A West Virginia father, 34-year-old Juan Jose Benitez-Chacon, also known as Jose Juan Benitez-Chacon, is accused of leaving his 8-year-old in a “small garage” with no access to food or water for a week while he traveled through Florida.
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As reported by WBOY, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department (HCSD) was made aware of the situation on August 15. A criminal complaint obtained by the outlet detailed that the HCSD was notified of a child who was “left alone for approximately one week.
Upon arrival, deputies found the 8-year-old in a “small garage.” The complaint detailed that the boy was unsupervised and lacked access to food, water, medical assistance, and a bathroom.
WVNews reported that the HCSD soon learned by talking with the child and through their investigation that the 8-year-old had been left alone for about a week. The boy’s father, Benitez Chacon, was “in Florida with no known return date,” an affidavit alleged.
Furthermore, the HCSD revealed that the boy had assistance from his neighbors during the day. However, he was left alone during nighttime hours, with him not being “in sight or audible range” of adult assistance.
Arrested, Prior Conviction
As a result, Juan Jose Benitez-Chacon was arrested without incident on Monday, August 25. He was charged with felony child neglect creating risk of injury or death. During his Monday court appearance, he pleaded not guilty to the charge. Benitez-Chacon is currently being held at the North Central Regional Jail on a $100,000 bond.
As reported by WVNews, Benitez-Chacon has a previous misdemeanor conviction of child neglect by the HCSD. He pleaded guilty to the charge after he was originally charged with felony child neglect. He was accused of drinking alcohol for hours, leaving his then-6-year-old child unsupervised. Benitez-Chacon was sentenced to one year’s probation.
This disturbing discovery came weeks after four children were found in a filthy Pennsylvania home with no access to food or water on July 28.
According to a criminal complaint cited by WTAE, Heidi Lynn Beer, 35, is accused of abandoning her children at the house while she stayed with her boyfriend. The children’s grandmother, Leslie Ann Keller, allegedly said she didn’t go into the house because it was “too gross.”
Both women were charged with five felony charges of endangering the welfare of children. Beer was also charged with five misdemeanor charges of recklessly endangering another person.