Logan father sentenced to jail for chaining up son

Sammie Hodges listens as his defense attorney questions a law enforcement officer during a preliminary hearing, Tuesday, July 29, 2014, in First District Court. Hodges is accused of child abuse for leaving a boy home alone while chained to a bed. (Eli Lucero/pool)

LOGAN — A 29-year-old father has been sentenced to 30-days in jail after pleading guilty to chaining his seven-year-old son to a bed, while he was away from home.

Sammie Lee Hodges appeared in 1st District Court Monday morning. He told the court it was a stupid thing he did. He said he had been a single dad for about four-years and that the boy’s mother is currently in jail for using methamphetamine.

Hodges was arrested in June after police received an anonymous tip claiming the boy was being chained-up in a Logan home while his father was at work.

Defense attorney David Perry told Judge Brandon Maynard that Hodges couldn’t afford daycare and never intended to injure his son.

In November Hodges pleaded guilty to child abuse, a class A misdemeanor. Three other misdemeanor charges were dismissed. At that time, Perry and state prosecutors agreed to recommend Hodges be sentenced to wear an ankle monitor for about four-months and complete 80-hours of community service.

During Monday’s sentencing, Judge Maynard said he felt Hodges also deserved a jail sentence to help enforce him to make better decisions in the future. He also allowed him work release and said he could continue working with the Division of Child and Family Services, to regain custody of his son.

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