Plea deal reached in chained child case

Robert Blue's three children spent most of Wednesday morning in a courthouse conference room, waiting to be called as witnesses in their father's child abuse case.

Instead, Blue waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Las Vegas Justice Court and agreed to enter a guilty plea next week in District Court.

"The good news is: The kids will not have to testify," said their foster mother, Deena Epstein.

Blue, accused of chaining his 15-year-old daughter to her bed, stood in shackles Wednesday in Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa's courtroom and politely answered questions from the judge.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Lisa Luzaich said the 53-year-old defendant has agreed to plead guilty to one count of child abuse and neglect with substantial mental injury. He is scheduled to enter the plea Wednesday in District Judge Valorie Vega's courtroom.

"My goal is to do what's best for the kids, and I think it's always better for the kids if they don't have to take the witness stand and testify against a parent -- if we can reach a resolution that's appropriate," Luzaich said.

If Blue goes through with the plea, prosecutors will have the right to argue for a prison sentence in the range of two to 20 years. Blue would be eligible for probation only if a psychologist or psychiatrist determines that he is not a high risk to re-offend.

Luzaich said Blue's children might speak at sentencing or write to the sentencing judge.

Deputy Public Defender Robert Caruso, who represents Blue, declined to comment.

Two rabbis, who declined to give their names, came to court Wednesday to show their support for Blue.

"He's not a monster," one of the rabbis said outside court. "He's a human being."

The other rabbi said he has known the family since 1999 and knows Blue "to be a sacrificing father for the sake of the family."

"This was just poor judgment," he said.

He described Blue, who wears a bushy beard, as being "in the path toward orthodoxy."

Blue's 8-year-old daughter, 14-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter went to court with their foster parents, Gerald and Deena Epstein, who have a 12-year-old son of their own.

The Blue children waited in an adjoining conference room during the morning court proceedings. Gerald Epstein said the children's mother has been visiting them, and he was surprised she was not in court Wednesday.

Gerald Epstein said his foster children have told them they do not want to live with their father again. He said his Conservative Jewish family began serving kosher food to accommodate the Blue children, who joined his family nearly three weeks ago.

"They are wonderful children," Deena Epstein said.

When confronted by Las Vegas police officers at his home last month, Blue admitted he had chained his 15-year-old daughter to her bed "to keep her out of the kitchen and from overeating," according to a police report. An officer then saw the girl in her room.

"She was indeed chained to her bed and shackled by her right ankle," the report states, noting that she was found "emotionally distraught and crying uncontrollably."

Blue was arrested Jan. 14, the day he was interviewed by police.

He initially was charged with four counts of child abuse and neglect with use of a deadly weapon and one count of false imprisonment.

According to the police report, Blue said he had chained his daughter to her bed for two days after his efforts to prevent her from overeating failed.

The girl told investigators that he had chained her up previously, about one to two years ago.

Police were tipped to the possible abuse by a counselor at Odyssey Charter School. Blue's daughter had e-mailed a friend for help.

According to the police report, the girl said she had been chained to the bed since the night of Jan. 11.

The chain had enough slack so that she could get on her computer, but she had to call out when she needed to use the bathroom. She was temporarily released from the shackles to eat lunch, work out, bathe or attend extracurricular activities.

Blue told police that his daughter was accomplished in the sport of pankration, a form of martial arts, and won competitions at 148 pounds. He thought she should weigh 140 to 145 pounds but said she weighed 165.

In the report, police accuse Blue of hitting the girl with a wooden stick and kicking her. He admitted he spanked his children with a weight belt for discipline, the report states.

Luzaich said the plea agreement lists Blue's two older children as the victims of the single felony charge.

Gerald Epstein said the Blues home-schooled their children, but he wants to put them in public schools.

He also said he wants the community to know the children are doing "100 percent better."

"The children are fine," he said. "They're doing well."

Contact reporter Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0264.