OMAHA, Neb. - The 60-year-old mother accused of keeping her son bound with a chain while she was away from home has bonded out of jail.
Patricia Wofford is accused of an unthinkable crime, chaining her own 40-year old son up and keeping him inside the home. Officer Jake Bettin says investigators, "believe he was tied up or chained up in his bedroom." In court Friday morning, prosecutors described a variety of ropes and chains found inside her home at 18th and Miami. They add Wofford admitted to tying 40-year-old Kevin Wofford up because she had no one to take care of him.
The man was found standing outside on the driveway when police were called to the home. Officer Bettin says he, "appeared to have like a rope or a chain around his ankle with a pad lock." The officers who found Kevin said he "showed signs of mental retardation".
One neighbor tells Action 3 News he never even saw the son in the home. As officers investigate the home they discover the mother is not there. Patricia Wofford works at Conestoga Elementary. An OPS spokesperson tells Action 3 News she works in the front office and describes her as "fairly reliable". OPS has put her on unpaid leave while police investigate.
Relatives say Wofford loves kids and the case has been totally blown out of proportion.
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Friday, October 23, 2009
Nebraska mother accused of chaining up adult son with an intellectual disability
From Action 3 TV news: