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Top 10 'Bad Dads': A Father's Day Lineup

By Brett Snider, Esq. on June 14, 2013 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

You may think of your father as overbearing or obstinate, but is he as bad as these dads?

Here are 10 of the worst examples of male parents acting badly so that you can appreciate your dad a bit more this Father's Day:

  1. Riley Choate. This abusive father got 80 years in prison for giving a new meaning to "time out": He locked his son in a dog cage, beating and starving him until he died.
  2. Andre Curry. Proving that many 21-year-olds are not qualified to be fathers, this doofus dad was jailed for posting a picture on Facebook of his daughter bound and gagged with painter's tape.
  3. Tyler Deutsch. Telling your baby to chill is not the same as putting a crying infant in the freezer, which is why this poor example of Washington state fatherhood was held on $1 million bail.
  4. Dr. Melvin Morse. This Dr. Dad may have received his training in medical ethics from Guantanamo Bay, after he was arrested in Delaware for trying to waterboard his 11-year-old daughter.
  5. Ronald Miller. Texas fathers like Miller sometimes take protecting their children too far; Miller did this by showing up and threatening to kill people at his child's elementary school in order to "test out" their security.
  6. Philip Owens. Not exactly a model father or car owner, this New York dad left his car running in the parking lot, allowing a thief to drive away with the car... along with his 6-year-old son.
  7. Robert Rioseco. Possibly wanting his kids to feel some real-time "Fast and Furious" action, this pace car patriarch was jailed for allegedly reaching 127 mph, while drunk, with his three kids in the car. Remember dads, DUIs with kids can result in harsher penalties.
  8. Joshua Stryzanski. Worried that your dad doesn't pay attention to you? This Indiana teenage father left his 3-month old baby in his hot car, where the infant died. This actually happens more often than you might think, to forgetful (and neglectful) dads and moms.
  9. Marcus Wesson. A truly monstrous father, this Fresno dad was convicted of nine counts of murder for killing his own abused children who were the product of rape/incest with his daughters and nieces, according to ABC News.
  10. Charles Manson. The mastermind dad of the Sharon Tate murders fathered several children. Manson, now 78, has repeatedly been denied parole and remains in a California state prison.

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