On Monday, a Milwaukee couple were sentenced to jail time after they pleaded guilty to charges that they locked the woman's 7-year-old son in a closet while they went to a casino to watch a Packers game last season.
They did provide him with a loaf of bread, some peanut butter and jelly, and a bucket, but the judge still did not consider this an example of good parenting. (This poor kid even had to make his own sandwich, for God's sake.) Calling their conduct "abhorrent" and saying that it "certainly shocks the conscience of the community," Judge Jeffrey Wagner ordered the two to undergo psychological screening in addition to serving seven and nine months (respectively) in jail, with another four years of probation. The boy will stay with relatives.
According to the report, the assistant DA told the judge at the sentencing hearing that the couple had enough money to hire a babysitter, but didn't, and he showed the judge pictures of the couple's "extensive collection of Packers memorabilia." Depending on when the conduct took place, he may also have mentioned that the Packers were not particularly competitive last year, so not only is the conduct abhorrent, it probably wasn't even a very good game.
The couple's defense attorney said he couldn't explain their behavior, but seems to have argued that it did not merit extensive jail time. "What do you do?" he said to the judge. "Maybe this coming football season, lock them in a room with a bucket and make them watch Bears games."
Well, we don't torture people, I've heard, so we can't do that. If they can get NFL games in Egypt, though, we might think about sending them over there one weekend.
Link: CBS News
