SULPHUR, LA (KPLC) - A father and his girlfriend are accused of "brutally" abusing his 15-year-old son in Sulphur, Louisiana.
Officials with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office say his father, Thomas D. Wininger, 40, originally of Sylvester, Georgia, allegedly punished the teen by handcuffing him, hog-tying him and placing shock collars on his ankles that caused burn marks.
This would sometimes happen for up to 12 hours a day, said Kim Myers, Sheriff's Office spokesperson.
Myers said the boy escaped around 10 p.m. July 3, when he was uncuffed to use the bathroom. He ran through the woods to another house, where the resident called law enforcement. He had facial injuries and belt marks across his back inflicted by Wininger.
Wininger's girlfriend, Desirae Tomcanin, 34, originally of Pennsylvania, was also arrested. The couple and the boy traveled from state to state for Wininger to work, Myers said. The boy has not been in school for some time.
Both Wininger and Tomcanin were booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center on counts of second-degree cruelty to a juvenile and false imprisonment. Bond has not yet been set.
The boy has been placed in state's custody.
Det. Keeba Barber is the lead investigator.
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