Brighton – A boy who for years was locked in a dog kennel by his grandmother for eight hours at a time is so afraid of her that he refused to attend her sentencing, the boy’s foster mother said today.
“I felt like I was in a prison in my home,” said a letter from the boy, which was read in court. “When I was in the cage, I felt scared and lonely and that I was not loved by my grandma.”
June Candelario, 62, was sentenced today by District Court Judge Harlan Bockman to three years in prison and one year of probation for felony child abuse.
Candelario, a former Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office employee who counseled inmates with emotional problems, locked away her grandson four nights a week for three years – from ages 10 to 13 – while she went to work, according to court testimony and documents.
As the boy grew, he spent hours in the fetal position inside the 46-by-30-by-35-inch plastic kennel.
Defense attorney Sharlene Reynolds had asked Bockman to sentence Candelario to probation, arguing that she had been depressed because of a series of deaths in her family, clouding her decision making and judgment.
Recently, Candelario made a list of 52 ways to kill herself, wrote her own obituary and purchased an ash urn engraved with her name, her date of birth and a spot for her date of death, Reynolds said.
Reynolds showed the urn to the judge today and then set it on the defense table for the remainder of the hearing.
But Prosecutor J.P. Moore told the court that Candelario could have sought counseling but didn’t and that she locked her grandson away as a matter of “convenience.”
Moore argued that Candelario’s recent depression was brought on by her arrest, a felony charge and a possible prison sentence.
The boy, who weighed 110 pounds when Candelario was arrested last year, is now doing well, said Trista Joiner, the boy’s foster mother. He’s gained 40 pounds, is making new friends and Joiner’s family plans to adopt him, she said.
The boy, through the letter, asked the court to sentence Candelario to four years. She could have received a maximum sentence of eight years.
Candelario read a written statement to the court, saying she was sorry and remorseful for what she’d done.
“I meant no harm to my (grand)son,” she said. “I loved him and cared for him, and I still do.”
Candelario told the judge she accepts responsibility for what she did and regrets her actions.
“I have made a mess of things,” she said.
Reynolds said Candelario had locked up the boy because he was acting out and running away from home. And in Candelario’s mind, she was doing it to protect him.
In handing down the sentence, Bockman scolded Candelario for what she did and dismissed the notion of probation only. “Would this not be a license for anyone to lock up their child when he is acting out?” he asked.
Bockman said the sentence should send a message to Candelario and the public as well.
“Let not only you, but society, know you can’t do this to children.”
Staff writer Kieran Nicholson can be reached at 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
