BRICK – Two women were jailed for locking an 8-year-old boy in a room with no furniture, toys, or lights for days.
Helecia Morris, 41, of Brick, was sentenced to eight years, and Donna Jung, 57, of Lehigh Acres, Florida, was sentenced to seven years in jail for Endangering the Welfare of a Child, police said. Morris additionally received four years for an unrelated charge of theft and 18 months for shoplifting. These two terms will run at the same time, but after the Endangering penalty.
The case comes back to a concerned person asking authorities to do a wellness check on Morris’ biological eight-year-old son. Police and the Division of Child Protection and Permanency went to the Queen Ann Road home on January 9, 2016. Police said they found the child locked in his room “in abhorrent conditions.” It didn’t have any furniture and he wasn’t allowed to see the rest of his family. It reeked of urine, since the child was not allowed to go to the bathroom.
The boy and two other children were removed from the house and brought to a hospital for medical evaluation. They were then placed in foster care, police said.
The exact length of time that the boy was being neglected was not specified, but police said they were investigating incidents that happened between April 1, 2015, and January 9, 2016.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer commended the diligence and dedication of Senior Assistant Prosecutor Mara Brater who tried the case on behalf of the State. The Prosecutor likewise extended his gratitude to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, Brick Township Police Department, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and Division of Child Protection and Permanency, for their combined and collective efforts ultimately resulting in guilty verdicts – and now Morris’ and Jung’s state prison sentences.
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