Father, Girlfriend Accused Of Habitually Chaining, Beating 13-Year-Old
MARKHAM (STMW) -- A 13-year-old south suburban boy was routinely chained to a dryer as his father and his girlfriend slept, after being beaten by the adults with everything from bamboo scratchers to yard sticks to a broken ax handle, prosecutors allege.
Hugo Dominguez, 38, of 444 N. Park Dr. in Glenwood, was charged Thursday with one count of aggravated domestic battery. His girlfriend Mary Ramirez, 38, of the same address, is charged with one count of unlawful restraint, Cook County State's Attorney's office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton said.
On Friday, bond for Dominguez was set at $250,000, while Ramirez was ordered held on $100,000, Simonton said. Both are accused of physically abusing Dominguez's 13-year-old son.
Court records indicate police were called to Brookwood Junior High School in Glenwood on Tuesday for a report of possible child abuse. They found the teen had a large laceration to his left elbow, bruising on both arms, lash marks on his lower and middle back and marks on his lower legs.
The teen said the injuries were caused by both his father and his father's girlfriend, prosecutors said.
The teen told investigators he was hit in the hands with a yardstick and ax handle, and that his father stabbed him with a knife. He also said Ramirez hit him with belts, a bamboo scratcher and rulers taped together.
The teen also said he was chained to a dryer most nights as his father and Ramirez slept. He was routinely unchained in the morning and put in the garage before school, court records said.
Investigators performed a search of the home and found the knife, bamboo sticks, yard stick and two broken wooden ax handles, as well as a white chain in the laundry room, court records said.
Dominguez admitted he cut the boy with a knife last week, and that he routinely hit him with the ax handle and yard stick. He also admitted to chaining the boy to the dryer during the week.
Ramirez also admitted hitting the teen with a back scratcher and chaining him up on some nights, court records said.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is investigating allegations of abuse and neglect against both Ramirez and Dominguez, and has had no prior contact with the family, spokesman Kendall Marlowe said.
The teen and his two siblings have been placed in the care of a foster family, Marlowe said.
Dominguez and Ramirez will appear for a preliminary hearing March 23 in Markham, Simonton said.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
