Authorities say heavy metal tow chains and padlocks were used to hold a developmentally disabled 21-year-old Eau Claire man in his mother's basement, where he is suspected of being beaten with wooden sticks and boxing gloves.
Mai Vang Xiong, 57, and Song Xiong, 48, 3925 Meadowwood Drive, were arrested by Eau Claire police Monday night after their son, Cheng Xiong, was found in a Melby Street convenience store with a heavy chain wrapped around his ankles.
A search warrant signed by Eau Claire County Judge Michael Schumacher was executed shortly after midnight Tuesday at 3318 Davey St. on the far north side of Eau Claire at the home of Mai Vang Xiong.
Both parents were released from the Chippewa County Jail on $500 cash bonds.
Chippewa County District Attorney Jon Theisen said a criminal complaint likely won't be filed until an initial court appearance is set for the Xiongs. They have a court hearing scheduled for December.
"Right now the most obvious charge is false imprisonment," Theisen said. "There are allegations of physical abuse or battery."
Eau Claire police were called to the scene, but charges are pending in Chippewa County because the convenience store and the Davey Street residence are in the portion of Eau Claire that lies in Chippewa County.
Megan Sheehan, a part-time clerk at Direct Store, 3426 E. Melby St., said she'd seen Cheng Xiong in the store on two prior occasions in the past couple of months. She said she suspected his past behavior could indicate abuse but didn't have enough evidence to report it.
He entered the store Monday evening and slowly approached Sheehan at the counter.
"He was very quiet, and he asked for a key," she said.
Sheehan said she didn't understand until Cheng Xiong pointed to the chain wrapped around his feet. She asked him to sit down while a customer called police for help.
Eau Claire police were called to the store at 6:45 p.m. Monday to check on an adult male who was walking around the store barefoot with a heavy chain wrapped around his ankles and padlocked together, according to a police report.
When officers found him at the store, Cheng Xiong appeared frightened and knew limited English. According to the search warrant, Cheng Xiong was barefoot in 40-degree weather with a length of the chain dragging behind him.
Injuries on his heels from the chain prompted Eau Claire police Officer Donn Adams to drive the man to Luther Hospital, where firefighters used a mechanical device to cut off the chains.
According to Adams' search warrant application, Cheng Xiong said he had been beaten by his father and two other men with a wooden stick Monday and one of them punched him with a boxing glove. He said he was frequently beaten.
Cheng Xiong had gone to the convenience store because he wanted to escape to a friend's home on Birch Street to avoid future beatings, according to the search warrant. He told officers he was frequently chained to a metal pole in the basement, where he slept on the floor.
Family members indicated Cheng Xiong has an estimated mental capacity of a third- or fourth-grader, according to the search warrant.
One neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said she saw police at the house recently but never had seen signs of someone who had been abused or chained up.
"I've never seen anybody like that over there," she said, adding that it is shocking to think of such things possibly happening in the neighborhood. "You think you know your neighbors, but you don't."
Waters can be reached at 833-9214 or alyssa.waters@ecpc.com. Dowd can be reached at 833-9204 or andrew.dowd@ecpc.com. Both can be reached at 800-236-7077.
notracistbut
Ok it's not that we are all racist and we hate illegals. I find myself between a rock and hard place. I know they are not taking my job. But recently I found that a Hmong worker at my job does not speak English. Ok,well since he is probably legal to have this job, he should be required to speak our language. I find that most Hmong families, and Asian families get government assistance. I have a 7 year old and have always been turned away for assistance! I was born and raised right here in Wisconsin! and I'm being told no while foreigners come here and use my tax payer dollars? I find that ridiculous! You should have to have been born here to get OUR assistance! I could use some food stamps, its hard to raise 2 kids with little income but were just enough 'above' the poverty line to not qualify. Its hard to choose gas or food. and my government, whom I elected, tell me sorry no, you'll have to fend for yourselves, we have immigrants who need it more! Sorry I do not like your culture here. If that makes me racist then so be it. I will always believe that as long as im screwed by you!
bguihan
The definition of a racist, if you haven't looked it up is: a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
I haven't insulted anyone about their race, just their legal status. Isn't this country great where we can have a civil discussion and discuss our differences. Lets give thanks to our men and women in our armed forces.
