The Knucklehead of the Day award

Today's winner is Nicholas Quiles and an unnamed New Port Richey Florida mother. Mr. Quiles raped the 7-year-old son of the unnamed mother. The mother instead of reporting this to police, took $600 from Quiles and let him do it again.

Note- I'm assuming the mother isn't being named to protect the name of her son. You just never know with newspapers.

This is despicable and how any parent can allow this to happen to their child I don't know. These stories just make me sick.

Open Post- Blue Star, Don Surber, Bright & Early, Jo's Cafe, Mudville Gazette,

NEW PORT RICHEY - When the mother first heard a neighbor had raped her 7-year-old son, she confronted the man and threatened to call police.

That's when she stopped acting like a concerned parent and began negotiating, police said Wednesday.

She accepted $600 in hush money and let the neighbor molest her son again, Lt. Jeffrey Harrington said.

"We don't know if this was supposed to be an ongoing arrangement," he said.

An anonymous tip Monday led investigators to the woman's home on Jefferson Street,north of downtown.

The neighbor, Nicholas Quiles, 48, was arrested that day on two counts of capital sexual battery - felony charges that could put him away for life if he's convicted.

After investigating further, detectives arrested the boy's mother Tuesday. The Tampa Tribune is not printing her name to protect the child's identity.

She faces one count each of capital sexual battery and child abuse.

The woman was candid with police about her involvement in the case, Harrington said.

"She wasn't overly upset," he said. "She wasn't cavalier. It wasn't matter-of-fact. It was more conversational."

Harrington said this is the first time he's heard of a parent allegedly selling a child for sex.

"There are definitely oddities to this case," he said. "I hope we never have to investigate anything like this again."

The sexual assaults happened in the first two weeks of February, Harrington said.

The boy first confided to his 11-year-old sister that Quiles did "bad things to him," the girl told a detective.

Her brother later told authorities the sex acts happened when he was alone with the neighbor.

The two children, plus their toddler brother, were taken to a safe place Tuesday. The investigation continues, and so far there's no evidence the woman's daughter and younger son were sexually abused, Harrington said.

Cross posted to Bullwinkle Blog