Men charged with child abuse, using cattle prod

RIDGEWAY, MO — A Ridgeway father and son were charged recently with the horrific crime of allegedly using a cattle prod on children in their home. Thomas James Affuso, 51, and his son, Rocco James Affuso, 33, face four counts of child abuse following an investigation by the Harrison County Sheriff’s office. Authorities were notified that an 11-year-old had started a fire in the boys’ bathroom of the Ridgeway school. Apparently, the child had been trying to burn a letter from a teacher and accidentally set a trash can on fire. The fire was extinguished without damage. Officers learned about the suspected child abuse when the child said he burned the letter because he feared punishment. Officers took the father and son into custody, and two children have been placed in foster care. According to the probable cause statement filed in the case, the children were physically and mentally abused during a period between Jan. 1, 2012, and Dec. 11, 2012. Thomas James Affuso had earlier been found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm in Harrison County and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Dallas County, Texas. Rocco James Affuso previously had pled guilty to endangering the welfare of a child. The men are held on $65,000 cash bond, pending a Jan. 9 hearing in the Associate’s Division of Harrison County Circuit Court.