Central California Father Accused Of Routinely Bounding 7-Year-Old Boy

BAKERSFIELD (AP) - Kern County deputies rescued a 7-year-old boy found bound at the wrists and ankles and arrested his father, the Sheriff's Office said.

Neighbors in the Bakersfield area reported seeing the boy bound and hopping until he fell Saturday morning, an official statement said.

Deputies found the boy's wrists and ankles were bound with zip ties, and detectives from the Special Victims Unit were called in.

"Through the investigation, it was discovered the juvenile was consistently bound by his father and locked alone in the residence while the father went to purchase marijuana or went to work for up to 10 hours at a time," the office said. "While at home, the father would repeatedly strike the juvenile with an unknown type of cord. It was determined that the juvenile lived alone with his father at the residence."

The 32-year-old father was arrested on Tuesday and was booked into the Kern County jail on suspicion of child endangerment, false imprisonment and torture.