WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Jupiter father who locked his adopted son in a box-like structure in the garage wants to be released from jail while he awaits sentencing.
Defense attorney Prya Murad has filed a motion to set bond for Tim Ferriter, who was convicted last week on all counts of child abuse, child neglect and false imprisonment.
Murad is asking Judge Howard Coates to set a bond or allow Ferriter to remain on house arrest prior to his Nov. 16 sentencing hearing. A hearing on the matter has been set for Thursday morning.
In her request for bond, Murad notes that Ferriter never violated a condition of his bond after his arrest in February 2022.
Murad goes on to write that Ferriter doesn't have custody of any of his children and is not a flight risk.
"Though the conduct for which Mr. Ferriter was convicted is serious, (defense witness) Dr. (Sheila) Rapa would testify it is situational," Murad wrote. "There are no allegations of abuse towards the other children in the home and, absent this case, Mr. Ferriter has no criminal record."
Rapa was a defense witness during the trial, testifying that she didn't believe Ferriter was trying to abuse the child. Rather, she testified, Ferriter made a poor parenting decision in disciplining the teenager for his repeated history of bad behavior, leading Ferriter to confine the boy to an 8x8 custom-made room in the garage of their Egret Landing home with only a mattress, a desk and a bucket in which to defecate.
WATCH: Dr. Sheila Rapa testifies during Tim Ferriter's trial
Ferriter could be sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Ferriter's wife, Tracy Ferriter, faces the same charges as her husband and is still awaiting trial.
