Texas Con To Do Time In Doghouse

FEBRUARY 25--A Texas man convicted of abusing his stepson by whipping the boy with a car antenna and forcing the 11-year-old to sleep in a doghouse, has cut a plea deal that calls for him to be sentenced to spend 30 consecutive nights in a doghouse, The Smoking Gun has learned. Curtis Lee Robin last week pleaded guilty to a felony charge of injury to a child and, along with his attorney and an Orange County prosecutor, signed the below "Agreed Punishment Recommendations" form that will be forwarded to District Court Judge Buddie Hahn in advance of Robin's March 13 sentencing. The plea agreement calls for Robin to receive an 8-year probation term, pay a $1000 fine, and "sleep in doghouse on his property or at Orange County Jail for thirty (30) consecutive nights." At the time of Robin's August 2001 indictment, a prosecutor said that "an attempt to discipline the boy turned to abuse," with the child spending most of the summer outdoors in every type of weather. District Attorney John Kimbrough told TSG that the actual terms of the doghouse stay, such as bathroom breaks and possible telephone usage, have yet to be determined. The doghouse, he said, would be placed in the front yard of Robin's home or at the county's criminal justice complex--both public places where law enforcement officials would be able to monitor Robin. "We took the sentencing very seriously," said Kimbrough, "but we don't want it to be life threatening." (4 pages)

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