Couple gets 20 years in prison for locking son in basement

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – A former Georgia Tech linebacker and his wife face 20 years in prison for locking their son in a basement for 18 months and for neglecting another son’s cancerous skin tumor.

Local news media reports say Recardo and Therian Wimbush also sentenced Monday to 10 years of probation. A jury found the couple guilty Friday of three counts of child cruelty.

The couple will be barred from contacting the two sons, now 16 and 10, until they are 21 years old. The couple can have supervised contact with their eight other children, but only if such contact is initiated by the children.

The two defendants were arrested in 2014 after authorities received an anonymous tip.

Recardo played football at Georgia Tech from 1999-2002.