A couple of grandparents in Ohio were arrested for allegedly participating in their daughter’s abuse of her juvenile stepson, authorities said.
Armin and Susan Rodriguez, 71 and 68, reportedly punished the boy for years and involved forcing him to stand alone in a room, beating him, and restricting his food. They are both being held at the Hamilton County jail on child endangerment charges.
“He was not allowed to urinate unless he was given permission by mom prior or by grandmother,” Delhi Township Police Lt. Joe Macaluso told reporters. “And he was not allowed to eat the same things everyone else would eat.”
The investigation stemmed from prior charges against the victim’s father and stepmother, who were accused of similar abuse by a neighboring department in February.
“When the authorities in that jurisdiction did a forensic interview with the child, he related the same type of treatment was occurring by his step-grandparents in my jurisdiction,” Macaluso added. “He would go over to his step-grandparents’ house, their daughter would say that he’s in trouble, and he’s to be in timeout or he’s grounded.”
Court records show the stepmother, Amy Rodriguez Dangel, is facing 11 child endangerment charges for allegations that she “recklessly tortured or cruelly abused” the boy between January 2018 and April 2021, while her husband and the boy’s father, Anthony Dangel, is facing a single count for allegedly violating his duty of care.
“If there’s a victim of this type of abuse, it’s tragic,” the lieutenant said. “And when you have somebody that’s vulnerable, like a child or the elderly, it makes you sick.”
The step-grandparents were indicted by a grand jury directly and are due back in court on June 3. The boy is reportedly “safe now and with family members who love him.”
Similarly, a Florida woman is behind bars after placing a 4-year-old inside a laundry dryer and turning the machine on.
35-year-old Amber Chapman is being charged with a first-degree felony of aggravated child abuse after the boy told investigators that “Miss Chapman” put him inside a machine with some towels and that he “went around and around,” police said.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential.
