A mother in Prince William County Virginia has been arrested after police say she tied her 17-year-old disabled son to his bed with a chain and rope and locked him inside his bedroom.
Police said Paulette Renee Weston, 40, was charged with felony child neglect and abduction.
Detectives went to a home in the 15000 block of Wood St. in Woodbridge to investigate after a therapist working with another child in the house alerted Child Protective Services, News4's Julie Carey reports.
Police said the son's bedroom windows were boarded up and the bedroom door had a deadbolt lock to prevent him from leaving.
The teenage boy and a 1-year-old child are now in foster care, Carey reports.
Weston's daughter, who is 18 years old, fiercely defends her mother and said she was just trying to protect her disabled son.
"Everybody believes my mom is a monster. She's not a monster. She just tried to help my brother out, tried to keep him in the house and keep from harming himself," Star Weston said.
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Weston said her brother was born with spina bifida and is paralyzed from the knees down. He relies on a wheelchair, but Weston said in recent months he has frequently left home, climbing out of windows and sometimes leaving without his wheelchair.
"He escapes from the home and gets in cars with strangers and she's just trying to protect her son. No mother wants her son to leave the home and be raped and thrown on the side of the road," said Angela Robertson, Weston's housemate.
Prince William County police acknowledged they have found the son and brought him back to the home before, Carey reports.
However, police said parents facing struggles with their children have better options.
"No mater what circumstances you may be handling or facing, of course, the appropriate action would be to seek help if you're facing a sitaution like that," said Nathan Probus, with the Prince William County Police Department.
Weston is being held without bond.
