RENO, Nev. A couple who authorities say were so obsessed with the Internet
and video games that they left their babies starving and suffering other health
problems have pleaded guilty to child neglect.
The children of Michael and Iana Straw, a boy age 22 months and a girl age 11
months, were severely malnourished and near death last month when doctors saw
them after social workers took them to a hospital, authorities said. Both
children are doing well and gaining weight in foster care, prosecutor Kelli Ann
Viloria told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Michael Straw, 25, and Iana Straw, 23, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts each
of child neglect. Each faces a maximum 12-year prison sentence.
Viloria said the Reno couple were too distracted by online video games, mainly
the fantasy role-playing "Dungeons & Dragons" series, to give their children
proper care.
"They had food; they just chose not to give it to their kids because they were
too busy playing video games," Viloria told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Police said hospital staff had to shave the head of the girl because her hair
was matted with cat urine. The 10-pound girl also had a mouth infection, dry
skin and severe dehydration.
Her brother had to be treated for starvation and a genital infection. His lack
of muscle development caused him difficulty in walking, investigators said.
The Straws have been given public defenders. Jeremy Bosler, head of the county
public defender's office, declined to comment to The Associated Press on
Saturday.
Michael Straw is an unemployed cashier, and his wife worked for a temporary
staffing agency doing warehouse work, according to court records. He received a
$50,000 inheritance that he spent on computer equipment and a large plasma
television, authorities said.
While child abuse because of drug addiction is common, abuse rooted in video
game addiction is rare, Viloria said.
Last month, experts at an American Medical Association meeting backed away from
a proposal to designate video game addiction as a mental disorder, saying it had
to be studied further. Some said the issue is like alcoholism, while others said
there was no concrete evidence it's a psychological disease.
Patrick Killen, spokesman for Nevada Child Abuse Prevention, said video game
addiction's correlation to child abuse is "a new spin on an old problem."
"As we become more technologically advanced, there's more distractions," Killen
said. "It's easy for someone to get addicted to something and neglect their
children. Whether it's video games or meth, it's a serious issue, and (we) need
to become more aware of it."
