Couple denies they caged, endangered severely autistic sons in unsanitary home

[Guest guest]

http://www.lohud.com/article/20110304/NEWS02/103040370/0/NEWS03/Couple-denies-th\

ey-caged-endangered-severely-autistic-sons-unsanitary-home?odyssey=nav%7Chead

Couple denies they caged, endangered severely autistic sons in unsanitary home

Mar 4, 2011

POUND RIDGE — A town couple accused of keeping their severely autistic sons in

extremely unsanitary conditions maintained today that the teenagers are

perfectly well cared for and that authorities simply overreacted.

Yates, 57, and his 59-year-old wife, Yates, of 5 Lyndel Road, spoke

after being released without bail this morning by Pound Ridge Town Justice

Hand, who arraigned them on two counts each of endangering the welfare of

an incompetent person, a misdemeanor.

Yates said authorities accused the couple of keeping their youngest son,

17, caged inside the home — which he said was actually three soccer nets

stitched together and a gate to close off a portion of their living room.

He said that it was " so he doesn't roam around at night and hurt himself. "

" This is a soccer net so he wouldn't climb over it, " Yates said. " He's not

strapped in, and is happy as can be. "

Pound Ridge Police Chief said the arrests stemmed from a 911 call

from a school bus driver, who on Feb. 11 reported an undisclosed medical

condition involving the youngest boy, who is 17. said police, prosecutors

and child welfare officials then found unhealthy conditions in the home.

" We are talking a significantly diminished air quality and sanitary condition

compared to normal conditions, " said the chief, who would not provide further

details.

Officials said that the Yates' older autistic son is 19, and that the couple has

an older son who is not autistic and lives out of the state.

Yates said the Feb. 11 incident involved her son having a seizure in the

driveway as he went to board the Bedford school district bus. She said her sons

have had seizures before as a result of their autism, and argued that since it

happened in her driveway the driver should have let her handle it herself.

Instead, she recalled, " everyone started running all over the place. "

Yates said there was garbage piled up inside the home because a dumpster

outside was buried in snow and he was forced to keep the trash inside the house.

He said that once emergency personnel arrived at the house for the 911 call,

" all of a sudden it became 'you can't take care of the kids.' "

In a 2002 newspaper interview, Yates detailed the family's struggle with

their two autistic sons, who were 10 and 8 years old at the time.

" You go through the grieving process that you go through with a death, " she told

The Patent Trader, a weekly newspaper formerly owned by Gannett Co., the parent

company of The Journal News. " It's the death of a dream. It's the dream child

you are never going to have. The kid that was going to be in the Little League

team. The child model. The child actor. "

" If you can't make it through to the acceptance part, then you fall apart, "

Yates said at the time. " Or somebody in the family falls apart. Or the husband

walks out on the wife. Or the wife walks out on the husband. That happens all

too often. "

Yates said their oldest son was diagnosed before his third birthday, and

the other before his second. She said the youngest boy had a tendency to run

away whenever the opportunity arose, while his brother was self-destructive and

tended to bite.

The Westchester District Attorneys Office, and state and local police are all

part of the ongoing investigation.

Hand ordered the Yates to return to court on Monday morning.

Hand also issued an order of protection prohibit ing the couple from having any

contact with their sons. In addition, the judge ordered Yates to surrender

a .22-caliber rifle he keeps at home.

[Guest guest]

" You go through the grieving process that you go through with a death, " she told

The Patent Trader, a weekly newspaper formerly owned by Gannett Co., the parent

company of The Journal News. " It's the death of a dream. It's the dream child

you are never going to have. The kid that was going to be in the Little League

team. The child model. The child actor. "

Well that instantly makes me suspicous. Not every parent goes through what she

describes above, the ones that do IMO are less accepting of their child.

>

>

http://www.lohud.com/article/20110304/NEWS02/103040370/0/NEWS03/Couple-denies-th\

ey-caged-endangered-severely-autistic-sons-unsanitary-home?odyssey=nav%7Chead

>

> Couple denies they caged, endangered severely autistic sons in unsanitary home

>

> Mar 4, 2011

>

> POUND RIDGE — A town couple accused of keeping their severely autistic sons in

extremely unsanitary conditions maintained today that the teenagers are

perfectly well cared for and that authorities simply overreacted.

>

> Yates, 57, and his 59-year-old wife, Yates, of 5 Lyndel Road, spoke

after being released without bail this morning by Pound Ridge Town Justice

Hand, who arraigned them on two counts each of endangering the welfare of

an incompetent person, a misdemeanor.

>

> Yates said authorities accused the couple of keeping their youngest son,

17, caged inside the home — which he said was actually three soccer nets

stitched together and a gate to close off a portion of their living room.

>

> He said that it was " so he doesn't roam around at night and hurt himself. "

>

> " This is a soccer net so he wouldn't climb over it, " Yates said. " He's not

strapped in, and is happy as can be. "

>

> Pound Ridge Police Chief said the arrests stemmed from a 911 call

from a school bus driver, who on Feb. 11 reported an undisclosed medical

condition involving the youngest boy, who is 17. said police, prosecutors

and child welfare officials then found unhealthy conditions in the home.

>

> " We are talking a significantly diminished air quality and sanitary condition

compared to normal conditions, " said the chief, who would not provide further

details.

>

> Officials said that the Yates' older autistic son is 19, and that the couple

has an older son who is not autistic and lives out of the state.

