A Milwaukee judge sentenced Charles A. Dupriest to five years in prison for locking his six young children inside a storage unit overnight while he slept in an SUV with his wife and dog. The 33-year-old father was convicted on nine charges, including five felony counts of child neglect. The court emphasized accountability over poverty as the basis for the punishment.
On April 10, Dupriest appeared in court after a jury convicted him on multiple counts, including possession of a firearm by a felon. Judge handed down five years of imprisonment followed by five years of extended supervision, requiring parenting classes and mental health treatment. Concurrent sentences applied to the child neglect charges, with the prison term tied to the firearm conviction. The mother, Zielinski, had previously pleaded guilty to misdemeanor child neglect and received probation. Prosecutors argued the case centered on dangerous choices, not financial hardship. 'Mr. Dupriest may love his children, but preventing future harm requires more than that,' a prosecutor stated. 'It requires accountability. It requires a genuine commitment to change.' Dupriest acknowledged the impact, saying, 'I understand the situation is very serious. This has affected them. My absence has affected them.' The judge noted the punishment focused on choices that endangered the children, ranging from a 2-month-old infant to a 9-year-old. Police discovered the children on September 16 at around 1:33 a.m. in unit B58 at Storsafe on the 5500 block of North 27th Street, responding to cries of a baby. Officers cut a padlock to enter the pitch-black space, which contained a couch, bed, piled items, and a bucket used as a toilet amid a putrid smell. The 9-year-old told detectives he cared for his siblings half the time, fed the infant, and had no phone for emergencies. A 5-year-old girl said she felt sad and mad, upset the dog slept in the car. Parents were found asleep in a Ford Expedition nearby at 2:11 a.m., admitting homelessness but that relatives could have taken the children.