Stepdad found guilty of child abuse after waitress rescues boy with secret note

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A Florida man has been found guilty of abusing his stepson after a waitress’s quick thinking saw him arrested last year.

A Florida man has been found guilty over child abuse charges, thanks to a quick-thinking waitress and a secret note.

Flaviane Carvalho was working at Mrs Potato Restaurant in Orlando on New Year’s Day last year when Timothy Lee Wilson, 36, visited the eatery with his family, the New York Post reports.

While serving the family’s table, Ms Carvalho noticed that no food had been ordered for the young boy.

The restaurant worker then noticed that the child had several scratches and bruises on his face and arms, WESH 2 reported.

Concerned, she secretly wrote a note reading, “Do you need help?” and flashed it to the then-11-year-old, while standing behind his parents so they couldn’t see.

The child nodded yes and Ms Carvalho immediately called 911.

“I’m super concerned and I don’t know what to do, can you give me some advice?” the waitress asked the dispatcher, according to WFLA.

“The boy is with bruises and he’s not eating.”

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Investigators eventually learned that the child had been subjected to horrific torture and abuse at the hands of Wilson, his stepdad – including being hung upside down from a door on Christmas Day and handcuffed to a dolly cart.

A search warrant reportedly revealed that the victim was kept in a separate hotel room used for storage, away from his stepfather, mother and younger sibling. Duct tape covered the peephole to the victim’s room.

“Officers recovered multiple items used as weapons – a bent metal pole, a wooden broom, a dolly cart, handcuffs and ratchet straps used to tie the victim up,” prosecutor Monique H. Worrell told the court.

Officials said Ms Carvalho’s heroics may have saved the boy’s life.

“We probably would have been talking about a potential homicide investigation if she had not intervened when she did,” Orlando Chief of Police Orlando Rolón said last year.

The waitress’s quick thinking went viral at the time and an online fundraiser created by her boss raised almost $50,000 ($A70,000).

The waitress posted an update on the fundraising page over the weekend to celebrate the conviction.

“Justice served!” she wrote, adding that the boy is now being cared for in a loving home. “He is happy and healthy.”

On Monday, prosecutors announced that a jury had found Wilson guilty of a range of charges, including four counts of aggravated child abuse and one count of child neglect.

He is scheduled to be sentenced in August.

The boy’s mother, Kristin Swann, admitted to knowing about the abuse and failing to act. She has also been arrested and charged with two counts of child neglect, according to WESH.

The victim and his then-four-year-old sister who was not abused were removed from their custody.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

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