CrankyOldGuy
I hope everyone involved here gets the help they need.
Youareracist
bguihan you are Racist.... Just because they are Asians doesn't mean they are here illegally. I bet when you read something about a white guy killing someone you don't ask if they are here legally but when it comes to these Asian peoples you just have to ask.... You are racist and denying it...
kxiong36
Some of you are saying that you know this family and they possibly couldn't have done this? Well, we are all human and we may never know what goes on inside the home when on the outside everything seems fine. I'm not judging them as parents. I just hope that they give this young man justice and find the facts.
Those of you are judging if you say that these parents are good people. I believe that they may be good people. But good people also do bad things.
kxiong36
I'm with you on that one RJ, this has nothing to do with Race. This young man was abused and it doesn't matter who you are, you will pay the price.
It's fortunate that he escaped. This could have ended in tradgedy. I hope that the system will not fail this young man, it doesn't matter if they were his parents. No one has the right to treat any human being like this. Being hmong myself, I am ashamed to hear such a case.
Summer
Bguihan, I will refrain from making any further comments on your post as it serves no purpose except to make people like you latch onto a small piece of what is written and blow it out of proportion. The United States is a great country and we should represent it as citizens accepting of all cultures and values. This is what makes living here a privilege. We need to all coexist and strive to make America the place everyone seem to think it is. God Bless America.
bguihan
If you are here legally and have your citizenship then this should be your country of origin. I speak for myself, If I commited a crime then I should do the time, simple as that. With that said I feel that this should apply to all people regardless of their race. This is just my opinion and others will have theirs. Yes everyone has the right to be here as long as you are here legally. Don't cut yourself short when you say that the Hmong doesn't sneak into this country. People from all nations have tried to sneak in this great country of ours. Some have succeded and others have failed and still trying.
Are Hutter and Hurlburt U.S. citizens? I don't know the case. If they are, you can't deport them to their country of origin. They are already here. Throw the knuckleheads in Jail, throw away the key. If the people in this story are U.S. citizens then they should be prosecuted if the country attorney sees fit. He is the one that makes that call, not us. If the people in this story have resident alien cards, they would go before a federal judge, who would then make the call, not us, to deport them or not. That is just the way it works.
respect
fyi i believe everyone here pays for taxes also not just one kind. i'm sorry but this is very offending having to read about racist stuff here when this story isn't even about race. All the Hmong are asking is to have the same respect that they give others i don't understand why they're alwalys being hated on?? I also believe that if they weren't legal residents or citizens they wouldn't be here. Everyone has the right be here not just the Caucasions!
respect
well fyi i believe all Hmong people living here are either citizens or legal residents. i'm sorry but we don't sneak ourselves into freedom we make sure we have papers to live here before we even attempt to come here.
Summer
So legal whites and nonwhites should also be deported to their country of origin too anytime they commit a crime? Where is the outrage when whites committ crime? Where is the cry to deport them back to their country of origin? Please do your homework. Many crimes are committed by white people, but the spotlight is always placed on other minorities and magnified a thousand times when they do anything wrong.
Johnathon Hutter of Arkansaw and Tony Hurlburt ...should we deport them? Or are their crimes not bad enough because they are "white" and because supposedly this is their country?
Eau Claire really needs to move along and join with the rest of the world and stop being so narrowminded and ethnocentric.
bguihan
Eveylorie I don't have a problem with immigrants as long as they are here legally. I have first hand knowledge of what illegal immigrants do on the southern border of Arizona. If your a rancher you have your work cut out. How about your fences getting cut so your cattle wander the country side, or your water tanks get drained so your cattle have nothing to drink and lets not forget about the trash that they leave and the cattle consume and sometimes die. What about the ones that transport illegals in vehicle and are involved in a high speed pursuit that ends up in a accident and killing innocent people.
