A woman confessed to securing her 11-year-old son to a fuel tank for 17 hours and provided a disturbing justification for the abusive act. Chazzity Candelario faced serious charges including unlawful restraint of a minor, false imprisonment of a minor, and endangering the welfare of children. She entered a no contest plea in November and was recently sentenced to serve 16 months to five years in prison. Candelario, 33 at the time of her arrest, claimed she struggled to manage her children while working, leading her to resort to chaining one of them for extended periods.
In a distressing incident in North Lebanon Township, Pennsylvania, Candelario confined her son for 17 hours as punishment for overeating hot dogs. Police were alerted on January 11, 2025, about a child restrained with handcuffs in Candelario’s residence. Investigations revealed that the juvenile was handcuffed to an oil tank in the basement. When Candelario was not home, law enforcement interviewed her children who directed them to a bedroom where the son was found handcuffed to a bunk bed railing. The child explained that he was initially kept in the basement but accidentally chained himself to the bed.
During questioning, Candelario requested that her children not be interrogated until her return. Upon her arrival, she admitted to confining her son in a small utility room, handcuffed to the oil tank, due to difficulties managing him while she was at work. The child disclosed being frequently restrained for prolonged periods and sometimes tethered to a post while his mother was away.
This was not Candelario’s first encounter with legal issues, as she had previous run-ins in 2017 related to endangering her children’s welfare, marijuana possession, and drug paraphernalia possession. Family photos on Facebook displayed Candelario’s children, including Zayas, with one Halloween snapshot showing them dressed as characters from The Addams Family, with one son wearing fake handcuffs.
During her sentencing, Candelario remained silent while her attorney expressed her remorse. District Attorney Pier Hess Graf criticized Candelario for betraying her duty as a mother to care for and protect her children. The Judge, Charles Jones, rebuked Candelario during sentencing, emphasizing that such actions should never occur and urging her to make amends with her children.
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