August 11, 2015
Police responding to an Overbrook home for a disturbance call over the weekend arrested and charged two individuals for allegedly handcuffing an autistic man on more than one occasion.
Philadelphia officers who responded to the home arrived to find a 28-year-old man with a handcuff hanging from his left wrist, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The man, unable to speak to officers, was later identified as autistic.
A nearby corner store owner told officers that the autistic man had earlier come into the business on the 6500 block of Lebanon Avenue and started grabbing food and drinks. At another point during the last few months, the man had entered the store with his hands duct-taped behind his back, dressed only in soiled underwear, according to the report.
Police waited at the home, which they found in a state of neglect, until the two suspects returned. Latrice Graves, 26, and Phillip Martin, 33, explained that they had to leave the home to visit other family members. Lt. John Walker of the Southwest Detectives stated that the pair had allegedly handcuffed the victim to a futon.
Graves and Martin were charged with unlawful restraint, false imprisonment and conspiracy, Walker said.
Two juveniles who were found in the house were taken to the Department of Human Services. The autistic man was taken to Lankenau Medical Center for treatment on Monday and police have reached out to state health officials to arrange for his future care.
