Teen Hog-Tied, Burned With Shock Collars By Dad: Authorities

SULPHUR, LA — A man has been charged with child cruelty in Louisiana after authorities say he handcuffed and hog-tied his 15-year-old son — sometimes for 12 hours a day— and placed shock collars on the teen's ankles, burning him. The "brutally abused" boy managed to escape through a wooded area to a house in Sulphur when he was taken out of handcuffs to use the bathroom, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a release. A resident at the house alerted law enforcement officials around 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Once there, investigators learned how the boy's father Thomas Wininger, 40, originally of Sylvester, Georgia, was allegedly abusing the boy, who had "facial injuries and belt marks across his back" inflicted by Wininger.

The child was not in school and had not been "for some time," authorities said. His father punished him by fastening together his hands and feet, handcuffing him and burning him.

Wininger and his girlfriend, Desirae Tomcanin, 34, originally of Pennsylvania, traveled from state to state with the boy so Wininger could work, authorities said.

Both Wininger and Tomcanin were arrested and booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center. They face charges of 2nd-degree cruelty to a juvenile and false imprisonment. Bond wasn't immediately set.

The boy was placed in state’s custody.

Photo credit: Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office