Three Texas adults are accused of locking a 6-year-old boy in their care inside a dryer and turning it on. people reported.
Duncan Haven, 18, Jacory Gill, 20, and Reif Ford, 19, were arrested Monday for the incident at a Houston laundromat, Harris County Constable 4th Precinct said in a statement. announced that he had been arrested.
Officer Mark Herman said the investigation began after a report of a 6-year-old child trapped in a dryer at a laundromat. When officers arrived at the scene, the child was “visibly shaking and crying,” Herman said in a statement.
Authorities learned that the child was in the custody of three youths and was upset after they had reportedly lost a bag of potato chips.
Herman said Duncan put the boy in the dryer and locked him indoors as “punishment.”
“In an affidavit reviewed by peopleInvestigators allege Duncan placed the victim inside the dryer while the child used her legs to resist being put inside. ” states the report.
The affidavit cites footage obtained from the laundromat and review by investigators, showing how Duncan “repositioned” the child before “forcibly preventing her from coming out.” It is said to indicate that
“During the struggle, police allege that as Gill used a credit or debit card to start the machine, Ford closed the machine and forced Duncan to hold the door closed,” the report states. Continuing.
The report cited an affidavit saying the three adults left the boy in the dryer for a minute before Duncan removed him, pushed him into a cart and “swung him around violently.” Herman claimed in her statement that the boy was left in the dryer for at least five minutes.
A bystander alerted police and EMS. Responders eventually evaluated the child and released him to a guardian, the report said.
While at the scene, the child's mother arrived, police said. Investigators said in a statement that they suspect the girl yelled at the boy because “he was a baby while they were playing.” Authorities later separated the mother and child, but the mother has not been charged in the case, the report said.
According to the affidavit, Ford allegedly pushed the arm of a deputy who was attempting to arrest Gill, causing Gill to flee. Gill was able to flee on foot, but the child's mother then contacted him via FaceTime and agreed to turn himself in, the report continued.
“The relationship between the three suspects or their respective children or the child's mother was not clear,” the report states.
Haven was charged with child endangerment and held on $75,000 bail, according to court records. Gill is charged with child endangerment and evading arrest. Ford is charged with child endangerment and obstructing a public servant.
Gill and Ford were released on $100 bail, according to reports.
