A healthy 5-year-old boy was allegedly forced to use a wheelchair and feeding tube as his mom collected his disability checks, according to officials.
Teresa Lynne Roth, of Georgia, is accused of faking her son’s illnesses over the course of two years and putting him on 28 unnecessary medications, news station WSBTV reported.
Deputies arrested the mom at her Gainesville home Thursday following a four-month investigation.
“Between January 2016 and October 2018, Mrs. Roth did cause her son unnecessary physical and mental pain by subjecting him to undergo unnecessary medical treatments and medications, jeopardizing his well-being,” Hall County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Scott Ware told WSBTV.
The child was allegedly strapped to an oxygen tank, used a feeding tube and confined to a wheelchair, officials said.
“It’s messed up, you know? It’s not normal,” Ware told the news station.
The boy was placed in child protective custody after a complaint was filed against Roth in October 2018.
Roth faces first-degree charges for child cruelty. She remains in custody on $16,700 bond, according to court records.