DONKEY: Couple Arrested For Abuse After Locking 11 Y/O Daughter In Garage To Learn ‘How To Be Homeless’

Summary

Donkey of the Day – May 14, 2026

Awarded to: Alicia Lenae McIntosh and Robert James McIntosh of Taylorsville, Utah
Host: Charlamagne Tha God (The Breakfast Club / Power 105.1 FM)
Theme: Child Abuse Under the Guise of “Teaching a Lesson” – Why Cruelty Is Not Parenting

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Charlamagne Tha God delivers his signature “Donkey of the Day” segment to Alicia and Robert McIntosh, who were arrested for abusing their 11-year-old daughter. The parents locked the girl in a garage—purportedly to teach her “how to be homeless”—and the father zip-tied her to a bed to stop her from scratching herself. Charlamagne uses the story to address misguided discipline, child trauma, and the vital distinction between tough love and abuse.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Incident and Charges

• [02:44] Charlamagne introduces the case: Alicia and Robert McIntosh, both 46, are facing charges after locking their daughter in the garage.
  • “They allegedly locked their 11-year-old child out of their home in an effort to teach the child how to be homeless.” – Charlamagne ([02:44])
• [03:41] News segment details the abuse:
  • The father zip-tied the young girl to prevent her from scratching her face, causing her to hang “unable to touch the ground for 10-15 minutes.”
  • The mother knew, described it as “a moment of desperation.”
  • Prosecutors found insufficient evidence to charge the mother for the garage incident, but the father faces two counts of aggravated child abuse.

2. Charlamagne’s Commentary on Parenting & Trauma

• [04:59] The host reflects on parenting challenges—acknowledges he’s felt tempted to enforce tough consequences but draws a sharp line at abuse.
  • "You are not teaching your child how to be homeless. You are teaching your child how to be traumatized. You are teaching your child how to not trust their parents. You are teaching your child how to feel unsafe and unsupported. Because it all starts at home." – Charlamagne ([06:02])
• Elaborates on how such punishments erode trust, instill fear, and fail to prepare children for the world, instead traumatizing them.

3. The Homelessness “Lesson” Fallacy

• Emphasizes locking a child in a garage is not educational—it is cruel and breeds trauma, not resilience.
  • "There's a difference between discipline and cruelty and abuse... you're not teaching responsibility, you're teaching fear. And too many parents do confuse control with care." – Charlamagne ([07:46])
• Notes the child sought help at a neighbor's home—a survival instinct, not rebellion.

4. Cultural Commentary and Real-World Parallels

• References parenting norms of past generations, noting popular 1970s/1980s sitcom “Good Times” and its punishment lessons, but underscores that secrecy and escalation in such matters now lead to further harm.

5. Child’s Psychological State

• [08:55] Co-host speculates the child’s behavior may be due to possession, which Charlamagne rebuffs:
  • "She was not possessed. She probably scratched her face cuz she was stressed out... dealing with high levels of anxiety and was terrified and traumatized in this abusive relationship." – Charlamagne ([08:55])
• Connects the child's self-harming behavior to her distress and lack of safety at home.

6. Ongoing Concerns & Systemic Failures

• Co-hosts express concern about the child's immediate future given both parents’ involvement.
  • "So what that mean for the little girl? Where did she go? Because she can't go back into the care of her mother because they both got to be investigated." – Co-host ([09:18])
• Charlamagne laments that many children endure similar situations and calls for intervention and therapy.

7. Broader Lesson on Parenting

• Highlights the importance of preparation and support in parenting, condemning abusive behaviors masquerading as lessons.
  • "Everybody is not ready to be a parent, okay? Kids do not deserve to be in abusive relationships with their parents, okay? They didn't ask to be here, all right?" – Charlamagne ([07:17])

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On trauma vs. lesson:
  “You are not teaching your child how to be homeless. You are teaching your child how to be traumatized, how to not trust their parents, how to feel unsafe and unsupported.”
  — Charlamagne Tha God ([06:02])

