A woman who confessed to restraining her 11-year-old son to a fuel tank for 17 hours provided a disturbing rationale for the cruel punishment.
Chazzity Candelario faced serious charges of unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, and endangering a child’s welfare. She entered a no contest plea in November and received a 16-month to five-year prison sentence on January 7. The court learned that Candelario, then 33, struggled to manage her children while working, leading her to resort to shackling one child for extended periods.
In a distressing incident, Candelario from North Lebanon Township, Pennsylvania, locked her son for nearly a day as a consequence of overeating. Authorities were alerted to the situation on January 11, 2025, when police responded to a report of a boy restrained with handcuffs at Candelario’s residence.
Investigations revealed that the child had been handcuffed to an oil tank in the basement. In Candelario’s absence, officers spoke with her children, who directed them to a bedroom where the son was found fastened to a bunk bed railing after freeing himself from the basement restraint.
Upon Candelario’s return, she discouraged authorities from questioning her children before admitting to confining her son in a small utility room while being handcuffed to the oil tank due to difficulties managing him while at work. The child disclosed being frequently restrained when his mother was away, sometimes tethered to a post.
Previously, Candelario faced legal issues in 2017 linked to endangering her children’s welfare, possessing marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.
During the sentencing, Candelario remained silent, while her attorney expressed her remorse. The District Attorney highlighted Candelario’s betrayal of her maternal duties by subjecting her children to such mistreatment.
Judge Charles Jones, addressing Candelario, emphasized the gravity of her actions, stressing the need for her to make amends with her children for the harm caused.