The man from Detroit whom reported his son missing and eventually claimed he hid him on the basement for 11 days has pleaded guilty to child abuse. The stepmother of the boy was also charge with second degree child abuse.
According to Fox New, Charlie Bothuell IV of Detroit pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor child abuse and sentenced to 18 months probation. The law also forbids him from having contact with his son, Charlie Bothuell V.
"This process broke my family and my finances. It's time for me to move forward and begin rebuilding my life," Bothuell IV said. In June 2014, the boy who was 12 year old at the time was reported missing. After the 11-day search, the boy was found at the cluttered basement behind a barrel. ABC News reported, following the discovery, police investigates Bothuell and the boy's stepmother with the allegations of child abuse.
Bothuell and his wife Monique Dillard-Bothuell were eventually charged with second degree child abuse, according to CBS Detroit. The search was highly publicized, made it to national headlines before the boy was discovered. The boy also testified regarding the allegation of child abuse he suffered from the two. He told them about the strenuous daily workouts, denial of food as well as beating him with a PVC pipe.
Bothuell IV gave an interview with Nancy Grace after he learned that his son had been discovered. He said that he had no idea that his son was in the basement. "I thought my son was dead," Bothuell IV told the reporters at the time.
Judge Shannon Holmes dismissed the charges of torture, leaving only child abuse charges. Dillard-Bothuell earlier accepted a plea deal, but her record will be removed if she stays out of trouble for six months.
Aside from the prohibiting the father from having contact with his son, Bothuell IV was also ordered to take anger management classes and to follow all terms set by the Wayne County Third Circuit Court Family Division.
