Man accused of chaining children in Fairfax County denied bail

FAIRFAX, Va. ( DC News Now ) — A judge has denied bail for a man who is accused of chaining a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old to a bed in Virginia.

The man was arrested alongside the 46-year-old mother of the two kids.

The boyfriend entered the courtroom and used the help of a Spanish translator.

The Commonwealth attorney said the boyfriend and mother would chain the children as a scare tactic.

Neighbors of the couple, who were interviewed back in August when the couple was arrested, expressed their sadness for what the children went through.

“I saw the police showing up one after another,” said neighbor Stephen Webber. “The kid was just standing there, kind of. And he looked like he was in distress.”

The Commonwealth attorney said the couple would leave the children locked up alone in the house—at times for so long that they were unable to go to the bathroom and would have to urinate on the bed.

She said they would regularly laugh and make fun of the children while they were chained.

The Commonwealth attorney also noted the boyfriend was deported back in 2018.

The man’s defense attorney argued his client was no danger to the community and should be released like the mother.

The judge ruled the defendant would remain held because of his 2018 deportation which makes him a flight risk.

“If a kid’s involved and he’s calling you guys, then obviously something is going on, you know?” said Webber. “So I just wish somebody would have stepped in sooner than later.”

The mother and boyfriend are due back in court for their preliminary hearing in October.

DC News Now is not identifying the boyfriend or the mother at this time to protect the identities of the children.

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