Pingie: HTTP:: Case of 555 Pound Boy Opens Debate on Child Neglect

HTTP:: Case of 555 Pound Boy Opens Debate on Child Neglect
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The case of Alexander Draper, the 14-year-old boy who weighs an impressive 555 pounds, has brought a very sensitive issue up for discussion again. His mother, Jerri Gray, was arrested in June and charged with criminal neglect, but that does not stop the question from arising: is she really responsible for the state her child was found in, USA Today asks. Gray’s attorney is telling the media that she, as a mother, did everything she could to keep Alexander’s weight under control. However, when she saw her son tipped the scales to a quarter of a ton, she asked for professional help, which is when she was detained by South Carolina authorities. Since then, the 14-year-old boy was separated from his mother and has been placed in foster care. The woman stands a trial on criminal neglect charges, but, if she’s found guilty, this could set a precedent that would further complicate matters, her legal representative explains. “If she’s found guilty on those criminal cha!
rges, you have set a precedent that opens Pandora’s box. Where do you go next?” the defense attorney says for the aforementioned publication. However, prosecutors are adamant that Gray, and Gray alone, is responsible for the ballooning weight of her son, who now faces health issues she probably can&r...
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http://news.softpedia.com/news/Case-of-555-Pound-Boy-Opens-Debate-on-Child-Neglect-117382.shtml