Andre Curry 'Devastated' By Charges: Dad Accused Of Posting Facebook Photo Of Duct Taped Baby (VIDEO)

A Chicago father who allegedly posted a photo of his daughter bound with duct tape on Facebook is "devastated" by the charges against him -- and those who know the young father reportedly said the whole thing was a joke.

Andre Curry, 21, was ordered held on $100,000 bail Wednesday after a photo of his daughter with blue tape on her hands, legs and mouth surfaced on Facebook early this week. Curry was charged with aggravated domestic battery, and the Department of Children and Family Services has launched an investigation.

Police told the Associated Press that Curry posted the photograph on his Facebook page with the words, "This is wut happens wen my baby hits me back."

Despite the disturbing nature of the photo, Curry's lawyer told CNN Thursday that his client will be vindicated:

"It's our belief that after the investigation by the state and DCFS (the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services) is concluded, Andre Curry will be vindicated," said assistant public defender Anand Sundaram.

Curry has no history of child abuse and the girl has not shown injuries, Sundaram said, adding that the family is cooperating in the investigation.

Sundaram also told CNN that the whole incident has been blown out of proportion, and that his client is "devastated" by the attention it is receiving.

NBC Chicago spoke with a woman at the Curry residence Wednesday, and she said he is just a young father who made a mistake.

"It was all a joke. They were all here playing, It was a joke," the woman told NBC. "He's a young father. He made a mistake and put it on Facebook."

Comments

[kanemakua]

03:38 PM on 02/06/2012

Sure looks like duct tape to me. Painter's tape is usually1/2" to 3/4" wide and a different shade of blue. Regardless of what type of tape, bounding the arms and legs, and taping the mouth of a 22 month child is not appropriate "play" between an adult and child.

Stop minimizing the father's conduct, it was wrong. Maybe the punishment could be less, but the conduct should have consequences.

[kanemakua]

03:14 PM on 02/06/2012

Apparently according to the father, the mistake was not taping the child, the mistake was posting the photo so that people would see it I find this admission troubling as it completely avoids the issue of father's conduct by "bounding and gagging" his daughter. I guess the father can now post a picture of himself behind bars with the tag line, "this is what happens when I "bound and gag" my baby."

[b2828591]

04:25 AM on 01/08/2012

This is seriously the biggest waste of taxpayer money to press any charges against a man for playing with his kids. He used *painter's tape* for God sake. That stuff is weaker than masking tape and won't stick well to skin. The kid was in no danger by that. Where have people's common sense and sense of humour gone to? And what is with people being harassed via FaceBook so much lately? You can't post anything without fear some jerk might fire you for some innocuous comment you said in your *offtime* and now you can get charges leveled against you for posting pics of your kids? Wow O_O The dwindling lack of freedom in this country is really getting sickening.

[A98043]

02:34 PM on 01/14/2012

I agree; couldn't have said it better myself. $100,000 bail for playing around? Rapist get less bail and some child molesters get no bail. Our justist system is suppose to be fair?

He made a bad choice, send him to parenting classes not jail.

[kanemakua]

03:22 PM on 02/06/2012

I don't disagree with the substance of what you say, but there should be a clear line between "play" and abusive conduct. Anything short of inflicting visible bruises could be rationalized or argued as "play". Given the fact there are really stupid parents out there, we don't want to give them the opportunity to avoid responsibility for abusive conduct. Maybe, the consequence should have been CPS intervention and a summons instead of a criminal charge, arrest and posting of bail.

[justandra]

04:08 PM on 12/30/2011

*dumb*ss*

[Apra kumar]

09:24 AM on 12/28/2011

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Deccan Odyssey

[Apra kumar]

09:23 AM on 12/28/2011

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[Tolms]

02:20 PM on 12/27/2011

Yes the "mistake" was putting it on facebook...........

[kel347]

09:45 PM on 12/26/2011

The Department of Children and Family Services need to keep watch over this child. This baby should not be left alone with him. Even if it was a joke, the fact that he would do something like this says a lot. Disturbing.

