A Wyoming fire chief and his wife have been charged with allegedly abusing their adopted son by starving him to the point where his bones were “protruding” and he weighed only 55 pounds.
Darrick Mittlestadt, Chief of Laramie County Fire District No. 1, and his wife, Angela Mittlestadt, have been charged with aggravated child abuse and conspiracy, according to court documents posted on Friday.
Wyoming News Now reported that the couple turned themselves in on Monday.
The alleged abuse was discovered last month after authorities were contacted by the Youth Development Center in Douglas. The center reported that an emaciated 13-year-old boy was dropped off at the facility.
On June 24, the boy was reportedly taken to the hospital for medical treatment while weighing only 55 pounds. It comes after a mother ‘locked her special needs child in room’ before ‘abandoning home’ with other children arrested.
“Douglas police officers noted that (the teen) was extremely thin and appeared severely malnourished,” according to The Cowboy State Daily. Police reported that the boy’s “ribs, collarbones, and other bones and joints were protruding.”
The couple reportedly adopted the boy in 2019. According to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Cowboy State Daily, the couple allegedly starved the child because of how he “behaved.”
Angela Mittlestadt claimed to authorities that when she adopted the boy, he was homeless, malnourished, and a “f***ed up kid with trauma.” According to the affidavit, she claimed that the boy refused to do his schoolwork and showed no remorse or empathy.
According to the affidavit, the boy told police that he was only allowed to eat one meal per day because it was pointless to feed him.
According to the affidavit, he was not allowed to leave his room and hadn’t left the house in two years.
The couple faces charges that could lead to a 25-year prison sentence.
