BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. -- The father of a malnourished Longmont teenager was charged with abuse and negligence in a Boulder County court Friday afternoon.
David Hall was charged with felony child abuse and felony at-risk juvenile negligent serious bodily injury.
Court records state his 17-year-old son weighed only 88 pounds when he was taken to the hospital near death.
David Hall and Vanessa Hall declined to comment outside the Boulder County Jail, stating their attorney told them not to talk.
According to the arrest warrant, doctors told police their blind, autistic son was severely malnourished, suffering from months, if not years, of a poor diet lacking entire food groups.
Sean Finn, Chief Trial Deputy for the Boulder County District Attorney's Office, said if convicted, David Hall could face between 10 and 32 years in prison.
"We take these cases seriously, and we'll continue to take it seriously," said Finn.
Hall's wife, Vanessa, was in court with him.
She's scheduled to be charged Sept. 20.
Court records state she was the primary caregiver and that her son survived on a diet of soda and crackers because that is all he would eat.
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