Mother of abused boy rescued by Orlando restaurant manager sentenced to nearly a year in jail
ORLANDO, Fla. - The mother of an abused 11-year-old boy who was rescued by an Orlando restaurant worker was sentenced to nearly a year behind bars in Orange County on Friday.
Kristen Swann was arrested and charged with child neglect, aggravated child abuse, and failure to report child abuse. On Friday, she accepted a plea in the case.
A judge sentenced Swann to 364 days in jail with credit for 16 days served and will serve 14 years probation when released. She is forbidden from having contact with her son or any other minors under the age of 18.
Last month, the boy's stepfather, Timothy Wilson, was sentenced to life in prison on all 10 counts of false imprisonment, child abuse, and child neglect. Judge Wayne C. Wooten called the abuse Wilson inflicted on the boy "grade A horrible."
"I don't ever remember any case of such prolonged, malicious, extensive and ongoing abuse as what was presented in this case," Wooten said.
The now-viral rescue happened at Mrs. Potato restaurant on New Year's Day in 2021 when Flaviane Carvalho, a waitress at the restaurant, observed the boy's parents did not order him anything to eat or drink and secluded him from the rest of the family. She also noticed bruises on the boy's face and arms.
Carvalho then wrote "Do you need help?" on a piece of paper and showed it to the boy, while keeping it out of his parents' view. After a few attempts, the boy indicated that he needed help and the waitress contacted the police.