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Nude discipline brings arrest

Mom arrested; police say she forced her 12-year-old to rake leaves in the buff

By KARI PUGH

Date published: 4/29/2004

By KARI PUGH Police: Mother made son rake leaves naked

A Fredericksburg woman's choice of discipline got her into trouble this week when neighbors complained about her naked son.

The mother was charged with felony child neglect after police found her 12-year-old son raking leaves in the buff about 7 p.m. Tuesday, city police spokesman Jim Shelhorse said yesterday.

Temperatures had dipped into the high 40s, the wind was whipping and a cold rain had started to fall, police said.

A neighbor in the Mayfield subdivision called 911 to report seeing the boy raking leaves in the front yard without clothes, Shelhorse said. When an officer arrived, the boy was still there with the rake in his hands.

The child told officers his mother was punishing him for misbehaving in school, Shelhorse said.

Police said the boy wasn't hurt and was not removed from the home. The mother, however, was handcuffed and taken to the police station for booking.

The Free Lance-Star is not identifying the woman to protect the boy's privacy.

No court date has been set in the case. The mother faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

To reach KARI PUGH: 540/374-5413 kpugh@freelancestar.com

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Date published: 4/29/2004