Small children require constant supervision, as both a necessity for their well-being and a legal requirement. A Pennsylvania man is having to learn that lesson the hard way after reportedly being caught locking one of his children in a makeshift cage while he left the home.
In addition to the 22-month-old boy locked inside the cage, 38-year-old Cecil “Gene” Kutz left two other children unsupervised, a 1-year-old boy in a nearby playpen, and a one-day-old daughter strapped into a baby car seat.
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A call to the police regarding the welfare of the children prompted officers to check on the home and that led them to discover the children abandoned.
Pennsylvania State Police Sgt. Fred Krute told reporters that Kutz is being charged with three counts of “endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangerment.”
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Sgt. Krute added, “They’re young, they can’t fend for themselves. It’s hard with little ones locked like that. You think, ‘What chance do these little ones have if their mom and dad view them like that?’”
Before being officially charged, Kutz was questioned by police and allegedly admitted that he had put his children in the cage before, and had left them there on that particular day so he could visit their mother, his girlfriend, who was in the hospital.
Tiffany George, Kutz’s girlfriend, had just given birth to the one-day-old baby girl that police reportedly found in the home, which leads to a whole new series of questions, such as, why was the baby in Kutz’s custody instead of with the mother at the hospital? Hospitals typically release the mother and baby at the same time.
George spoke to journalists about the incident. She didn’t excuse Kutz’s poor decision, but she did attempt to defend him slightly, saying, “I want to get the word out there that we are not bad parents. Gene made a mistake, and now he’s got to suffer the consequences. I don’t agree with him. I’m very upset with him. But people do make mistakes. The kids were not in any type of danger.”
It is not clear at this time if he has entered a plea to his charges, or if he has even hired a lawyer, but Kutz does remain in custody.
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All three children have been relocated into the custody of child welfare officials, per Sgt. Krute.
Sgt. Krute also said that George could also potentially face charges as the investigation continues, presuming she is found to have committed any wrongdoing or neglectful behavior.
