Community Corner
Parents Who Caged Their 6-Year-Old Autistic Son Back in Court
Terry and Victoria Smith asked the judge to appoint a public defender to their case.
The couple accused of keeping their 6-year-old son in a makeshift cage in the basement of their O'Fallon home were back in court Tuesday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
READ MORE: O'Fallon Couple Charged With Keeping Autistic Child in Cage
Victoria Smith, 42, and Terry Smith, 43, were charged in March this year with felony endangerment of a child. They were released on their own recognizance.
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In court, the Smiths asked Judge Matthew Thornhill for a public defender. The Post-Dispatch reported that the couple said they could not afford to hire an attorney.
A counsel status hearing is set for May 7 in St. Charles Circuit Court.
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The couple lived on Half Moon Drive in O'Fallon in 2010 when the alleged abuse took place, but Missouri Casenet now lists an address in Lincoln County.
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