SouthernN'Proud
Southern Discomfort
RENO, Nev. - A couple who 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.
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.
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.
While child abuse because of drug addiction is common, abuse rooted in video game addiction is rare, Viloria said.
Last month, experts at an American Medical Association meeting backed away from a proposal to designate video game addiction as a mental disorder, saying it had to be studied further. Some said the issue is like alcoholism, while others said there was no concrete evidence it's a psychological disease.
Patrick Killen, spokesman for Nevada Child Abuse Prevention, said video game addiction's correlation to child abuse is "a new spin on an old problem."
"As we become more technologically advanced, there's more distractions," Killen said. "It's easy for someone to get addicted to something and neglect their children. Whether it's video games or meth, it's a serious issue, and (we) need to become more aware of it."
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Personally, I don't care if some lab coat decides to label this a "mental deficiency" or not. Hell, I ain't no doctor and I can tell these wastes of DNA are mentally deficient. Anybody who could act like this is useless in any society except a controlled one.
Our boy inherits $50K. Yeehaw. Pay your bills, put a ton in the bank or down on a house, and yeah, play with a little of it. Nobody would have a problem with that. But no, instead you decide to become Margoth, King of Dracuvania or whatever and blow the wad on useless toys. Your beaming bride, ever by your side, probably doesn't have enough sense to object, so away we go on our widdle adventure. Two kids, 11 months apart...has anybody 'splained to you two cretins what CAUSES kids to happen anyway? Inserting tab A into slot B repeatedly might have something to do with it there Mongol warrior.
At least one of them, or possibly a concerned relative, had sense enough to put food in the house. I guess our chaotic stupid heroes here were counting on some spell to put the food into the kids. Throw in some nasty assed cats and likely an overflowing litterbox and the castle is complete. Can you imagine how many empty stacked up pizza delivery boxes were in this place? Cuz Lord knows Conan and LillieFaire here can't be bothered to actually stop playing long enough to COOK or anything.
Off with their damn heads.