PEOSTA, Iowa (AP) – The parents of a 13-year-old and the boy’s uncle have been accused of having the repeat runaway wear a chain belt attached to a weight. Court records say Cynthia Kobusch and her husband, Michael Kobusch, and her brother, Jeffrey Merfeld, have been charged with child endangerment. They live in Peosta. The records don’t list attorneys who could comment for them.

The records say the boy was known for running away. He told investigators his parents were out of town when Merfeld padlocked a chain around the boy’s waist and attached a weight. He also says his parents left the chain on for two days after they returned. The document says Cynthia Kobusch told an investigator she’d asked Merfeld to fashion a way to attach a GPS unit to her son.