A Florida man who was found guilty of locking his adopted son in a box-like structure in the family’s garage has been sentenced to five years in prison, which is more than what the defense requested but less than the maximum possible sentence of 40 years.
Tim Ferriter, 48, was back in court Thursday for his sentencing hearing at the Palm Beach County Courthouse.
For 10 minutes, Ferriter spoke directly to his family, apologized to his children for the devastation they have endured and asked the judge for leniency in determining his sentence.
“I also plead of you, Judge Coates, to use your discretion to lean into mercy for my family and myself to make your decision,” Ferriter said. “I ask that you allow me to serve my sentence outside the jail or prison, under house arrest or a monitor under probation so as to be able to support the ones I love and the ones that depend on me.”
The judge then compromised, and determined a punishment that was greater than what the defense had sought but less than what prosecutors were asking for.
Last month, he was found guilty of aggravated child abuse, false imprisonment and child neglect, WPTV reported.
Jurors began deliberations Thursday and quickly found Ferriter guilty on all three charges.
Ferriter and his wife, Tracy Ferriter, were arrested in February 2022 by Jupiter Police.
According to police, the couple had abused the then 13-year-old and forcibly confined him to live in the garage since at least 2017.
The teen had been living in an 8X8-foot structure in the garage that was described by Tracy Ferriter as a small office, officials said.
The structure had a doorknob and deadbolt that both locked from the outside, along with a light switch on the exterior.
Inside the structure were a camera, mattress and bucket, police said.
The teen had been allowed to attend school but was confined the rest of the day in the structure, where he was brought meals and forced to use the bucket to go to the bathroom, police said.
During the trial, the teen testified about the conditions he was forced to live in. Defense attorneys said the boy’s behavior issues forced the parents to construct the garage room to keep their other children safe.
Ferriter could be seen crying as he listened to his teenage son’s statement.
“I still love you and I will always love you until the end of my days,” his son said. “My father was a good person who just made a really serious mistake.”
Defense attorneys sought to have Ferriter released from jail while he awaited sentencing, but the judge denied the request.
Before the trial began, Ferriter rejected a plea deal that would have sent him to prison for two years,” WPTV reported.
Ferriter’s wife is facing the same charges and still awaiting trial. She was, however, present throughout her husband’s trial and attended the sentencing hearing.