They're under arrest for child neglect
A Chandler couple are accused of child neglect after a maintenance man found their severely disabled 8-year-old son alone in their apartment.
According to Chandler police, the maintenance man went to the apartment near Ray and Alma School Roads on Tuesday to investigate a water leak. The man found the bathroom locked. Once he disassembled the doorknob and lock, he found the naked boy standing in two inches of water on the floor, having apparently plugged up the toilet with his clothes.
Police say the child is disabled with severe physical deformities, and with the mental ability of an 18-month-old. As such, the maintenance man was unable to communicate with the boy and called police.
The boy was taken to a hospital for a checkup. A couple of hours after police were called to the apartment, the parents – Vu Quang Tran and Siobhan Grogan – showed up at a Chandler police station looking for their son. In interviews, they told officers that the 24-hour care required by the boy was physically and mentally draining for them, and they tried to find a way they could go out and "feel normal" from time to time.
They got the idea to lock the boy in the bathoom, and did it several times while they were home to see how he would react. When they saw that he didn't get upset or do anything to harm himself or the apartment, they felt it was safe to leave him alone for 2-3 hours at a time, locked in the bathroom. According to police, the parents said they had done so several times in recent months.
Police also say that the parents indicated they had never sought any type of assistance for their son, financial or otherwise, and that they felt the obligation to provide all of his care.
The boy has been turned over to Child Protective Services. He has a five-year-old sister who is not disabled.
