Honk News (Lebanon County, PA) – A mother in Pennsylvania reportedly resorted to locking her 11-year-old son in the basement while she was at work, securing him to a fuel tank and other items for extended periods with handcuffs, according to police reports.
Chazzity Candelario, 33, from North Lebanon Township, is confronting serious felony charges related to the unlawful restraint and false imprisonment of a minor, alongside a misdemeanor charge for endangering children’s welfare, stemming from the alleged abuse. In 2017, she faced arrest for putting children at risk, along with charges related to marijuana and drug paraphernalia, linked to an incident involving her children, as reported by the Lebanon Daily News.
“On January 11, 2025 … the Lebanon County Regional Police Department was dispatched to 680 East Kercher Avenue for an 11-year-old juvenile male that was restrained with handcuffs,” the Lebanon County Regional Police reported online Tuesday. “An investigation revealed the juvenile’s mother, Chazzity Candelario, had restrained the juvenile to an oil tank in the basement using handcuffs.”
As reported by LebTown, the affidavit regarding Candelario’s arrest indicates that law enforcement arrived at the location and interacted with her children during her absence at work. The children led an officer to a bedroom, where they discovered the 11-year-old victim restrained by handcuffs to the railing of a top bunk bed.
The young boy reported to the authorities that he was first confined in the basement but successfully found a way to break free. In a surprising turn of events, he found himself inadvertently handcuffed to the bed, according to reports from LebTown.
Officials reached out to Candelario, who reportedly instructed them to refrain from communicating with her children until her return to the home. Upon arrival, she reportedly informed authorities that she struggled to manage her son during her work hours at home, leading Candelario to confine him in a small utility room measuring 3 feet by 8 feet and restrain him with handcuffs attached to the oil tank. The young boy revealed to investigators that he would often be confined for as long as two hours at a stretch while his mother was at her job.
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Candelario faced charges in connection with her 2017 arrest, alongside her partner, John Zayas, who is featured in photos with her and her children on her Facebook page. He faced charges related to putting children’s welfare at risk, as well as for having marijuana and drug paraphernalia in his possession.
Candelario is currently held at Lebanon County Correctional Facility without bail as she awaits her preliminary hearing. Her bail is $100,000, and she is scheduled to appear in court on January 23.