GLENDALE, Wis. -- A Glendale couple said they couldn't afford a baby sitter, so they strapped their 14-month-old son in his stroller at home while the couple went out, police alleged.
Rachel Anderson and her live-in boyfriend, Mitch Laputka, were ordered to stand trial Thursday on charges they neglected baby Gabriel so badly that his body was covered with diaper rash, his body temperature was 12 degrees below normal and he stopped breathing, requiring 21 minutes of CPR to revive him. Police said the couple admitted to leaving the boy home alone because they wanted to party.
The couple recently got jobs at Pizza Hut, police said Anderson told them, and the couple used the money for drinking parties. Police said Anderson told them that she often left Gabriel strapped in his stroller when the couple went out or to work, and that she changed Gabriel's diaper once per day. Police said Laputka told them that he didn't do diapers, that was Anderson's job.
Dennis Ogilvie is a neighbor of the couple and said he's saddened by the allegations. He has a daughter the same age as Gabriel.
"I knew they had a baby, but I never saw them with him," Ogilvie said.
Both parents pleaded not guilty Thursday, and they remain in custody in the Milwaukee County Jail on $5,000 bail each. They're due back in court in October to set a trial schedule.
The Bureau of Child Welfare is overseeing the boy's care but said privacy rules prevent them from commenting on children in its care, except to say that Gabriel is safe.
Rachel Anderson and her live-in boyfriend, Mitch Laputka, were ordered to stand trial Thursday on charges they neglected baby Gabriel so badly that his body was covered with diaper rash, his body temperature was 12 degrees below normal and he stopped breathing, requiring 21 minutes of CPR to revive him. Police said the couple admitted to leaving the boy home alone because they wanted to party.
The couple recently got jobs at Pizza Hut, police said Anderson told them, and the couple used the money for drinking parties. Police said Anderson told them that she often left Gabriel strapped in his stroller when the couple went out or to work, and that she changed Gabriel's diaper once per day. Police said Laputka told them that he didn't do diapers, that was Anderson's job.
Dennis Ogilvie is a neighbor of the couple and said he's saddened by the allegations. He has a daughter the same age as Gabriel.
"I knew they had a baby, but I never saw them with him," Ogilvie said.
Both parents pleaded not guilty Thursday, and they remain in custody in the Milwaukee County Jail on $5,000 bail each. They're due back in court in October to set a trial schedule.
The Bureau of Child Welfare is overseeing the boy's care but said privacy rules prevent them from commenting on children in its care, except to say that Gabriel is safe.
