A district fire chief in a Wyoming county and his wife have been arrested after their adopted son was dropped off last month at a youth development center and told to “knock and say he needed a place to live.”
Darrick and Angela Mittlestadt, both 49, surrendered on Monday, KGWN reported. They have been charged with aggravated child abuse and conspiracy.
An arrest affidavit says that officials at the development center called police because the 13-year-old boy “was extremely thin and appeared severely malnourished,” Cowboy State Daily reported.
The boy’s “ribs, collarbones and other bones and joints were protruding and clearly visible on him due to how thin he was,” and he “also was missing much of the hair on his head,” the affidavit said.
“I’m only allowed to eat one meal a day since there’s no point in giving me food,” the affidavit says the boy told responding police officers.
According to the affidavit, the boy said his bedroom door was barricade with heavy items so that he couldn’t leave the room. He told an interviewer that he “wasn’t very nice and did stuff he shouldn’t have done such as wetting the bed and picking at himself.”
He said he was fed white bread, ham, and a vegetables once each day with “Zero Gatorade,” telling the investigator he only got one meal per day because of the way he “behaved.”
The teen said he was given white bread, ham and vegetables once a day along with “Zero Gatorade.” He was just getting one meal because of the way that he “behaved.”
When officials interviewed the Middlestadts, they learned the boy had been adopted in 2019 while the couple lived in Colorado.
“I’m an idiot and thought I could help him,” Angela Middlestadt told them, saying he lies, refuses to do school work, and lacked any feelings of remorse or empathy, KGWN said. She described him as a “f***** up kid with trauma,” Cowboy State Daily said.
The boy was taken to Colorado Children’s Hospital for treatment, weighing just 55 pounds.
Hospital officials say the boy has been “eating appropriately and weight gain is expected” since his hospitalization. They also said they have seen no behavioral problems.
The couple’s other adopted son, who is 6, was taken into protective custody.
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[Featured image: Angela and Darrick Middlestadt/Laramie County Sheriff’s Office]
