Delaware County police arrested Caira Ferguson, 21, after she wrapped her two-year-old daughter with duct tape from her mouth to her ankles. She eventually confessed to also taping the child to a small chair last summer and was charged with child endangerment, false imprisonment and unlawful restraint, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.
While Ferguson may have found the incident humorous after having posed in a photo with her daughter, Magisterial District Judge C. Walter McCray was not entertained and reprimanded Ferguson for her actions. “That’s a rotten thing to do to your child,” said McCray during her arraignment. “I’ve seen a lot of stuff, but just that picture … you can’t do that.”
The photo had also made its way to MediaTakeOut.com and got 337,000 hits before being removed from the website.
Ferguson had brought the photo to Chester Township police after contacting them about having been a victim of an alleged identity theft. She had claimed that the picture, which had been taken at her previous Nether Providence home, was proof that she was a victim. But police Chief Ken Coalson said he and the other officers "were thinking to ourselves, 'Well, what you're showing us here, we want to look into that.'"
She initially claimed that her daughter had been duct-taped by a 5- and 7-year-old child, but Nether Providence detective Sergeant Michael Irey said Ferguson eventually confessed to committing the act. She also said the incident was not done to get any laughs, but a witness told police otherwise.
Caira Ferguson will have to find a criminal defense lawyer soon to learn about her legal options and the potential penalties she may face in this case.
Related Resources:
- Find A PA Criminal Defense Lawyer (FindLaw)
- What Happens When You're Charged with a Crime (FindLaw)
- Luann Bowers Charged With Child Endangerment (FindLaw's Philadelphia Criminal Law News Blog)
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