A Laramie County fire chief and his wife pleaded not guilty Thursday in Laramie County District Court to starving and imprisoning their adopted 13-year-old son.
Darrick M. Mittlestadt and Angela Mittlestadt, both 49, faced Laramie County District Court Judge Peter Froelicher with charges of aggravated child abuse and conspiracy to commit aggravated child abuse.
Darrick Mittlestadt is the fire chief at Laramie County Fire District No. 1.
During a brief 4-minute arraignment before the judge, their attorney, John Hummel, declined to read the charges against them.
Assistant District Attorney Jack Hatfield II objected to Hummel’s joint representation of the couple and asked the court to order that they be represented separately.
“There is already clear conflict of interest in this case as evidenced by statements that Mr. Mittlestadt made to law enforcement that are clearly conflicting,” said the lawyer. “And Mr. Mittlestadt is clearly blaming the other defendant.”
Froehlicher informed the prosecutor that he “should have filed a written motion” and that he would not raise his objection at the arraignment hearing.
“It does sound like a valid issue. “I’m not sure if you discussed it with Mr. Hummel,” the judge said. “You are making your record, but I will not rule on it or ask Mr. Hummel to respond. I’ll ask you to file a written motion.”
Individually, the couple told the judge that they understood the charges against them and were fine with the charges not being read.
Making Their Pleas
The judge asked Angela Mittlestadt how she planned to plead.
“Not guilty,” she stated.
“Mr. Mittlestadt, to the two counts in (the court file) how do you plead?” Froelicher asked.
“Not guilty,” Darrick Mittlestadt stated.
The judge said he would accept their pleas and set the trial for November 24.
A fire alarm rang in the courthouse as Froehlicher was initially informing all those being arraigned about their rights and discussing their right to be represented by an attorney.
“All right, we’ve got to go,” the judge said.
He changed course a minute later after learning from building security that it was a false alarm.
Dropped Off in Douglas
The charges against the Cheyenne couple stem from an investigation that began on June 22 when their emaciated 13-year-old son — with “ribs, collarbones, and other joints protruding” — was dropped off at the Youth Development Center in Douglas and provided a false name and date of birth.
The teen told a Douglas police officer, “I’m only allowed to eat one meal a day since there’s no point in giving me food,” according to the police affidavit.
During a forensic interview at the Child Advocacy Project in Casper on June 23, the teen told the interviewer that his mother, Angela Mittlestadt, had dropped him off in Douglas and told him to knock on the door and say he “needed somewhere to live.”
Living Conditions
According to court documents, the boy’s living conditions at the Mittlestadt home included his bedroom door being blocked with heavy items from outside, preventing him from leaving his room.
He admitted to his interviewer that he “wasn’t very nice and did stuff he shouldn’t have done, such as wetting the bed and picking at himself.”
He ate white bread, ham, and vegetables once a day, along with “Zero Gatorade.” He only received one meal because of the way he “behaved,” he told the interviewer.
Angela Mittlestadt told a Laramie County Sheriff’s Office detective on June 23 that when she first met the teen as a boy, he was homeless, malnourished, and a “f***ed up kid with trauma.”
“I’m an idiot and thought I could help him,” she told the investigator, according to the affidavit.
She claimed he refused to attend school, lacked emotion, remorse, empathy, and “didn’t care about rewards or consequences.”
Darrick Mittlestadt told the investigator that his wife had lost a family member several years before and thought that adopting two boys was how she “dealt” with that loss.
He stated that he and his wife fed the boy, but he rarely slept. He explained that his job required him to be away from home frequently.
“I failed everyone because I didn’t do my job,” he stated.
The teen informed authorities that items had been taken from his room and that he had never left his Cheyenne home except to shower or brush his teeth.
Not Allowed To Leave Room
He told his interviewer that he hadn’t left the house in two years and was not allowed to leave his room, watch TV, play with his brother, or accompany his father to the fire station, according to the affidavit.
Authorities placed their younger adopted son, 6, in protective custody.
Darrick Mittlestadt denied that the teenager had lived in the house for years.
He said he’d walk around the property with the boy looking for cactus, but the child was too thin and weak to dig with a shovel. So he’d dig the cactus for him.
Both parents claimed the teen lied about things and urinated and defecated in his bedroom.
The teen informed his interviewer that his room’s door had been blocked.
On June 24, the teenager was transported to Denver Children’s Hospital. When he arrived, he weighed 50 pounds and had undetectable vitamin D levels. The affidavit stated that he would need to stay in the hospital for several weeks to gradually increase his caloric intake.
The hospital reported that he was “eating appropriately” and had no behavioral issues with the boy. Doctors reported that his malnutrition had hampered his bone growth and development, according to the affidavit.
Aggravated child abuse and conspiracy to commit aggravated child abuse each carry a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The Middlestadts remain free on separate $15,000 bonds.
Froehlicher stated that the trial date would be tentatively set for November 24.
It is unclear whether Darrick Mittlestadt is still the chief of the Laramie County Fire District No. 1. Messages left with the fire district were not immediately returned Thursday. The fire district’s automated phone system prompts callers to press 0 “For Fire Chief Darrick Mittlestadt’s Office.” On the fire district’s website, a photo of Middlestadt is on the “Staff” tab next to a section titled “Leadership;” however, clicking through to view the leadership personnel, two others are listed but not Middlestadt.
