Four arrested for torturing two boys

[txsvicki]

http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/110706/loc_110706034.shtml

Four face charges of torturing boys
Police say pair burned, starved, forced to sleep in closet

BY JASON WOMACK
AVALANCHE-JOURNAL


The Lubbock County Criminal District Attorney's Office filed criminal charges on Monday against four people who police said systematically tortured, beat and starved two boys.

Police said the boys' stepmother and father - 37-year-old Melissa D. Lively and 40-year-old Steve A. Lively - routinely burned the boys with a battery charger, forced them to sleep in a closet and fed them habanero peppers.

They each face four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Each charge carries a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison.

"The conditions were not life threatening, but they would have been over time," Police investigator Derek Danner said, calling the conditions some of the worst he has ever seen.

According to reports, the boys' siblings choked them, attempted to gouge their eyes out and cut them with knives and razor blades.

Investigators named the boys' stepbrother Jason C. Lively, 19, and family friend Kyle B. Sexton, 20, in arrest warrants alleging that the pair also beat and burned the boys.

Jason C. Lively is also accused of pinching one of the boys with pliers, striking him with a bat and shooting him dozens of times with a BB gun, according to police reports that charge him with eight counts of aggravated assault.

Child Protective Services has removed the boys from the home, but a spokesperson for the agency said he could not elaborate on the details and could not provide the date that the boys were taken into custody.

Another boy, whose name was not released due to his age, was arrested in September on suspicion of beating the boys.

Patrol officers first discovered the abuse two months ago after one of the boys was found at a 7-Eleven begging for food.

The boy, 16, had gone to the store on three different days, according to police reports. He wore the same clothes each day and had bruises around his eyes and cuts on his forearm.

He was noticeably thin and wore a belt cinched tightly around his waist.

Police said the boy lied about his name and told officers that he received his injuries in a fight.

Officers questioned the boy for two hours before determining where he lived.

When they returned the boy to his home, his siblings told police that the boy and his brother regularly stole food from the family's refrigerator and that they burned them with the battery charger when questioning them about the missing food, according to police reports.

Detectives said the boys were reluctant to speak about their living conditions.

During interviews outside the home, the boys told investigators that they had lived in a closet located off the garage for the last three months and that their father beat them and fed them peppers as a form of punishment.

One of the boys told police he was forced to eat three and a half habanero peppers at one time, according to reports.

In statements to police, the boys said the dogs ate better than they did, and that they were limited to a package of Ramen noodles a day.

They had not been to school in over a year, police said.

According to reports, the family had lived in Terry County and for a time in New Mexico. But the family apparently moved when they were reported to Child Protective Services, police reports state.

Greg Cunningham, a spokesperson for the agency, said he could not discuss the specific details of the Lively case. He did, however, say that families will move once they are reported.

"Unfortunately, it is not an uncommon occurrence," he said. "Families do occasionally move to avoid a CPS investigation."

A phone call placed to the Lively home Monday was not returned.


To comment on this story:

jason.womack@lubbockonline.com t 766-8707

brian.williams@lubbockonline.com t 766-8717

[lizzybeth]

After reading these boards I really thought I had "toughened" myself up but this just breaks my heart. I find it hard to comprehend that these boys were abused by their parents, brothers and even the brother's friend! What's wrong with these people?

I certainly hope that it's not too late for these young men (and that's what they are at their age). That there hasn't been so much damage done that they aren't able to lead a "normal" and productive life.

It concerns me too that where do abused teenagers go? I hope there's a family member or any family that has enough love to take them into their home.

God bless them.

[GlitchWizard]

Depravity doesn't surprise me when it's an individual. What I can't wrap my brain around is when more than one person is involved, willingly. It's just too twisted to comprehend that someone would say "Gee, I want to hook up a battery to your son and shock him" and someone else would say "Wow, you know that sounds like an interesting hobby."

[Boyz_Mum]

I hope these abusers get locked up for a long time- the full 20 years. I can't understand for the life of me what would make abusing these kids seem right for the step brother or family friend? What horrific torture these boys endured! I am so happy that someone finally got them out and pray that they can recover from this.

[SadieMae]

It just breaks my heart to know these boys were probably abused for years. I hope they are put with loving people who help them heal. Why or why? I just can't ever get my head to understand how anyone can abuse children.....:confused:

[SewingDeb]

http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/110806/loc_110806065.shtml

Sibling accuses two brothers of lying about torture, starvation

[SadieMae]

http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/110806/loc_110806065.shtml

Sibling accuses two brothers of lying about torture, starvationI can't get to the story. But, from the first story why would kids beg in front of a store, and why were not in school. I think they're lying to cover for the parents and themselves.