• On boundaries of discipline:
  “There's a difference between discipline and cruelty and abuse, all right? If your lesson plan for your child includes, you know, them freezing in a garage, you know, with a bucket for a bathroom, or hog tying their wrist together and letting them hang places, you're not teaching responsibility, you're teaching fear...”
  — Charlamagne Tha God ([07:46])

• On the child's suffering:
  “She probably scratched her face cuz she was stressed out and... dealing with high levels of anxiety and was terrified and traumatized in this abusive relationship.”
  — Charlamagne Tha God ([08:55])

• On responsibility:
  “Everybody is not ready to be a parent, okay? Kids do not deserve to be in abusive relationships with their parents, okay? They didn't ask to be here, all right?”
  — Charlamagne Tha God ([07:17])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:44] – Introduction of the accused parents and summary of incident
• [03:41] – News report outlining abuse details and charges
• [04:59] – Charlamagne’s reflections, boundaries of discipline vs. abuse
• [06:02] – Commentary on trauma versus teaching
• [07:17] – Callout of parental responsibility
• [08:55] – Discussion on the child’s psychological trauma
• [09:18] – Concerns about the child’s current welfare
• [07:30] – Remy Ma’s signature “biggest hee haw” as part of the show’s trademark

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Conclusion

Charlamagne uses the Donkey of the Day platform to call out not only the shocking abuse by Alicia and Robert McIntosh but also to challenge all parents to examine the true outcomes of their disciplinary methods. He underscores that abusive “lessons” like these not only fail to prepare children for life—they actively harm and traumatize them, sometimes irreparably.

“Parenting is supposed to prepare kids for the world, okay? Not traumatize them for it.”
— Charlamagne Tha God ([07:25])

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End of summary.

Transcript

[Host of Psychology of Your 20s]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

[Robert Smigel]

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy. Not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My guests, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

[Robert Smigel]

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dani Shapiro]

Your husband is not who you think he is. Your body is not what you thought it was. Your identity is formed by a secret history. I'm Dani Shapiro and these are just a few of the stunning stories I'll be exploring on the 14th season of Family Secrets.

[Witness or victim in Family Secrets]

He kind of shoved me out of the way and said, move. And he went out the front door and he jumped in a car and drove off. And that was the last time I saw him.

[Dani Shapiro]

Listen to season 14 of Family Secrets on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dr. Maya Shankar]

Hey, I'm Dr. Maya Shankar, a cognitive scientist and host of the podcast A Slight Change of Plans, a show about who we are and who we become when life makes other plans.

[Dani Shapiro]

I wish that I hadn't resisted for so long. The need to change.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

We have to be willing to live with a kind of uncertainty that none of us likes.

[Host of Psychology of Your 20s]

You can have opinions, you can have like a struggle, strong stance. And then there's your body. Yeah, having its own program.

[Dr. Maya Shankar]

Listen to A Slight change of plans on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Host of Psychology of Your 20s]

Your twenties can be so exciting, but they can also be really overwhelming, confusing, and honestly, just kind of lonely. May is mental health awareness month, and the psychology of your twenties is breaking down the science behind the biggest roadblocks we face.

[Guest on Psychology of Your 20s]

I was six years into my career, the 80 hour and just the first one in, the last one out, and I ended up burning out. There was a large chunk of my twenties that I like, was just so wanting to like be out of that phase, out of my skin, and I just like really regret not living in the present more.

[Host of Psychology of Your 20s]

You don't need to have everything figured out right now. You just need to understand yourself a little bit better. Listen to the psychology of your 20s on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That donkey thing a bunch of donkeys around here. It's time for Donkey of the the Donkey of the Day for being toxic.

[Robert Smigel]

They made me the donkey of the

[Charlamagne Tha God]

day by the things that I said. Damn Charlemagne, some donkey todays just sell

[Co-host or commentator on Donkey of the Day segment]

themselves it was you. What accountability are you taking?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I made donkey today on the Breakfast Club. That being said, I want to start off with this dunkey right here. Yes, Donkey Today for Thursday, May 14th goes to 46 year old Alicia Lenae McIntosh and 46 year old Robert James McIntosh, both of Taylorville, Utah. Okay, they are parents who are facing charges of aggravated child abuse abuse after they allegedly locked their 11 year old child out of their home in an effort to teach the child how to be homeless. I keep telling y' all on this radio every single day that times is hard, okay? Economic hardship is impacting everybody. There was a YouGov survey that found 42 of Americans believe a total economic collapse is on the way. And I guess some parents are preparing their kids for the future. Okay, well that's not what happened here. What happened here was the child said they wanted to run away and the parents said oh word. Let's go to KSL.com for the report, please.

