'He Was in Control': Father of Man Claiming Stepmom Held Him Captive Made Decisions About His Son's Care, Claims Her Lawyer

The Connecticut woman accused of holding her stepson captive for 20 years is speaking out after her arrest through her lawyer.

Ioannis A. Kaloidis tells PEOPLE that his client Kimberly Sullivan, 56, was not the one making choices about how her stepson should be raised, saying that it was her late husband and the boy’s father, Kregg Sullivan, who ultimately made all decisions regarding the boy’s care.

“He was in control,” Kaloidis said of the victim’s late father.

Kregg Sullivan died in 2024, at which time his son alleged that his treatment became much worse.

According to an arrest warrant obtained by PEOPLE, the victim also alleged that his father would let him out of his room when Sullivan and her daughters were not in the house.

Kaloidis claims that it was not Sullivan who decided to put the victim in that room or pull him from school at the age of 11, but rather his father.

The warrant, filed on March 12, alleges that the victim was removed from school while in the fourth grade after calls were made to DCF, but on March 13, DCF released a statement claiming they could not find the records in question,

In an interview with law enforcement, the victim alleged that the calls to DCF came after he was seen eating from the garbage at school.

As for the victim’s allegation that he had not showered in two years and his severe tooth decay, Kaloidis said that his client never prevented the victim from attending to his personal hygiene.

“My client encouraged him to bathe but she is not going to force a 32-year-old man to take care of himself,” Kaloidis said.

He also alleged that Sullivan never locked him in his room and said that the boy left the home daily while completing chores such as taking out the trash.

“He could have just walked away then if he wanted to leave,” Kaloidis said.

“Ultimately it was the father which dictated the manner in which his son was raised and my client was only carrying out his orders,” Kaloidis said.

The victim set fire to his bedroom in February using a lighter, hand sanitizer and paper in what he told first responders was an attempt to gain his “freedom.”

He arrived at the hospital weighing just 68 lbs., and in the days that followed alleged that he had been held captive for 20 years in interviews with detectives, according to the warrant.

After a month-long investigation into these allegations, the Waterbury Police Department arrested Sullivan on Wednesday. She was freed the following day after posting $300,000 bail.

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Lt. Ryan Bessette of the WPD tells PEOPLE that the investigation remains ongoing at this time but would not say if there were other possible suspects.

Kaloidis says that the public should keep an open mind, noting that his client has yet to be convicted of a crime and is still presumed innocent under the law.

“This is just one side of the story and people should not rush to judgment. These allegations are horrific but there are two sides to every story, and my client plans to defend herself against these allegations,” Kaloidis said.

Sullivan is due back in court on March 26 to answer felony charges of assault in the first degree, kidnapping in the second degree and unlawful restraint in the first degree and misdemeanor counts of cruelty to persons and reckless endangerment in the first degree.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.