Honk News (Henderson, NV) – A judge delivered a ruling regarding two Nevada parents who confessed to confining their 11-year-old son with autism in a structure resembling a jail cell for six years. This situation came to light when a truancy officer visited the home after the boy failed to attend school.
On January 8, Jeffery Scanlan and Misty Scanlan entered guilty pleas to a misdemeanor charge of child neglect. A judge has handed down a sentence of one year of probation, according to online court records from Wednesday. District Judge Jessica Peterson found that the Scanlans posed a minimal risk of reoffending, influencing her choice to refrain from imposing jail time on the couple, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Defense attorney Michael Horvath expressed to the newspaper that the outcome was a “fair resolution.” Defense attorneys argued that the Scanlans did not confine their son in a cage; rather, it was merely an enclosure intended to ensure the boy’s safety.
As previously noted by Law&Crime, the situation emerged on April 23 when a truancy officer visited the residence to investigate the absence of the boy, who had not attended school for more than a week.
A police report acquired by local CBS affiliate KLAS reveals that the truancy officer informed authorities that no one was responding at the door, despite the audible sounds of a child screaming and a rattling gate coming from inside.
Approximately 40 minutes later, Jeffery Scanlan opened the door and informed the police that his children had missed school due to illness, as stated in the report. The defendant consented when the officer inquired about entering to check on the children. The officer observed a sizable enclosure featuring metal bars and secured doors, described in the report as “reminiscent of a jail cell.”
A young boy clad solely in a diaper was found within the enclosure. The enclosure was found to be contaminated with feces on both the floor and walls.
Misty Scanlan informed authorities that she had ceased cleaning the enclosure three weeks prior, explaining that they had become “extremely busy.”
Jeffery Scanlan confirmed that the boy is his son and noted that he has a significant diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. According to the report, three additional children were present inside. According to the report, one child required hospitalization, while three others were removed by Child Protective Services and placed with relatives.
The officer observed that the residence was in a state of significant disorder and emitted a foul odor. A bedroom was found completely empty, featuring damaged walls, litter scattered everywhere, excrement on the surfaces, and an exterior lock that could not be opened from within, according to the report.
The Scanlans informed authorities that they secured their daughter, who is described as a “escape artist” and has autism, in her room at night and used duct tape to attach the top of her shirt to her diaper to stop her from handling her feces. In response to police inquiries regarding their failure to seek assistance for their children, the father explained that they were unsure of how to begin and were reluctant to invite unfamiliar individuals into their home, as reported by Fox News, referencing the police documentation.