‘Do you need help?’ Restaurant manager’s note leads to arrest of boy’s abusive parents
(The AEGIS Alliance) – ORLANDO, FLORIDA – An observant supervisor at an Orlando restaurant helped save a boy who the police said was the victim of extreme child abuse by secretly holding a note so that only the child could read it.
Orlando Police stated Flavaine Carvalho was working on New Year’s Day on South Kirkman Road at Mrs. Potato Restaurant when a family of four took a seat at a table.
According to police, the man didn’t permit the 11-year-old boy to order anything to eat, and Carvalho observed that the kid had bruises on his face and arms. Carvalho wrote a note that stated, “Do you need help? OK” and held it toward the boy while standing behind the man so he couldn’t view it, police stated. “I wrote another sign, asking him if he needs help. And this is when he nodded, yes,” Carvalho stated. Carvalho then notified the police, authorities said.
The boy informed Orlando Police detectives about incidents of him being mistreated and said he had ratchet straps tied around his neck and ankles and was hung upside down from a door, officers mentioned. Additionally, the boy stated he had been struck with a wooden broom and handcuffed, then tied to a big moving dolly. The boy also mentioned he didn’t get to eat regularly as a type of punishment.
The youngster’s stepfather, Timothy Wilson II, was arrested and charged with third-degree child abuse. Investigators stated they had been unable to arrest both the mom and dad at the restaurant as a result of at the time, there wasn’t sufficient proof. Days later, authorities arrested both Wilson and Kristen Swann. Wilson was arrested on a number of counts of aggravated child abuse and child neglect. Police mentioned the boy’s mom admitted to having knowledge of the abuse. Swann was arrested on two counts of neglecting a child.
“That child was destined to be killed,” OPD Police Chief Orlando Rolón said. “That’s how severe the injuries were. That’s how horrific the recollection of the abuse the child shared with us was.”
Another youngster was with the household on New Year’s Day, however, officers said she didn’t show any signs of malnourishment or abuse.
Kyle James Lee – The AEGIS Alliance – This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
