Footage yields charges for trio

OGDENSBURG — A 16-year-old boy wearing a dog shock collar on his genitals allegedly was zapped several times by his mother's boyfriend, who is the St. Lawrence County deputy highway superintendent, and his uncle.

The boy later showed a recording of the incident on his cell phone to friends around Ogdensburg Free Academy, Ogdensburg police said.

Crystal M. Amo, 36, and Karl O. Bender, 43, both of 510 Bigelow St., and Zachary S. Amo, 27, of 209 Tate St., all were charged Tuesday with child endangerment, a misdemeanor. All three were given appearance tickets for April 14 in City Court.

The boy told detectives that his friends were talking about having known someone who was jolted by placing the dog shock collar on their genitals. Some of them offered money to have him get shocked. He was fully clothed when he was jolted.

"I took a shock collar from a dog that was at my home," the boy said in a police statement. "I don't even know whose dog it was. I put the shock collar on my balls. Then everyone who put in $10 got to give a zap. I took seven shocks and made $70."

The boy didn't remember who recorded the incident on his cell phone.

St. Lawrence County Administrator Karen M. St. Hilaire said Tuesday that Mr. Bender, the county's deputy highway superintendent, was suspended this morning for 30 days without pay pending further action. The county Legislature was informed about the incident at its meeting Monday night in executive session.

Mr. Bender oversaw the county's solid waste department, which operates four transfer stations in Lisbon, Massena, Star Lake and Gouverneur, for several years and worked for AOK Engineering of Ogdensburg.

Detectives said that Mr. Amo and Mr. Bender shocked the boy March 21 while Ms. Amo, the teen's mother, watched and didn't intervene.

City Police Officer Robert J. Grady, the Ogdensburg City School District's school resource officer, learned of the video March 30 after the boy showed it to friends. The cell phone was confiscated by the high school principal.

District policy doesn't allow students to have cell phones with them during school hours. The phones must be turned off and placed in their lockers, school officials said.

"People make poor decisions," said Detective Robert H. Wescott, the department's juvenile officer. "They were doing it for the entertainment."

The incident could have been inspired by the MTV show "Jackass," whose stars specialized in bizarre and risky behavior, police said. Child Protective Services personnel also are looking into the incident.

Mr. Bender and Ms. Amo declined comment Tuesday.