Cops: Mom locked out mentally-impaired son in freezing temps

A cold-hearted Upper Darby mother punished her intellectually-disabled son last week by locking him outside in freezing temperatures for five hours, according to police.

Upper Darby police have a warrant out for the arrest of Karima S. Tolbert, 34, of Hartley Road near McKinley Avenue, for recklessly endangering another person.

According to Upper Darby police Superintendent Michael Chitwood, police responded to a report of a domestic disturbance at Tolbert's house around 12:15 p.m. Jan. 7.

When authorities arrived, they were met by Tolbert's 18-year-old son, who is intellectually disabled. He was shaking uncontrollably and appeared to be in significant pain, Chitwood said. The young man told police he had been outside since 7 a.m., when his mother locked him out of the house.

That's five hours outside on a day when the high temperature was just 23 degrees. According to Chitwood, the windchill factor that day was 2 degrees.

"Mother of the year she is not," Chitwood said. "The kid is out there freezing and she wouldn't let him in the house."

When cops knocked on Tolbert's door, she refused to let them or her shivering son inside. Tolbert allegedly told police that she'd locked her son outside as punishment because he did not change his pants for school as she had asked.

Officers placed the teen in the back of a patrol car and called paramedics to evaluate him. The teen refused treatment at an area hospital and was placed in the custody of aunt who lived nearby, Chitwood said.

Police have been unable to locate Tolbert to serve her with the arrest warrant, but Chitwood is convinced they'll have her in custody soon.

"She ain't going nowhere," he said. 'We'll find her."