Calif. couple accused of chaining teen to kitchen table as punishment charged with felony

Couple face felony charge for chaining teenager

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Prosecutors say a Northern California couple accused of imprisoning their 13-year-old son for days by locking him in chains, often tethered to a kitchen table, has been charged with felony child endangerment.

Forty-one-year-old John Vang, the teen’s father, and 34-year-old Thong Vue, the boy’s stepmother, appeared for arraignment Monday in Sacramento Superior Court, but they didn’t enter a plea. They will return to court Aug. 18.

The couple is free on bail. They wouldn’t talk to reporters.

Investigators say the boy was wrapped in chains — with padlocks securing each ankle and a long chain connected to the padlocks — for days until he managed to escape July 30 and flag down passers-by for help.

The teen is now in the custody of his biological mother.

Information from: The Sacramento Bee, www.sacbee.com