"John" VANG - 13 yo - Sacramento CA

A father and stepmother have been arrested after a young boy was found
asking passersby to help remove the chains padlocked around his neck,
according to police.

Sacramento police said they found the victim, described as a 13-year-old
male juvenile, on the 7300 block of Winnett Way just before 10:00 p.m.
Saturday with a length of chain wrapped around his neck and his ankles.



The victim told police his father, 40-year-old John Vang, put the chains
on and locked them to the kitchen table while he and the boy's
stepmother, 34-year-old Thong Vue, allegedly went gambling.

The victim managed to hide a key and unlock himself from the table after the adults left the home, police said.

Vang and Vue were eventually located and arrested for false imprisonment and cruelty to a child.

The boy's mother was located and now has custody of the teen.

A father and stepmother arrested for allegedly chained a teen to a
kitchen table and physically abused him for two days before he managed
to escape are out on bail.
Sacramento police said they found the 13-year-old victim asking
neighbors for help on the 7300 block of Winnett Way just before 10:00
p.m. Friday while still restrained by lengths of chain padlocked around
his neck and ankles.
The sight of the chained boy startled neighbor Samantha Xiong, who
didn't know how to react to the late night appearance, especially with
her own two young children in her house.
"The little boy was walking and he asked us for a chain cutter,"
Samantha said. "I told him we didn't have one, so he just walked away."
Samantha said she thought the boy may have been an escaped prisoner and
didn't offer any further assistance, something she says she now regrets.
The alleged victim told police he had been chained up as punishment
since Wednesday by his father, 40-year-old John Vang, and his
stepmother, 34-year-old Thong Vue.
Vang "chained his ankles, secured them with padlocks and then chained
him to the kitchen table," according to Sacramento Police spokesman
Konrad von Schoech.
The teen boy also said his father had struck him while he was helpless to defend himself.
The teen found a way to escape Friday night when his father and
stepmother left him chained to the table to go gambling, police said.
The victim used a key he'd hidden to unlock himself and seek help from
neighbors.
A bystander called police after spotting the victim hobbling through the
neighborhood. The boy was found in good condition and was turned over
to the custody of his mother.
Vang and Vue were arrested on charges of false imprisonment and cruelty to a child. Both made bail.

A Sacramento couple accused of chaining their son to a kitchen table appeared in court Monday morning with separate lawyers.John Vang and Thong Vue are facing felony child abuse charges.Police said Vang's 13-year-old son escaped from a Sacramento home with chains wrapped around his wrists, ankles and neck.Police said Vang locked the boy up as punishment for misbehaving.The couple is scheduled for an arraignment hearing on Aug. 18.