WASHINGTON — The parents of three young children kept locked up and fed through a gate聽have been sentenced to six years plus probation, but their jail time will be suspended.
On Tuesday, March 30,聽the parents, who are not married but live together,聽plead guilty to three felony counts of child neglect.聽 Scott Suggs, 28, and Brandy Kangas, 36, were sentenced to聽six years in prison聽but all six years were聽suspended.
They were also sentenced to indefinite probation including 10 years of good behavior. 聽During that 10-year period they have to be “model citizens,” says聽Spotsylvania County Commonwealth Attorney Bill Neely.
On聽Dec. 16, 2014聽a Spotsylvania County couple was arrested for child neglect聽of their three young kids.聽 Police were tipped off by a good Samaritan.
Captain Jeff Pearce with the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office says the children, a 17-month-old boy and two 3 and 4-year-old聽girls, were kept locked in a cage-like room for 24 hours a day.
It was 鈥渓ike the cage聽partition that you see on some of the TV shows聽where you see the bad guys being held in custody,”聽says Pearce.
鈥淚t appeared that the children were locked in this room that was聽very sparsely聽furnished with a mattress, some blankets and a few other things on the floor.”
The room was stained with urine and feces.聽聽Captain Pearce聽says there was a slot聽through which children were fed.
The Spotsylvania Commonwealth鈥檚 Attorney William聽Neely says the children weren’t聽underweight 聽and had no permanent physical harm.聽 He says the mother spent a month is jail and had bonded out.聽 The聽parents were ordered to comply with the county department of social services聽foster-care plan聽and聽can’t be alone with the kids.
Captain Pearce says the聽children are now thriving in a special foster care home for abused or neglected children. 聽When taken from their parents Pearce says they had no social skills and little contact with the outside world. And, as to be expected, 聽the children are afraid of closed doors.
鈥淚鈥檓 just glad that we were able to help these children and save them and this is the reason we are all in public service.”
is currently accepting donations, but the donations cannot be specified for a particular child or family.
*Editor’s note: Previous information indicated that Safe Harbor Children’s Advocacy Center was accepting donations for the children.聽The organization accepts donations for all children, not for a specific family or child.聽