[nanandjim]

...Sibling accuses two brothers of lying about torture, starvation
Uh-huh...sure...they are lying...NOT...

This story just sickens me to death. I hope that all of the accused spend the rest of their lives in prison and are themselves beaten, tortured and starved.

I pray that a good and loving home is found for the two siblings. I hope that they can remain together.

[SewingDeb]

I can't get to the story. But, from the first story why would kids beg in front of a store, and why were not in school. I think they're lying to cover for the parents and themselves.

I agree with you. It's a very long article and requires registration so I'm not sure how much of it I can post, but will post this much:
CPS has received complaints about the Livelys for 15 years, Cunningham said.

In 2002, the agency removed "several Lively children" from the home due to neglect, Cunningham said. However, they did return the children to their parents in 2004, just after the two boys had come to live with their father.

Amy Lively said her parents were in a drug treatment program back then. The children attended school in Terry County and then moved after a CPS complaint was filed, according to records.

Amy Lively said there was nothing unusual about the history of complaints against her family or the fights between her siblings.

"With a large family, you can't expect to be perfect," she said.

[SewingDeb]

Ok, how many of you are from large families who never had any complaints filed with CPS? I know I am. I don't care what the sister says, that is not normal to have complaints with CPS for 15 years and having children removed from the home.

I guess she grew up that way and she thinks it's normal. That's scary to me because how will she raise her own children?

[SewingDeb]

I guess I scared everyone off with my question. Sorry y'all...it just gets me that this grown daughter thinks this lifestyle is normal with big families.

[SadieMae]

I guess I scared everyone off with my question. Sorry y'all...it just gets me that this grown daughter thinks this lifestyle is normal with big families.
Didn't scare me off. To that daughter maybe her family life is all she's known, no matter how disturbing it seems to us. If she thought it wasn't normal, she would have done something to protect the younger ones from the abuse. I have no doubt she was aware of it. You're right, how will her kids be raised? That's truly scary!

[SewingDeb]

You're right...that's all she's ever known. She may even approve of their methods.

[mssheila]

From the article:

In 2002, the agency removed "several Lively children" from the home due to neglect, Cunningham said. However, they did return the children to their parents in 2004, just after the two boys had come to live with their father.

http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/110806/loc_110806065.shtml

:banghead: :banghead: WHY were these children given back????? That is gross negligence on the part of CPS, if you ask me.

Also- I concur with the poster above who mentioned that they can see it happening where one person abuses a child... but many??? FOUR people were abusing these boys? How on earth does that come about? How do people convince others that torturing children is okay... and that it is in fact condoned and encouraged??? This doesn't make any sense, not that it EVER makes sense... but four people?????:banghead: :mad:

[Penelope631]

Here is a login and password for the site with the article.

login: reddog
password: reddog

[txsvicki]

After reading these boards I really thought I had "toughened" myself up but this just breaks my heart. I find it hard to comprehend that these boys were abused by their parents, brothers and even the brother's friend! What's wrong with these people?

I certainly hope that it's not too late for these young men (and that's what they are at their age). That there hasn't been so much damage done that they aren't able to lead a "normal" and productive life.

It concerns me too that where do abused teenagers go? I hope there's a family member or any family that has enough love to take them into their home.

God bless them.


There is a children's home here, there is Cal Farley's Boy's Ranch nearby, and I'll bet that foster homes will also be available to take the two together so that they won't be split up. I know a family in another town who has a group home with several boys, and he helps them and lets them stay on at his home after they are grown as part of the family for as long as they need. This is really disgusting and I'm so glad that alert police officers and probably store personnel did something after noticing the boy. I can't believe the sister would lie for these horrible people and even try to put all the blame onto other siblings. After all, the two older boys did admit to burning and beating the boys for getting food from the fridge. Boys just do not lose weight and become emaciated after going to live with someone from genetics. If they ate 9 sandwiches per day, that's probably all they had all day long. Did I understand correctly that the parents haven't been arrested yet or were the outstanding warrants for something else? I'll bet those two boys have already gained lots of weight in the past two months since they were rescued from these freaks.

[wasapi]

Here is a login and password for the site with the article.

login: reddog
password: reddog
Thank you Penelope.

