Utah Man Accused of Chaining 6-Year-Old Son to Bed

LOGAN, Utah (AP) -- Authorities filed child abuse charges against a Utah man Tuesday after finding his 6-year-old son chained to a metal bed frame while the man was at work.

Police in Logan, a city about 80 miles north of Salt Lake City, went to the home around 11 a.m. Tuesday after receiving an anonymous tip about the abuse. They found the boy home alone with a chain attached to a metal bedframe padlocked to his ankle.

Logan City Police Chief Gary Jensen told The Associated Press that the boy had access to snacks and water and the chain was "just long enough" that the boy could reach the restroom.

The 28-year-old father was booked into Cache County Jail on four counts of child abuse, Jensen said. The AP is not naming the man to avoid identifying the child. Online state court records show the father was convicted of felony forgery and theft in 2009. He was arrested in 2011 when he broke the terms of his probation.

Police said they did not yet know how long the abuse had occurred. Officials do not believe other children were living in the home, and the child's mother is not believed to have lived there either, Jensen said.

Jensen said the boy appeared in relatively good health but he was still being evaluated and in the custody of child welfare services.

Jensen didn't have details Tuesday about how long the child had been home alone before officers arrived.