Robert Blue's daughter is safe and recovering, primarily because her chains were long enough to reach her computer.
Police and her neighbours are appalled by what the 15-year-old
Las Vegas girl allegedly went through - and they can't believe the man accused of the awful crime is her own father.
In a case that's almost anorexia-by-proxy, cops allege Blue (top left) chained his daughter to her bed because he thought she weighed too much. The youngster was proficient in mixed martial arts and tipped the scales at 165 lbs.
Her obsessed dad reportedly believed she should check in closer to 140-145, which he called her 'fighting weight.' So police say he went to extreme measures to ensure she lost those pounds.
He put padlocks on all the cupboards and around the fridge in the kitchen so his daughter couldn't get access to any food in the house. And to make sure she didn't sneak out for a snack, the 53-year-old is accused of chaining her to her bed.
She was only allowed free to go to the bathroom, have a tightly controlled lunch, shower or work out. Otherwise, police contend she was padlocked with a chain and her movements tightly controlled.
Blue was already known as a something of an odd character around his neighbourhood. His front door boasts a sign that reads, "Trespassing violators will be shot. Survivors will be shot again."
Few doubted he meant what it said.
He was not friendly with the people who lived nearby and police allege he's a control freak who kept a tight leash on his three children. He's said to have gone on the enforced diet with his teenaged son and daughter, but when she didn't lose weight, he took drastic steps.
Police say when he discovered some hidden peas and corn the starving girl had somehow smuggled into her room, he pulled out the chains and secured her to the bed.
But he may have made one serious mistake. Blue allegedly allowed enough slack on the shackles for the girl to reach her computer. After several days of being restrained, she managed to send out an email to a friend, who alerted a counsellor at her school.
That brought police to his door. When they confronted Blue he insisted he didn't do anything wrong and was only looking out for the best interests of his children.
Cops accuse him of striking the teen with a wooden stick and kicking her, although he will only admit to using a weight belt to spank his kids for 'disciplinary purposes.'
Neighbours say they never had a clue about what was going on inside the home. But they're stunned by what happened. "They'd have to be pretty sick. Demented and mean and horrible," accuses Kimberly Bissel of the allegations against the man next door.
Blue has been charged with child endangerment, child abuse and false imprisonment. He'll appear in court February 4th.
His kids are now in the custody of a local children's aid.