It is difficul to accept that the 2 parents only get 20 years. When they get out they will still be young enough to do it again. Perhaps to their grandchildren. Like the ones that their daughter-in-denial has. If she has them a few years up the road they will be the perfect age for grandma and grandpa to torture by the time they get out.

Torturing children. At least worth a life sentence.

Julia

[SadieMae]

From the news article as told by 19 y/o Amy Lively:



She said that one boy was even overweight when he first came to live with the family and would eat as many as nine sandwiches a day. Her parents just cut the number of sandwiches back to normal portions of two or three a day, she said, attributing his now emaciated condition to genetics rather than lack of food.

HUH?!? :waitasec: Does that make sense to anyone? :confused: Geeze, there is something really wrong with this family. She couldn't figure out the kid was starved?!

[OneLostGrl]

The siblings must have been treated the same way when they were kids and that's why they think it's ok to do it to the younger ones now.

[OneLostGrl]

thanks for the login info, Penelope631!

[txsvicki]

Four people arrested in torture case
BY BETH AARON
AVALANCHE-JOURNAL


Four people charged with torturing, beating and starving two teenage boys are behind bars.

Lubbock police arrested 37-year-old Melissa D. Lively, 40-year-old Steve A. Lively, the boys' stepmother and father, in central Lubbock on Friday.

The boys' brother, 19-year-old Jason C. Lively, was arrested in West Lubbock on Saturday.



Steve Lively

A family friend, 20-year-old Kyle B. Sexton, turned himself in to authorities on Nov. 7.

Police tracked Melissa and Steve Lively to a house in the 1700 block of 23rd Street, Sgt. Scott Farmer said.

An officer watching the home saw a car pull into the driveway. He stopped the two people in the car and determined they were not Melissa and Steve Lively. Then Steve Lively poked his head out of the home, the officer recognized him and confirmed both Steve and Melissa Lively were inside the house.

They complied with officers' commands and were arrested without incident, Farmer said.

The next day officers arrested Jason Lively at a house on the 4600 block of 35th St.



Melissa Lively

Melissa and Steve Lively are accused of routinely burning the boys with a battery charger, forcing them to sleep in a closet and feeding them habanero peppers.

Jason Lively is accused of pinching one of the boys with pliers and shooting him several times with a BB gun.

Sexton also is accused of beating and burning the boys.

All four face numerous counts of aggravated assault and are being held at the Lubbock County Jail in lieu of a $100,000 bond, a jail official said. Each charge carries a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison.

According to reports, the boys' siblings choked them, attempted to gouge their eyes out and cut them with knives and razor blades.

The boys had not been to school in over a year, police said. They have been in the custody of Child Protective Services since September.



Jason Lively

The Lively family was reported to CPS after police found one of the boys begging for food outside a convenience store. The boy had bruising around his eyes and cuts on his forearm.

Last week 19-year-old Amy Lively, the boys' sister, told the Avalanche-Journal her brothers had lied about the abuse and said there was nothing unusual about the fights between her siblings.


To comment on this story:

beth.aaron@lubbockonline.com t 766-8713

brian.williams@lubbockonline.com t 766-8717



Lyle Sexton

This story first appeared on our Web site at 4:09 p.m. Monday.

LubbockOnline.com





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[Malapoo]

Cases like these you wish the punsihment would be specifically fitted to the crime. Maybe if these sperm & egg donors & their evil offspring need to TRULY understand why this type of treatment IS inappropriate and how better to understand that then walking a mile in their kids' shoes. http://www.websleuths.com/forums/images/smilies/furious.gif

[Brefie]

Penelope...thanks for the log in!

'With a big family, you can't expect to be perfect"

Well, perfect - no, who is? However, being the youngest of 8 children, I can tell you that I was FED and treated with LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! Can't say that I had the best of everything, but it has no bearing on how much I was loved. OH - and FED - did I say that already???

[JellyBean]

This story made me cry. I have a 14 and a 16 year old son and they eat me out of my home! They are growing boys. It just breaks my heart that family can be so heartless :(

[SadieMae]

This story made me cry. I have a 14 and a 16 year old son and they eat me out of my home! They are growing boys. It just breaks my heart that family can be so heartless :(Mine did too JellyBean! I'd buy $150 of groceries on a Monday, by Thursday I swear somebody must stole it all! :laugh: No two boys could possibly eat THAT much!