Tracy Ferriter given probation in plea deal for adopted son’s abuse

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Court TV/Scripps News West Palm Beach) — A mother accused of locking her adopted teenage son in a box-like structure pleaded guilty Monday to multiple charges in a plea agreement.

Tracy Ferriter was facing trial on charges of child neglect, child abuse and false imprisonment. At Monday’s hearing, she pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to 10 years of probation and 300 hours of community service.

Tracey Ferriter appears in court Monday, June 24, 2024. (Court TV)

Her husband, Timothy Ferriter, was convicted of the same charges and sentenced to five years in prison last year .

Prosecutors convinced a jury during Timothy’s trial that he treated his 14-year-old adopted son like a prisoner in their Jupiter home, forcing the boy to sleep in an 8×8 windowless room in the garage with nothing but a mattress, a desk and a bucket in which to defecate. The only time he was allowed out was to go to school.

Police began investigating the couple after their son was reported missing on Jan. 28, 2022. At the time, Tracy told police that the child had “run away from home on several occasions before” and told officers that he had several behavioral disorders.