TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The mother accused of locking her teenage son in a box-like room in their family garage pleaded guilty on Monday, according to court documents.
Tracy Ferriter, 48, of Jupiter, pleaded guilty to felony charges of aggravated child abuse, false imprisonment, and child neglect.
Florida dad found guilty after locking son in box
She will serve 10 years of probation, followed by one year on house arrest, the court docs said. The judge told Tracy she could’ve faced six years in prison if the case went to trial.
“Under Tracy Ferriter’s plea agreement, she will not serve any jail time,” NBC affiliate WPTV reported. “She does, however, have to complete 300 hours of community service, must undergo a mental health evaluation, must take anger management and parenting classes, and cannot have any contact with her husband or the victim in this case.”
WPTV said the child was found to have reactive attachment disorder, which leads to frequent outbursts.
During the trial, Tracy said, “We were living a life that’s not what is portrayed in the media. There was a lot of things that nobody knew. We were a completely loving family. I love my kids. We just tried to do the best that we could with what we had.”