WALTERBORO, SC (May 26, 2017) – A Walterboro man who punished two teens by restricting food and forcing them to use a bucket as a toilet has been convicted.
Ernest Ray Bailey, 56, was found guilty Wednesday of child neglect following a two-day trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro.
Bailey forced two boys – ages 13 and 14 – to stay in a locked bedroom with limited water and no air conditioning. Additionally, the boys were made to use a bucket as a toilet and were forced to clean it each morning. Bailey dated the children’s guardian, and when she left for work or to run errands, the boys were forced into the room, according to the case’s prosecutor, Assistant Solicitor Reed Evans.
“Food was sporadic at best and they wouldn’t be given much water during the day,” Evans said.
Bailey, who is on parole for a 1988 burglary conviction, was sentenced to seven years, suspended to time served of 335 days, and two years of probation. However, probation will not begin until Bailey has had a hearing with the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services.
Circuit Court Judge Perry Buckner presided.
