tuesday, July 23, as stated in an arrest report.
According to O’Rourke, dispatch received a report about someone visiting a property and inquiring about the lack of shade for the horses. Upon approaching the home, the individual discovered a young child sitting on the front porch with their hands and legs bound. According to the report, the child’s face was completely covered by a mask.
Deputies discovered the child on the front porch, where they observed that his hands were bound behind his back and he was wearing mittens.
According to the report, the boy’s legs were also bound together with a cloth.
According to the report, the child was taken to Desert View Hospital.
Once the child’s safety was confirmed, O’Rourke proceeded to knock on the door of the residence and spoke with the mother, who was identified as Jodi Tracy.
As Tracy was being arrested, her two daughters, Mellysa Byington and Courtney Flores-Tracy, approached the house and questioned the deputies about their mother’s custody.
In addition, the report states that Jodi Tracy mentioned experiencing a significant amount of behavioral challenges with the child over the course of a year.
“I asked Jodi why the child was tied up outside and Jodi stated it was because he peed in his bed on purpose and she had bound his arms and legs and placed him outside as a lesson,” according to the report. “I asked Jodi how long the child had been placed outside and she stated approximately 10 to 15 minutes. I placed Jodi under arrest at this time and placed her in the back of my patrol vehicle.”
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According to the sheriff’s report, Jodi and Michael Tracy have been found to be in violation of Nevada Revised Statute 200.508. The couple admitted to causing a child to suffer both mentally and physically through abuse and neglect, resulting in unjustifiable suffering.
“Jodi said she had run out of options after the child began breaking stuff and harassing the other kids at the residence, so she resorted to putting mittens on the child and tying him up to contain him,” the report noted. “Jodi stated that she has to tie the child up at night with mittens and place him in a dog crate in order to prevent him from harassing the other kids.”
Courtney Flores-Tracy and Byington were also arrested. The bond amount for all four suspects has been set at $20,000 as reported by Review Journal News.