A 9-year-old Unity boy reported that he was locked inside a screwed-shut closet Sunday so two adults could attend a relative’s birthday party, state police reported.
It wasn’t the first time, he told authorities.
The Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau alerted state police after receiving a phone tip that the boy “had been locked and barricaded in a closet screwed down by pieces of wood …” leaving him “unsupervised and trapped,” Trooper Evan Terek reported in court documents.
Shawn L. Waulk, 32, and Tammy Jo Waulk, 33, both of Unity, are charged with endangering the welfare of a child, false imprisonment and reckless endangerment. District Judge Helen Kistler released both Monday night on $25,000 unsecured bond.
Children’s services investigators initially interviewed the child and alleged the couple has locked him in the same closet three times this month, according to court documents.
“(The Waulks) have used nails, screws, wood and a light cord string in an attempt to secure the door,” Terek reported.
During a prior incident, the youth told investigators he broke through the door “but got into trouble,” according to court records.
The Waulks admitted to the incidents, Terek said. Tammy Jo Waulk told troopers the couple attended the party for approximately 11⁄2 hours.
“Shawn Waulk acknowledged that (the child) would have been unable to escape … if there was an emergency,” Terek reported.
Reached by phone Tuesday, Shawn Waulk said the couple had “no comment at this time.”
“We’re going to speak with an attorney first,” he said.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled March 9 before Unity District Judge Michael Mahady.