[News Reporter]

A man arrested last week for allegedly making his 11 year old daughter sleep in the garage to experience being homeless has now been charged with zip tying the young girl, Robert James McIntosh, 46, of Taylorsville, was charged Monday in 3rd District Court with two counts of aggravated child abuse, a third degree felony. Both he and his wife, Alicia Line A McIntosh, 46, were arrested Friday by Taylorsville police for investigation of aggravated child abuse. However, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office has now determined there isn't enough evidence to charge Alicia McIntosh for the child abuse she was suspected of committing and neither parent will face charges for allegedly making their daughter sleep in the garage. Charging documents filed Monday against Robert McIntosh state that the young girl was scratching her face and causing it to bleed. So McIntosh found zip ties and zip tied her to a bed. She said McIntosh then removed the ladder from her bunk bed so she couldn't climb onto the bed and she hung there unable to touch the ground for 10 to 15 minutes.

[Co-host or commentator on Donkey of the Day segment]

Damn.

[News Reporter]

When questioned, McIntosh told police that he zip tied his daughter one time for less than 10 minutes to stop her from scratching herself. Alicia McIntosh stated she knew McIntosh zip tied their daughter to her bed, but said it was a moment of desperation when he had been home alone with her, the charges state.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, this is a lot, man, you know. The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, who celebrated his 93rd born day this week. Drop on the clues. Bombs for Minister Farrakhan. The honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan always says, when you see men fall, don't laugh, learn. And this is a prime example, because sometimes you have to see what happens to others when they do things. You thought about. Okay, I have absolutely threatened to put my child outside, all right? I would never do it, okay? Especially now after reading this story. But I've thought about it, and sometimes we need to see examples of how stupid things actually are. Are when you do them. Because, look, man, kids are difficult, and there is no manual to raising them. I have so much respect for my parents now that I am one. I get it. I get it. I get it. Kids will test your patience in ways that you can't even imagine. Okay? I don't even understand, you know, psychologically, how you can love something so much, but on the flip side, want to hurt them so bad when they trying you. But, Alicia and Robert, this isn't the lesson you thought it was. Okay, first. First of all, y', all, this is. You're. You're abusing your child in multiple ways. But I want to just talk about the. The homeless aspect of it. When you said you were teaching your child how to be homeless. You are not teaching your child how to be homeless. You are teaching your child how to be traumatized. You are teaching your child how to not trust their parents. You are teaching your child how to feel unsafe and unsupported. Because it all starts at home. All right? I don't. It wasn't in the news report. But when they put him in the garage, this kid went to a neighbor's house to use the bathroom because his parents wouldn't let him use the bathroom. So he left the garage and went to a neighbor's house and told the neighbor he would rather. I don't even know if it was a he. But they told the neighbor they would rather live with them because their parents locked them out of the house. And when the daddy picked up the child from his neighbor's house, they punished the child again, okay? Made him sleep in the garage because how dare you go to the neighbor's house telling them folks our business. See, the first law of nature is self preservation. So that young child did what they had to do to survive by going to the neighbor's house. But if that child was raised off good times like we was in the 1900s, then they would have learned from watching Lanella Gordon punish Penny. You don't bring nobody else into your business, okay? But you should, right? And the punishments Penny got if she dared to bring somebody else in their family business. Oh, my God. Okay? If that child was watching Good Times, they would have known involving the neighbors was going to escalate the situation, okay? And with Alicia and Robert's track record, you know, you probably want to keep that child away from them, dare I say forever, okay? These parents need counseling and extensive therapy. At least the dad, because I know the dad right now was plotting and planning some severe punishment for this young child because not only did you go to the neighbor's house to complain about them, the police came and you got him arrested. Oh, man. He's planning to go get a hot iron right now. This story is just a prime example of Everybody is not ready to be a parent, okay? Kids do not deserve to be in abusive relationships with their parents, okay? They didn't ask to be here, all right? Parenting is supposed to prepare kids for the world, okay? Not traumatize them for it. All right? There's a difference between discipline and cruelty and abuse, all right? If your lesson plan for your child includes, you know, them freezing in a garage, you know, with a bucket for a bathroom, or hog tying their wrist together and letting them hang places, you're not teaching responsibility, you're teaching fear, okay? And too many parents do confuse control with care. Please let Remy Ma give Alicia and Robert McIntosh the biggest hee haw, hee haw, hee haw.

