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MIDVALE — A Midvale couple accused of handcuffing a young boy to a stair railing for extended periods of time as a form of "discipline" were charged Tuesday with child abuse.
Kevin Francis Williams-Moen, 33, and Jennifer Ione Fitzgerald, 36, are each charged in 3rd District Court with child abuse, a second-degree felony.
Unified police say for approximately a year starting in 2020, Williams-Moen would make the boy, who was under the age of 10, "put his hands behind his back through the gap in the railing of the stairs and would then handcuff (the boy) against the railing. (The boy) stated that Williams-Moen would also duct tape him when he was handcuffed. (The boy) stated that Williams-Moen did this more than one time and put up security cameras to monitor (the boy)," according to charging documents.
Fitzgerald told investigators that the boy "was handcuffed two or three times a week for three weeks" in March of 2021, the charges state. She claimed the boy was cuffed with his hands in front of him, however, so he could sit on the stairs.
Fitzgerald said the boy was handcuffed "so he understood what he was doing was wrong. Fitzgerald stated that (the boy) would scream, cry, and kick her and the floor as he was handcuffed to the railing. Fitzgerald stated that she would keep (the boy) in handcuffs until he stopped crying or was sorry for what he did," according to the charges.
In June of 2021, Williams-Moen was at an Adult Probation and Parole office and while going through a metal detector, officers said they noticed a handcuff key on his key ring.
"Williams-Moen was questioned about the key, and he stated that he had the key and used it for 'disciplinary reasons' when his girlfriend's children were acting up," the charges state.
Williams-Moen is currently in the Utah State Prison on a parole violation, court records state. He was found guilty in January of assault and unlawful detention, both class A misdemeanors.
A no-bail arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for Fitzgerald who prosecutors believe may have fled the state.
