A 33-year-old Lebanese woman is currently detained at Lebanon County Correctional Facility, accused of allegedly handcuffing her child to a fuel tank.
Lebanon County Regional Police were called to a home on the 600 block of East Kercher Avenue in North Lebanon Township shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, for a wellness check on an 11-year-old kid who was allegedly chained to his bed.
According to an affidavit, an officer arrived at the location, made contact with the youngsters, and discovered a child shackled to the railing of a top bunk bed. The boy told police that his mother had tied him to a post in the basement, but he got free and accidentally handcuffed himself to the bed.
Police contacted the children’s mother, Chazzity M. Candelario, who instructed the officer not to talk with the children until she arrived home. Candelario allegedly told officers that she had trouble supervising her children while she was at work, and the affidavit stated that she had confined her kid in a small 3′ by 8′ utility room and handcuffed him to the gasoline tank.
According to the affidavit, the youngster reported that his mother tied him to the leg of the fuel tank for up to two hours at a time.
Candelario faces two felonies: unlawful restraint of a juvenile and false imprisonment of a minor, in addition to a misdemeanor allegation of endangering the welfare of children.
Candelario’s arraignment before Magisterial District Judge John W. Ditzler resulted in his remand to Lebanon County Correctional Facility, with a $100,000 bail requirement. Magisterial District Judge Kim R. Wolf has scheduled a preliminary hearing for Thursday, January 23, at 8 a.m.