[Desiree Lane]

08:34 PM on 12/26/2011

The irony here is that when you watch television shows like JackAss with Bam Margera, they always say don't try this at home. People please don't abuse the internet by posting abusive pictures whether or not you think it is amusing. I feel equally disgusted by the videos of fist fights and everything else. Ask yourself, 'would a normal family do things like this to their family?' The answer is an unequivocal 'No"

[Kevin Oxner]

06:16 PM on 12/26/2011

Joke or not this was a stupid idea. I see no humor in this. Babies certainly do not want to be restrained like that. He's not much of a father if this is funny to him. He's devastated because he got caught being so stupid with his blatant child abuse. He says this is what happens when his baby hits him. What a total idiot!!!

[jandos]

04:28 PM on 12/26/2011

Absolutely not funny at all. Not one bit.

[pamelaann92]

01:40 PM on 12/26/2011

More important than the lack of education obvious from all the spelling errors, we are told that the parent does physically strike the child. "This is what happens when my baby hits me BACK" Tells us the child is responding to the father hitting her first, as a toddler will do. Not a joke. This parent should be monitored. Nothing ever should be placed over a child's face/mouth.

[Donna Street]

09:26 AM on 12/26/2011

Poor child, I hope they throw the book at him, but he will more than likely get away with it, stating "my bad" to the court.

[Dianna Jacks]

02:06 AM on 12/26/2011

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THESE PPL!!?? I AM SO TIRED OF THIS NONSENSE AND THESE CHILDREN BEING 'SCARRED'! JOKE OR NOT...ITS NOT A JOKE..YOUNG DAD IS NO EXCUSE...SICK OF IT!!!! GET A FREAKIN GRIP 'PARENTS'....MAKE ME SO SICK!!!

[pamelaann92]

01:43 PM on 12/26/2011

I'm right there with you. Why don't we require parenting skills classes to be mandatory in highschool or something. Instead they send kids home with a dool to pretend with for three days and that is supposed to teach them parenting skills for life! Grandparents spend time teaching your young children how to nuture their babies and bond with them so these things don't keep happening.

[Connor Wisnom]

10:00 PM on 12/25/2011

thats not duct tape, its painters tape learn your facts. that tape doesnt stick very well and wouldnt hurt the kid to remove it. its just a distasteful joke, but im sure this poor guy will loose custody because the government thinks it knows how to raise children better than their parents.

[howtowasteyourlife]

12:15 PM on 12/26/2011

Yeah, I was just thinking it looks a lot like painter's tape.

[surely youre not serious]

09:53 PM on 12/26/2011

Oh, well, then that's totally different! Is that what you're saying? That if it's painters tape rather than duct tape then it's not abusive??? Who cares WHAT KIND of tape it is?!?!?! That really shouldn't be the most remarkable part of this story for anyone! And you refer to the so-called "father" as a "poor guy"? What about this poor little girl??? I don't think this has ANYTHING to do with government either. Law enforcement got involved because it is not LEGAL to abuse your child! Maybe some people DO know how to raise children better than this man! Just because someone can physically supply the DNA necessary to create a child doesn't automatically mean that they are CAPABLE of properly raising a child! To believe that no one should be able to say what is or is not acceptable in regards to how one treats his or her child is to imply that there should be NO laws. Isn't the point of having laws to help protect people? Who else should be provided more protection than innocent children?

[Connor Wisnom]

11:13 PM on 12/29/2011

i used to duct tape my sisters to the wall and the garage floor, me and my friends used to fight with broken off tree limbs, my dad would pretend to wrestle with me, and show me how to fight, and yes sometimes we got hurt, sometimes bones were broken, sometimes it didnt end well, but in the end its just a part of life. all this guy did was mess with his kid a little bit too much and it got out of hand, if the kid wasnt hurt then it shouldnt matter.