Couple Arrested in Chained Teen Case *By MICHELLE LOCKE and MARCUS WOHLSEN *
, *AP*
posted: *1 HOUR 29 MINUTES AGO*
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TRACY, Calif. (Dec. 2) - A Girl Scout leader and her husband were arrested
after an emaciated, terrified and nearly naked 17-year-old showed up at a
gym with a chain locked to his ankle, saying he had just fled his captors,
authorities said Tuesday.
Boy Held
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Tracy Police Department / AP
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Michael Schumacher, 34, and his wife were charged with torture and other
counts after a half-naked teenager with a chain around his ankle appeared at
a gym on Monday claiming he had escaped his captors in Tracy, Calif.
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Police were also seeking the boy's aunt and had an outstanding felony
warrant against her for an earlier alleged assault against the teen.
The boy, who authorities said ran away from a Sacramento foster home last
year, came into the In-Shape Sports Club in Tracy on Monday wearing only
boxer briefs and covered in what appeared to be soot, gym manager Chuck
Ellis said. Tracy is about 70 miles south of Sacramento.
Ellis said the teen was scared someone was going to come after him and asked
to be hidden.
"He said, 'Don't let them get me, don't let them get me,'" Ellis said. "He
was totally terrified."
The boy said he had been held captive for nearly a year, said Ellis, adding
that he looked as if he was only 10 to 12 years old.
Authorities said they believe the boy had been chained to a car seat but
picked up a dropped key, unlocked himself and fled when the car stopped.
Police arrested Kelly Layne Lau, 30, and Michael Schumacher, 34, late Monday
after questioning the couple. A subsequent search of their nearby home found
further evidence implicating them, said Tracy police spokesman Matt
Robinson, who would not describe what officers found.
Chained Teen Shows Up at Calif. Gym, 2 Arrested
A husband and wife have been charged with torture and other counts after
a bruised, terrified 17-year-old showed up at a Tracy, California gym with a
chain locked to his ankle, claiming he had just fled his captors,
authorities said Tuesday. (Dec. 2)
The couple were booked on charges of torture, kidnapping and child abuse,
and were set to appear in court Thursday, according to online jail records.
They were being held at San Joaquin County jail in lieu of bail of nearly
$1.2 million each. Prosecutors did not know if the couple had hired
attorneys.
Lau and Schumacher's four young children, two of whom were home when police
arrived, have been taken into protective custody, authorities said.
Lau started serving as a local Girl Scout leader sometime in September,
after a background check turned up nothing to cause concern, said Pam
Saltenberger, chief executive of Girl Scouts Heart of Central California.
Police still were seeking Caren Ramirez, 43, the boy's aunt, on suspicion of
participating in the alleged abuse, Robinson said. Investigators were trying
to figure out the connection between the couple and Ramirez, who authorities
believe occasionally visited their home.
Ramirez had become the teen's guardian after child-welfare officials took
him from his abusive father three or four years ago, Robinson said. After
Ramirez was arrested for allegedly abusing the boy, he was placed in another
foster home, which he fled in late 2007, police said.
Since then, the boy's whereabouts hadn't been known until around 4 p.m.
Monday, when he entered the fitness center, Robinson said.
The family's tidy two-story house was decked with two large Christmas
wreaths on the front doors. No one answered Tuesday when a reporter knocked
on the front door.
According to neighbors, the couple seemed to lead lives that revolved around
their kids. On her MySpace Web page, Lau describes herself as a stay-at-home
mom and says her husband worked as a contractor. She posted many photos of
her family, friends and pets.
Jennifer Foster, 33, said she and Lau became acquaintances through their
children, who were neighborhood playmates. Foster said she first noticed an
older boy with the family about a year ago.
"She told me that he was a nephew that was staying with them because he was
having problems at home," Foster said. The boy was outside frequently, and
his appearance never suggested anything unusual was happening behind closed
doors, though the last time she saw him was May, she said.
Another neighbor said that more recently, the boy looked unwell.
"The last time I seen him, maybe two weeks ago, we were both taking our cans
in from garbage days and he was really skinny and pale," Rachel Portillo
said.
Robinson, the police spokesman, said the boy was confused when approached by
detectives Monday, unsure where he had come from and how long he had been
held. He was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition Tuesday
afternoon.
"The victim says he was held against his will," Robinson said. "When you
have a 17-year-old boy showing up with a bloody ankle from having a chain
wrapped around it, it's one of those things for officers to put one and one
together."
Robinson said detectives would interview the boy more when he is a "little
healthier." Police wouldn't release details about any conversations they've
had with the boy or the couple since the arrests.
--
"Usually when people are sad, they don't do anything. They just cry over
their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change."
- Malcolm X, Malcolm X Speaks, 1965
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