A Pennsylvania woman is heading to state prison after admitting to restraining her 11-year-old son to a home heating oil tank and a bed frame to control his behavior and eating habits while she was at work.
Chazzity Candelario, 33, received a sentence of 16 months to five years following her no-contest plea in November to felony unlawful restraint and false imprisonment of a minor, as well as misdemeanor child endangerment. The sentence was handed down by Lebanon County Court of Common Pleas Judge Charles Jones.
Prosecutors detailed that on one occasion, Candelario kept her son shackled for 17 hours after he ate “too many hot dogs.” The abuse was discovered on January 11, 2025, when police responding to her home found the boy handcuffed to the railing of a top bunk bed. He told investigators he had initially been locked in the basement, secured to the oil tank, before managing to escape and accidentally handcuff himself to the bed.
Candelario admitted to authorities that she had used the restraints as a means of controlling her son while she was employed. During court proceedings, her attorney described her as remorseful, though she declined to speak herself.
Lebanon District Attorney Pier Hess Graf condemned the mother’s actions, emphasizing her duty to care for and protect her children. Court records also show this is not Candelario’s first offense involving her children, with prior charges in 2017 for child endangerment and drug possession.
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