Laramie County, WY, Fire Chief, Wife Accused of Starving Adopted Son
The fire chief of Laramie County Fire District No. 1 and his wife are facing charges for allegedly imprisoning and starving their 13-year-old adopted son.
Arrest warrants have been obtained charging Darrick M. Mittlestadt and Angela Mittlestadt with aggravated child abuse and conspiracy to commit aggravated child abuse, The Cowboy State Daily reported.
Deputies said Monday night the couple had not been served with the warrants. Both the aggravated child abuse and conspiracy to commit aggravated child abuse charges carry potential penalties of 25 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The case came to light on June 22 when the emaciated 13-year-old boy showed up at the Youth Development Center in Douglas after being dropped off by his mother.
“Douglas police officers noted that (the teen) was extremely thin and appeared severely malnourished. The teen’s “ribs, collarbones and other bones and joints were protruding and clearly visible on him due to how thin he was," according to court records.
He originally gave authorities a false name and date of birth.
The teen told a Douglas police officer that, “I’m only allowed to eat one meal a day since there’s no point in giving me food,” according to the charging documents.
He said he had not been out of the house for two years and was not allowed to leave his room, watch TV, play with his brother or go to the fire station with his dad.
But, his father recalled taking him on walks around their property. But,
He weighted 50 pounds and had an undetectable level of vitamin D. He remains hospitalized and is eating appropriately.
Firefighters at the fire station reported they were aware the Mittlestadts had adopted two boys. They had seen the younger one, but never the teen.
Susan Nicol | News Editor
Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues.
