talk about bad parents
 

Couple accused of neglecting young children to surf Web, play video games



Updated: 9:11 p.m. MT July 14, 2007

RENO, Nev. - A couple authorities say were so obsessed with the Internet and video games that they left their babies starving and suffering other health problems have pleaded guilty to child neglect.
The children of Michael and Iana Straw, a boy age 22 months and a girl age 11 months, were severely malnourished and near death last month when doctors saw them after social workers took them to a hospital, authorities said. Both children are doing well and gaining weight in foster care, prosecutor Kelli Ann Viloria told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Michael Straw, 25, and Iana Straw, 23, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts each of child neglect. Each faces a maximum 12-year prison sentence.
ad_dap('250','300','&PG=NBCMSN&AP=1089');
Viloria said the Reno couple were too distracted by online video games, mainly the fantasy role-playing “Dungeons & Dragons” series, to give their children proper care.

“They had food; they just chose not to give it to their kids because they were too busy playing video games,” Viloria told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Children injured, malnourished
Police said hospital staff had to shave the head of the girl because her hair was matted with cat urine. The 10-pound girl also had a mouth infection, dry skin and severe dehydration.
Her brother had to be treated for starvation and a genital infection. His lack of muscle development caused him difficulty in walking, investigators said.
The Straws have been given public defenders. Jeremy Bosler, head of the county public defender’s office, declined to comment to The Associated Press on Saturday.
Michael Straw is an unemployed cashier, and his wife worked for a temporary staffing agency doing warehouse work, according to court records. He received a $50,000 inheritance that he spent on computer equipment and a large plasma television, authorities said.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19766590/

wow, some people should not be allowed to live

Yeah I read that earlier. It makes video games and technology have a bad rep when peopel do that. Personally, I think video games should be considered an addiction, look at me, but at leas t I know when to put down the controller and do somethin wiht my life. these World of Warcraft, and other RPG's are whats messing people up, cause their continuous, so people dont know when to stop playing. I think they should make a program for those games where your only allowed to play for like 4 hours a day, and then it freezes your account for that day till tomrrow. I know people would say oh well then they'd jsut log onto another account and continue, but im sure there'd be a way to stop people from doing that.

i don't believe video games and tv shoudl be considered an addiction as much as parental neglect. too many parents just sit their kids down and turn the tv or xbox on and call it a day.
there was a time when government was making moves towards holding parents accountable for the grades and actions of thier kids, then election time came and that was all seen as unpopular and it went out the window. shame, accountability and individual thinking are prolly the two most neglected aspects of education today. without parents teaching it at home, adn teachers being held to terrible curriculums in schools there is no likelyhood that it will return anytime soon.

Good Lord, how does that happen???? I'm glad their kids were put in foster care. My daughter will scream from the moment she wakes up until we feed her when she's hungry. Even if you're that obsessed with video games, how can you possibly tune out YOUR OWN SCREAMING CHILDREN!!! Damn, that's sooooooo sad. As a parent, I want to whip those idiots' asses for doing something that horrible. There are newborn babies that weigh more than 10 lbs, how does an 11 month old only weigh that much??? Man, I'm aggravated now!

Wow....they didnt deserve those kids. How can someone put video games/tv ahead of their own children?? What a mess.

it is jsut one more example of where the the touchy feely, be kind to the whole world, it's not your fault, generation is getting us these days.
the outlook of society is so screwed up right now.
average first year professional athlete salary: $675k/yr
average first year teacher in new jersey: $27k/yr
and the really scary part is that the average starting salary in jersey isn't that bad compared to some parts of the country.
eventually people have to realize that if you don't teach this generation anything, they won't bother to teach the next generation anything either. it isn't a bad thing to tell a kid they aren't doing good enough, or that they lost, or that someone more talented made the team instead of them as long as you also tell them they can do better and help them improve. /rant

that takes shirking responsibility to new heights...

stop blaming video games... blame the retards playing them.

exactly8-)

they should issue a test in order to have children.
you if are slow to you not should baby be making

k...no babies for you

i was just gonna post that.

bwahahahahahAHAHAHAhahahahaha :rofl: