Baker County couple arrested on child neglect charges, accused of duct taping 5-year-old’s mouth and hands

BAKER COUNTY, Fla. — A Baker County man and woman face child abuse charges after they duct taped the mouth and hands of a 5-year-old male child at their Macclenny residence, the Baker County Sheriff’s Office said.

According to the arrest report, the victim complained to a legal guardian that he would be spanked if he told them what happened to him around May 4 at the home of Dustin and Cortney Powless, the father and stepmother of the victim, respectively.

A witness confirmed the incident, which lasted about five minutes, to deputies, the report said.

The victim, interviewed by the Child Protection Team, said the taping occurred due to crying and it restricted his ability to breathe. The report said Cortney Powless did the taping and Dustin Powless, “stated he would never let someone ‘truly harm’ his child and he knew the victim could breathe.”

Dustin Powless told officers he knew it ” … shouldn’t have been done,” the report said, and he observed the victim struggling to remove the tape from his hands and mouth.

They were arrested May 22 and were booked into the Baker County Detention Center. The victim remains in the custody of his legal guardians, the sheriff’s office said.