"Infant John" KRACKE - 7 Months (2010) - Chandler (SE of Phoenix) AZ

A Chandler man reportedly high on meth put his young toddler son in
the freezer for several minutes while he fixed himself a meal, police
said.
The man and his wife face child abuse charges in the Aug. 16 incident
and for raising their children in deplorable conditions, police said.
Chance Kracke told Chandler police he was on methamphetamine when he
placed his 7-month-old son in freezer drawer as he prepared a meal at
his apartment in the 600 block of East Commonwealth Avenue, said Sgt.
Joe Favazzo, a police spokesman.
Kracke told police he placed his son in the freezer because the
"kitchen floor was too dirty" and let him out after two or three minutes
because the baby began crying. The child was fine, except for a cut and
lump on the boy's forehead, possibly from the freezer door, Favazzo
said.
Investigators asked the child's mother, Leann Kracke, why she didn't
report the incident and "she said Chance threatened to harm her if she
did," according to a probable cause statement by police.
Police began investigating the couple Aug. 17, after the woman's
mother called 911 about the child's lump and cut on his head, according
to the probable cause statement. The couple also has a 19-month-old
daughter.
"(The grandmother) said she became concerned after the bump doubled
in size from the time he was dropped off so she called 911 seeking
medical attention," according to the statement.
The grandmother also told police she was contacted by Child
Protective Services, who said she needed to surrender the children
because the parents were being investigated.
When police spoke with Chance and Leann Kracke, they admitted to smoking meth over the past month and a half, police said.
"CPS took custody of both children," the probable cause statement
states. "The hospital staff expressed concerns ... the explanations
given by the parents didn't seem to match the injuries."
On Aug. 18, police searched the Krache's home and were met with a
"strong odor of feces and urine" and cockroaches "in the hundreds,"
according to the statement.
Police were unaware if the feces on the floor were human or animal,
but noticed a "rusty razor blade on an end table next to the love seat
that was in reach of both children." The apartment was littered with
broken glass from where Chance Kracke allegedly kicked the family dog
into a glass door on the entertainment center, according to the
statement.
"There were several open bottles containing chewing tobacco spit
throughout the apartment, again within reach of the children," police
noted in the statement. "Overall, the apartment was filthy with trash,
dismantled electronics, sharp objects and alcohol within reach of the
children."
"X-rays showed the 19-month-old ingested a screw that was expected to
pass," according to the statement. Chance Kracke admitted to having
anger issues and that he squeezed his son's stomach one time because he
wouldn't stop crying, police said.
Chance Kracke was arrested on suspicion of four counts of child abuse,
two counts of possession of paraphernalia, and one count of animal
cruelty for kicking the dog.
Leann Kracke was arrested on suspicion of two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts of child abuse.

We're learning new details surrounding a Chandler couple arrested for child abuse. Not
only did Chance Kracke admit to putting his infant son in the freezer
and closing the door, police say his 19-month-old daughter had bruises
and burns on her thigh from playing with a lighter. Doctors say she also managed to swallow a metal screw. Both
Chance Kracke and his wife Leann allegedly admitted to smoking meth
everyday for the past month and a half, while their two kids were forced
to live in a filthy apartment in Chandler, with cockroaches and feces
on the floor. According to police, Kracke, high on meth, was holding his
7-month-old son and in the middle of making something to
eat when he set the baby down in the freezer and shoved the door shut. When asked why he put his son in the freezer, Kracke apparently told police because the kitchen floor was too dirty. "Just
thinking about him in that freezer... how horrible that must have been
for him. So cold and in the dark," said Zina Davenport, the baby's
grandmother. "My heart broke. I sat there and I couldn't talk, couldn't
say a word. I told them there was no excuse for that." The baby was in the freezer for up to two minutes -- and the freezer door may have caused a cut on the boy's head. When Kracke took the baby to the Davenport's house, she called police. The
Krackes were already being investigated by Child Protective Services
before the freezer incident. Court paperwork shows they were about to be
taken away because the Krackes refused to take a drug test. A
judge set Chance Kracke's bond at $27,000, while Leann's is set at
$5,000. Chance Kracke is facing child abuse, possession of drug
paraphernalia, and animal cruelty charges -- Leann Kracke is facing
possession of drug paraphernalia and child abuse charges.

Baby Placed in Freezer Case: Mother Sentenced

CHANDLER, Ariz. - A Chandler mother whose husband put their baby in a freezer learned her punishment Tuesday.
Chance Kracke admitted he and his wife were smoking meth every day for a month and a half when he put his 7-month-old son in a freezer and forgot about him.
He says he did it because the apartment was a mess and he didn't want the child to get dirty by putting him on the floor.
The boy survived.
Chance's wife Leann pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse and drug paraphernalia. She was sentenced to lifetime probation.
Chance pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse and will be sentenced on February 8.
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/local/se_valley/baby-freezer-case-01182011

Dad High On Meth Puts Baby In Freezer

7-Month-Old OK; Arizona Man Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison

PHOENIX -- A judge has sentenced a suburban Phoenix man to 10 years in prison for putting his 7-month-old son in a freezer.
Judge Robert Gottsfield also sentenced 24-year-old Chance Kracke Tuesday to lifetime probation after Kracke pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse.
Chandler police say Kracke told them in August he was high on methamphetamine when he put the boy on the bottom shelf of his freezer and closed the door because the kitchen floor was too dirty.
Kracke says he removed the baby after a few minutes when he began crying.
Kracke's wife, Leanne, was also sentenced to lifetime probation for child abuse.
Police say the 7-month-old suffered only a forehead laceration, possibly from the freezer door.

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/26789326/detail.html