LAS VEGAS (AP) — A mother and stepfather accused of locking their 4-year-old autistic son in a homemade cage in Las Vegas have been indicted on felony child abuse charges.
A preliminary hearing of evidence against Sheila Reyes and Juan Alberto Gonzalez-Orozco was canceled Tuesday after charges were filed against them last Wednesday in Clark County District Court.
Their lawyer, John Turco, didn't immediately respond Monday to messages.
The charges follow an investigation begun in December 2016 after police responding to a report of a family disturbance reported finding the boy on a urine-soaked mattress inside the cage built from metal bars topped with plywood.
Police said Reyes told officers the boy was put in the enclosure when he acted bad, but investigators found he was often locked inside when he wasn't at school.