I have been all over the world, spent most of it in the far east. I have met some Hmongs and they are a proud race. Family takes care of Family. If the parents have been here for 40 years and still don't know english that well to converse with others why haven't they learned it? If a family is strong then someone should have been with Cheng all the time. This should have never happened and we won't be having this discussion now. This is a great contry and If you want to be here then you must abide by our laws.
RJ
This has nothing to do with race, that poor young man was abused period. I hope he will not be put back in that home ever. There are places for him to live safely, and get whatever help he may need. If this was a white, or black or any other race family you know the outcome would be totally different. It is fact the Hmong community gets away with crime because of the cultural bull. Well the whites, blacks, chinese, japanese, jews, etc have their own cultures but you can bet they would be going to jail and stay there for this and these parents should be prosecuted according to what they have done, not by what race they happen to be. I hope Cheng is doing well and remains safe from this kind of treatment. I feel that no matter what race you are or what country you are from if you want to live here as an American, you need to become one legally, work to pay your own way not live off government handouts, learn to speak english, and abide by the law, or you can leave.
Summer
Stepherzz, you are correct. Why does race have to be the issue? The only issue that should be discussed here is the welfare of the young man. Reading through these comments saddens me because few even mention their concern for him. I have read comments here and at WEAU online and basically the view is that if the Hmong cannot assimilate to their culture then they should be deported. This type of response is made from anger and ignorance and generates even more hostility towards the Hmong community. It is easy to pass judgement when it is happening to others and not oneself. We should take this incident and make sure all families of special need children/adults are aware of resources available in the community. Let me be clear that I do not condone what the parents did to their son. There is no "cultural barrier" that caused these parents to act the way they did. This happens to people from all cultures. Any parent who chains their children for any reason should face the legal consequences. Lets focus on the welfare of the young man.
stepherzz
I really don't understand what race has to do with this whole ordeal/issue. Come on guys, grow up will ya. Everyone knows that abuse exists...in every nationality, every race, in every city, every state, every country. Who cares that this man is HMONG, the point is that there are allegations that this man has been physically abused and locked up.
eveylorie
Bguihan, I wish you could experience what it's like to be an illegal immigrant. The university usually does a good job showing this with documentaries, classes, etc. The next time something like that opens up, you should do it. Maybe you can live the life of an illegal immigrant and understand where they're coming from. Nobody ever moves from their country just for the heck of it. Usually there's a bigger reason. Illegal or not, everyone's got a story behind their name.
And I'm sorry I brought up race. I thought someone had posted something mentioning race. My point was that race/culture has little to do with the story.
bguihan
Everyone here is missing the point. I was just asking about their legal status. If you have a resident alien card (green card) and are here LEGALLY, then I welcome you with open arms, live the american dream, do what you want, and become successful. Its those that are NOT here Legally from all countries that need to go. I could care less what your ethnic origin is. I didn't make any racist comments, you need to look up the definintion of what it means.
Eveylorie, you brought up the racism issue.
eveylorie
Oh yeah, and I'm pretty sure most of the Hmong people who are living here are citizens. I don't know what the numbers are though...
But before you start saying things about deportation, think about the reasons why Hmong people are here in the first place. Do you remember the Vietnam War? Who the CIA hired to be a part of the Secret Army that would fight for Americans?
My parents often think about how life would be like if they were back home (meaning Laos). But that will never happen because we lost the war and there's a Hmong genocide going on in Laos. Many of the Hmong flee to Thailand and other neighboring countries but are often sent back and then disappear and are never seen again because the Laotian government pretty much vowed to wipe us off the face of the Earth because we helped the enemy (America).
So this whole deportation thing...if you're going to deport us all, make the country we came from back to the way it was before the CIA recruited us to fight for Americans. Give my parents (and other Hmong people) that and I'm sure they'll go back without you forcing them too.
eveylorie
Fact: When a white person kills another white person or a minority, we tend to say, "Yeah, just another one of those unfortunate deaths..." When a minority kills another minority or especially a white person, all hell breaks loose and we MUST deport them because they are not Americanized but instead savages...blah, blah, blah. I only say this because I don't hear people asking for the deportation of a white person who's committed murder. And the reason people might give for this is something similar to, "Well, he's a 4th generation American and he knows English and he can't speak German even though that's where his family came from..." And in the back of their heads (whether you agree or not), some of them are thinking, "And because he's white..."
