MAN WHO PREVENTED CHILD FROM ATTENDING SCHOOL CHARGED WITH CHILD

Matt Boster

Viewed: 1730

Posted by: Matt Boster
Date: Dec 06 2019 7:24 AM

A Mary Esther man has been charged with child abuse after the Okaloosa

County Sheriff’s Office discovered the victim was required to spend up to

fourteen hours monitoring an incapacitated individual in lieu of attending

school.

47-year old Joseph Matey is accused of pulling the teen out of school in 2017.

The victim was told he could enroll in a different school, but that didn’t happen.

Instead he was required to help care for an individual who needed 24 hour

care. His shifts ranged up to fourteen hours during which time he was to remain

awake and alert, monitoring medical equipment such as a ventilator and

checking vital signs, as well as feeding and caring for the individual’s needs.

He was also required to work alongside Matey after his own “watch”, typically

getting only five hours sleep a night.

An evaluation by a licensed psychologist determined the teen exhibits the

effects of “educational deprivation” and mental injury due to the exploitation

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