A pair is facing charges of unlawful restraint and child injury for allegedly handcuffing two children, aged 6 and 7, to their bunks during a weekend stay. David Gonzalez and Anita Valdez are accused of hitting the children with belts and making them eat spicy peppers as punishment. The incident came to light when Gonzalez’s ex-partner, the mother of his 7-year-old daughter, contacted the authorities after her child revealed being handcuffed to a bed during her visit to her father’s house.
The young girl, with red wrists, recounted being handcuffed by Gonzalez and Valdez, her stepmother, to the bed and being forced to sleep in restraints until released the next morning by one of Valdez’s children. Upon confronting Gonzalez about the injuries, the mother was initially met with denial until she reported the incident to the police.
Police officers visited the couple’s residence where Valdez initially denied handcuffing the girl but later admitted to restraining her own 6-year-old due to the child’s alleged mental health issues. A search of the house uncovered handcuffs attached to one child’s bed and a ratchet strap on the other. Conflicting statements were provided by Gonzalez and Valdez during police interviews regarding the events of that evening.
Further investigations revealed that Valdez restricted the children to one meal per day and would handcuff them for various reasons, as reported by juveniles living with the couple. The children also disclosed that Gonzalez would make them eat hot peppers as punishment, whip them with a belt, and give them unpleasant-tasting gummy candies that induced drowsiness.
Following their arrest, Gonzalez and Valdez were released on bond and are scheduled to appear in court on December 1.
