Opelousas parents arrested after son found living in shed without air conditioning

The parents of a 14-year-old were arrested by the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office after deputies received a complaint that the couple’s son had allegedly been in living a shed without air conditioning for several weeks. Deputies say the teenager told another person that he had been living in a shed without air conditioning and was eating scraps provided by his family members. Upon investigating, deputies say that the juvenile told detectives that he had been living in the shed for about three weeks and that he hadn’t bathed or eaten in that time. Inside the shed, deputies found evidence that the teen had been living in the building including a sofa with a pillow and blanket, a black trash bag containing clothes, and a table with deodorant and cologne. An air conditioning unit in the shed was broken, according to deputies. A press release states that the teen was allegedly sent to live in the shed by his parents because he was stealing and would not do his chores. The parents told deputies that a lock had to be added to the pantry in order to keep the teen from allegedly stealing food. The boy’s mother 35-year-old Antoinette Lewis was arrested on charges of felony cruelty to a juvenile after she allegedly admitted to knowing that her son was sleeping in the shed and that she had locked the pantry. Her bond is set at $25,000.According to the sheriff’s office, Mrs. Lewis told deputies her husband, 42-year-old Larry James Lewis, was the one who told their son to sleep in the shed.Larry Lewis was arrested on juvenile cruelty charges upon his return home from work. His bond is set at $7,500