I'm Hmong. And my boyfriend is white. I love all races and I hate racism. Let's not bring up race in a discussion like this. This story has nothing to do with race. It has everything to do with the facts (which we're not too clear about yet). And don't let anyone convince you that there are "cultural differences" because there are not. I'm Hmong and nowhere in the Hmong culture does it say parents have the right to chain up their children for any reason whatsoever. It is not a part of the Hmong culture, and I hope it's not a part of any culture out there. Please, we have enough hate in the world.
Ask yourself this, if it were two white parents who had chained their developmentally disabled son, would you be making the comments you are now about them being deported? Would you be reacting the way you are? Or is it simply because it is minorities simply "acting up" again?
maylee
You may be the 4th generation American, but that does not make you any better. As a Hmong American, I pay for same taxes and benefits you are paying too. I get the same help from the government that you get too. I don’t see any differences between you and me. So stop your racist comments. We don’t need anymore hatred in this world.
maylee
I find it very offensive that when we talk about my race, our location has to be post for everyone to know where we live. But when it comes to another race, then it is okay to not put their address on there. I am not just saying what I feel like saying, I did do my research. If you look around other articles for another race, can you find their address located anywhere? No! But when it is about Hmong people, everyone needs to know where we are located and I mean an extract location. I will never understand this world, but only wishes to have the same respect.
Justice
It is ashame for those who did not know the whole story to pass judgement on these parents. Indeed, we are living in a society that abuse happens around us and we need to protect those who can't protect themselves. However, we should not prejudge a case until both sides are heard.
Andrew Dowd, the author of the article, well he was just writing about what he heard. One side of the story. This is how the medias make their living.
I happen to know this family well. The parents are very polite, loving and well respected. I also am familiar with the case and all the accusations told to Mr. Dowd are over stated. I hope the police will do a thorough investigation to find the facts.
Some of the comments posted are out of line and do not even pertain to the story. Everyone has the right to his/her opinion but please make it relevant to the topic. Do not make racist comments. There are enough hatred in this world.
againstwhiners
TX1984, even 3rd or 4th graders know what abuse is! they also know when they are being punished for something they didnt do. Not knowing what his mental disability is makes a difference in their comprehension Im sure. Hopefully, the truth will come out whether there is any truth to the alleged abusive behavior.
TX1984
This is actually false accusation. I know this family and they dont beat the kid. This kid has an IQ of a 3rd or 4th grader.
bguihan
Why shouldn't matter if they are legal or not. Who do you think is paying for their benefits? We are! Have they been paying taxes or just taking advantage of the system? I was born in this country a 4th generation American, I have every right to complain about someones legal status. Who do you think pays for emergency room care? We do, the tax payers. I could care less about someones ethnic origin, just their legal status.
amkx00
Well, at least this man is FREE! And for real it shouldn't matter if they're legal here or not! Just because of that you have no right reason or good reason for sending them back! IF you say so, why not go back to where you came from! If you think it's so hard for ASIANS to stay in the US then you have no right also! Thanks for letting me write this! Appreciate it much!
againstwhiners
I HOPE this young man finally gets the help he desserves and needs. How sad when parents can abuse their own child that has no control over his behavior. I would believe that this young man was removed from the premises and is in a safe place. As for the parents, a commenter to the news article on tv, pointed out that these folks were taking advantage of the system to get increased benefits for having a disabled son, by not fezzing up to being married. Lets hope an investigation clears this up. Twenty years in this country and STILL dont speak English??? It should be mandatory.
GrampaRick
Released on $500.......so they can beat him again? I suggest chaining them to a pole and beating them with a stick......at least before you release them on bond.
Scholarly
Ah, yes, no concern about the young man's welfare, just racism regarding illegals bubbling to the surface.
bguihan
Are these people here legally? If not they need to be deported and sent back to where they came from.