Custodial dad jailed for handcuffing 14-year-old son to the furniture (Marana, Arizona)

And the handcuffing is only the tip of the iceberg. Dad FEDERICO J. BALLESTEROS II and the charming step also engaged in all kinds of other abuse, including beatings and the withholding of food, against this boy--and his siblings.

Also notice that Daddy kept this child away from his legal guardian, the grandmother, from 2003 to 2011, and the authorities didn't do a damn thing till now.

Notice there is NOT ONE WORD about this boy's mother. Not one. It's as if the baby had been found in a cabbage patch. Typical media erasure of mothers from these kinds of stories.

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/marana-father-gets-jail-in-child-handcuffing-case/article_95702aa4-893c-5520-8a80-959073f26960.html

Marana father gets jail in child-handcuffing case
June 28, 2012 12:00 am

Kim Smith, Arizona Daily Star

A Marana man charged with handcuffing his eldest son to furniture was sentenced Tuesday to six months in jail and seven years' probation.

Federico J. Ballesteros II was indicted in February on three counts of child abuse and one count of custodial interference after his 14-year-old son told workers at Marana Middle School he was too scared to go home.

During a forensic interview, the boy said his stepmother and father often forced him to sleep outside, that his stepmother wouldn't give him breakfast, sometimes forced him to skip dinner, and beat him with her hands, a belt and a horsewhip.

The boy also said he was sometimes handcuffed to his brother's bed or a chair in the living room. Detectives took photos of the boy's hand after he said his stepmother forced him to burn it on the stove.

Three of the boy's siblings and four cousins who live on the same property confirmed the boy's story, court documents indicate. The siblings also reported beatings.

In addition, the underage cousins told authorities the stepmother asked them if they wanted to see what the 14-year-old watches at night and then played a pornographic movie for them, according to court documents. The boy's 9-year-old sister was also present.

One month after Ballesteros' indictment, prosecutors dismissed his case, but sought a second indictment against him that included his wife.

The grand jury indicted Ballesteros on one count of custodial interference and three counts of kidnapping.

Ballesteros was facing a custodial interference charge for keeping the 14-year-old away from his grandmother, his legal guardian, from April 1, 2003, through Dec. 31, 2011.

The grand jurors indicted Sugey Guadalupe Santos-Cordova on three counts of kidnapping, three counts of child abuse and six counts of furnishing obscene or harmful items to minors.

Ballesteros pleaded guilty to kidnapping last month. Pima County Superior Court Judge Howard Fell had the option of placing him on probation or sentencing him to between three and 12 1/2 years in prison.

The case against Ballesteros' wife is pending trial, said Deputy County Attorney Jared Kreamer-Hope.

All of the children living in the home were placed in the care of state Child Protective Services.