A district fire chief from a county in Wyoming, along with his wife, has been arrested after abandoning their adopted son at a youth development center last month, instructing him 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.
According to an arrest affidavit, officials at the development center contacted the police when the 13-year-old appeared extremely underweight and severely malnourished, as reported by Cowboy State Daily.
The affidavit noted that the boy’s ribs, collarbones, and other bones and joints were visibly protruding due to his thinness, and much of his hair was missing from his head.
“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.
The affidavit also detailed that the boy claimed his room was blocked with heavy objects to prevent him from leaving. He mentioned to 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 explained that he was provided with white bread, ham, and vegetables once daily along with “Zero Gatorade,” attributing his single daily meal to his behavior.
The teenager revealed he received white bread, ham, and vegetables once a day, alongside “Zero Gatorade.” His single daily meal was a consequence of how 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.
