Oklahoma couple accused of keeping 7-year-old son chained up for more than a week

The boy had previously been in an abusive home

The couple says they chained him up to prevent him from stealing and eating all the food in the house while they were asleep or at work

An Oklahoma couple is facing charges of child abuse and neglect after authorities say they handcuffed their 7-year-old son to a bed at night and chained him a wall during the day.

According to the boy, he was kept chained up by his parents for at least a week.

The boy is one of 37-year-old Thomas O'Brien and 36-year-old Tonya Bengston's six children.

Neglect: Authorities sayTonya Bengston and Thomas O'Brien kept their 7-year-old son chained up for over a week

According to authorities, the boy called Logan County sheriff's deputies on June 24, to report that his parents had kept him chained up - 'on-and-off' - for at least a week.

When police went to the boy's home, on Midwest Boulevard in Guthrie, they found O'Brien and Bengston's five young children being watched their 16-year-old sibling while the couple was at work.

At the home, the other children confirmed to detectives that the couple had been handcuffing the 7-year-old at night and chaining him to a wall in a room alone during the day for quite a while.

When faced with accusations that they chained their 7-year-old son to a wall, the couple told authorities the boy had been having behavioral problems at home and at school. He was handcuffed to keep him from stealing and eating the food in the house while they were gone or asleep.



'The child was a victim of a prior abusive household, and is living in the home with his mother,' Logan County Sheriff's Office Captain Richard Stephens said in a statement. 'The parents had chosen to restrain the child with handcuffs as a means to control the child.'

In addition to the police investigation, child-welfare workers with the Department of Human Services have launched an investigation into O'Brien and Bengston.

Following their arrest, O'Brien's bond was set at $7,500, while Bengston's was set at $5,000. They're both due back in court on September 26.



