Detailed by the Los Angeles Times yesterday, an Orange County couple was charged with child abuse as well as false imprisonment after authorities discovered the couple was more interested in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft over the two young girls in their care. The couple, Lester Louis Huffmire and Petra Huffmire, were allegedly playing World of Warcraft all day and forbidding the children from leaving the home for any reason. The two girls, ages 5 and 10, were not even allowed to attend school.
Described by the Orange County district attorney, the living conditions within the mobile home in which the girls were imprisoned were deplorable. Toilets within the home were broken, appliances in the kitchen were covered in mold, feces and trash were spread around the home and a pile of used condoms was found underneath a teddy bear.
The authorities discovered the horrific scene after a neighbor placed a call to police based off suspicion of illegal activity. Police found that both girls were malnourished as well as covered in dirt, In addition, their teeth were rotting. Regarding the girl’s condition, Orange County deputy district attorney Lori Smith said “They looked small. Very pale, malnourished, not clean,” in an interview with the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles. The children are currently getting proper care by the department of social services.
Both unemployed, Lester Louis Huffmire and Petra Huffmire have been charged with two felony counts of child abuse and two misdemeanor counts of false imprisonment. In addition, the district attorney added a sentencing enhancement of great bodily injury. The couple were arraigned on Friday and plead not guilty to the charges. Lester Huffmire is being held on $100,000 in bail and the district attorney is seeking an identical amount of money for the release of Petra Huffmire. If convicted on all charges, the couple will have to deal with their World of Warcraft withdrawal symptoms while in prison for the next seven years.