>

> Yates said the Feb. 11 incident involved her son having a seizure in the

driveway as he went to board the Bedford school district bus. She said her sons

have had seizures before as a result of their autism, and argued that since it

happened in her driveway the driver should have let her handle it herself.

>

> Instead, she recalled, " everyone started running all over the place. "

>

> Yates said there was garbage piled up inside the home because a dumpster

outside was buried in snow and he was forced to keep the trash inside the house.

>

> He said that once emergency personnel arrived at the house for the 911 call,

" all of a sudden it became 'you can't take care of the kids.' "

>

> In a 2002 newspaper interview, Yates detailed the family's struggle with

their two autistic sons, who were 10 and 8 years old at the time.

>

> " You go through the grieving process that you go through with a death, " she

told The Patent Trader, a weekly newspaper formerly owned by Gannett Co., the

parent company of The Journal News. " It's the death of a dream. It's the dream

child you are never going to have. The kid that was going to be in the Little

League team. The child model. The child actor. "

>

> " If you can't make it through to the acceptance part, then you fall apart, "

Yates said at the time. " Or somebody in the family falls apart. Or the husband

walks out on the wife. Or the wife walks out on the husband. That happens all

too often. "

>

> Yates said their oldest son was diagnosed before his third birthday, and

the other before his second. She said the youngest boy had a tendency to run

away whenever the opportunity arose, while his brother was self-destructive and

tended to bite.

>

> The Westchester District Attorneys Office, and state and local police are all

part of the ongoing investigation.

>

> Hand ordered the Yates to return to court on Monday morning.

>

> Hand also issued an order of protection prohibit ing the couple from having

any contact with their sons. In addition, the judge ordered Yates to

surrender a .22-caliber rifle he keeps at home.

>

[Guest guest]

" You go through the grieving process that you go through with a death, " she told

The Patent Trader, a weekly newspaper formerly owned by Gannett Co., the parent

company of The Journal News. " It's the death of a dream. It's the dream child

you are never going to have. The kid that was going to be in the Little League

team. The child model. The child actor. "

Well that instantly makes me suspicous. Not every parent goes through what she

describes above, the ones that do IMO are less accepting of their child.

>

>

http://www.lohud.com/article/20110304/NEWS02/103040370/0/NEWS03/Couple-denies-th\

ey-caged-endangered-severely-autistic-sons-unsanitary-home?odyssey=nav%7Chead

>

> Couple denies they caged, endangered severely autistic sons in unsanitary home

>

> Mar 4, 2011

>

> POUND RIDGE — A town couple accused of keeping their severely autistic sons in

extremely unsanitary conditions maintained today that the teenagers are

perfectly well cared for and that authorities simply overreacted.

>

> Yates, 57, and his 59-year-old wife, Yates, of 5 Lyndel Road, spoke

after being released without bail this morning by Pound Ridge Town Justice

Hand, who arraigned them on two counts each of endangering the welfare of

an incompetent person, a misdemeanor.

>

> Yates said authorities accused the couple of keeping their youngest son,

17, caged inside the home — which he said was actually three soccer nets

stitched together and a gate to close off a portion of their living room.

>

> He said that it was " so he doesn't roam around at night and hurt himself. "

>

> " This is a soccer net so he wouldn't climb over it, " Yates said. " He's not

strapped in, and is happy as can be. "

>

> Pound Ridge Police Chief said the arrests stemmed from a 911 call

from a school bus driver, who on Feb. 11 reported an undisclosed medical

condition involving the youngest boy, who is 17. said police, prosecutors

and child welfare officials then found unhealthy conditions in the home.

>

> " We are talking a significantly diminished air quality and sanitary condition

compared to normal conditions, " said the chief, who would not provide further

details.

>

> Officials said that the Yates' older autistic son is 19, and that the couple

has an older son who is not autistic and lives out of the state.

>

> Yates said the Feb. 11 incident involved her son having a seizure in the

driveway as he went to board the Bedford school district bus. She said her sons

have had seizures before as a result of their autism, and argued that since it

happened in her driveway the driver should have let her handle it herself.

>

> Instead, she recalled, " everyone started running all over the place. "

>

> Yates said there was garbage piled up inside the home because a dumpster

outside was buried in snow and he was forced to keep the trash inside the house.

>

> He said that once emergency personnel arrived at the house for the 911 call,

" all of a sudden it became 'you can't take care of the kids.' "

>

> In a 2002 newspaper interview, Yates detailed the family's struggle with

their two autistic sons, who were 10 and 8 years old at the time.

>

> " You go through the grieving process that you go through with a death, " she

told The Patent Trader, a weekly newspaper formerly owned by Gannett Co., the

parent company of The Journal News. " It's the death of a dream. It's the dream

child you are never going to have. The kid that was going to be in the Little

League team. The child model. The child actor. "

>

> " If you can't make it through to the acceptance part, then you fall apart, "

Yates said at the time. " Or somebody in the family falls apart. Or the husband

walks out on the wife. Or the wife walks out on the husband. That happens all

too often. "

>

> Yates said their oldest son was diagnosed before his third birthday, and

the other before his second. She said the youngest boy had a tendency to run

away whenever the opportunity arose, while his brother was self-destructive and

tended to bite.

>

> The Westchester District Attorneys Office, and state and local police are all

part of the ongoing investigation.

>

> Hand ordered the Yates to return to court on Monday morning.

>

> Hand also issued an order of protection prohibit ing the couple from having

any contact with their sons. In addition, the judge ordered Yates to

surrender a .22-caliber rifle he keeps at home.

>