Waitress saves abused boy: Stepfather found guilty of child abuse

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A conviction has been handed down in a child abuse case that made national headlines last year.

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A waitress had noticed something wasn’t quite right when she interacted with a child at the Orlando, Florida restaurant she worked at.

Flavaine Carvalho saw bruises on the child’s arms and face, and the adults he was with did not allow him to order anything to eat.

Carvalho created a sign that read “Do you need help?” and got the boy’s attention. He responded that he did need help and Carvalho called the police.

>>Related: ‘Do you need help?’ Alert waitress saves abused boy, police say

This week, a jury in Orange County, Florida found Timothy Lee Wilson, 36, guilty on two counts of false imprisonment of a child, three counts of aggravated child abuse with a weapon, four counts of aggravated child abuse, and one count of child neglect, WFTV reported.

Police had said the boy was tortured, maliciously punished and was not allowed to eat or drink for days.

The boy was told to sleep in a hotel room that had been used for storage, away from the rest of the family. They had moved to the area shortly before Wilson’s arrest and was living in an extended-stay hotel.

The boy’s mother, Kristen Swann, said she knew about the abuse and didn’t seek medical care for her child. She has been charged with two counts of child neglect, WFTV reported.

A 4-year-old girl and the boy were both taken from the couple’s custody by the Department of Children and Families, who said there were no signs of abuse to the girl, WFTV reported.

Wilson will be sentenced in August.

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