[Co-host or commentator on Donkey of the Day segment]

You stupid mother. Are you dumb, yo? You know what my initial thought was, right? Because if they zip tied her, if he hugged me, the zip tie her, right? Like what? From keeping her from scratching her face, it honestly sounds like she was like possessed. That sound like some Emily Rose.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

She was not possessed. She probably scratched her face cuz she was stressed out and. And dealing with high levels of anxiety and was terrified and traumatized in this abusive relationship. So she was scratching her face because she was harming herself? That's what that's like a self mutilation.

[Host of Psychology of Your 20s]

Poor baby.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, yeah, she wasn't all right.

[Co-host or commentator on Donkey of the Day segment]

How old was the little girl?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

11.

[Host of Psychology of Your 20s]

My niece is 11. I was.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh my God.

[Co-host or commentator on Donkey of the Day segment]

Yeah, well, good thing he's a arrested now. He's in jail now, but damn. So what that mean for the little girl? Where did she go? Because she can't go back into the care of her mother because they both got to be investigated.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I really don't know. I have no idea. But I feel so horrible for that young lady because there's a lot of kids out there going through that same situation.

[Host of Psychology of Your 20s]

Damn.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

All right, now it's time for just fix My Mess. I don't know what type of advice y' all expect to get from her.

[Co-host or commentator on Donkey of the Day segment]

Shut up.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

After hearing what you've got to say, just.

[Co-host or commentator on Donkey of the Day segment]

But hey, yo. No, y', all, I just.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's what she got. The young girl is possessed.

[Co-host or commentator on Donkey of the Day segment]

I said that's what I thought at first.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

She wondered why she'd be getting in trouble.

[Co-host or commentator on Donkey of the Day segment]

That's what I thought at first.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And that's why you should never, ever go with your first thought. Matter of fact, think three, four times before you shut up. Anyway, we'll be back with Just Fix My Mess. Donkey Today is sponsored by renowned personal injury attorney Michael the Bull Lamb. And so don't be a donkey when you need a fighter on your side. If you're ever injured, go to michaelthebull.com that's michaelthebull.com and when you mess with the bull, you get the horns.

[Robert Smigel]

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My guests, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs Band banter.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

[Robert Smigel]

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dani Shapiro]

Your husband is not who you think he is. Your body is not what you thought it was. Your identity is formed by a secret history. I'm Dani Shapiro and these are just a few of the stunning stories I'll be exploring on the 14th season of Family Secrets.

[Witness or victim in Family Secrets]

He kind of shoved me out of the way and said, move. And he went out the front door and he jumped in a car and drove off. And that was the last time I saw him.

[Dani Shapiro]

Listen to season 14 of Family Secrets on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dr. Maya Shankar]

Hey, I'm Dr. Maya Shankar, a cognitive scientist and host of the podcast A Slight Change of Plans, a show about who we are and who we become when life makes other plans.

[Dani Shapiro]

I wish that I hadn't resisted for so long. The need to change.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

We have to be willing to live with a kind of uncertainty that none of us likes.

[Host of Psychology of Your 20s]

You can have opinions, you can have like a strong stance. And then there's your body having its own program.

[Dr. Maya Shankar]

Listen to A Slight Change of plans on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Host of Psychology of Your 20s]

Your 20s can be so exciting, but they can also be really overwhelming, confusing and honestly just kind of lonely. May is mental health awareness month and the psychology of your twenties is breaking down the science behind the biggest roadblocks we face.

[Guest on Psychology of Your 20s]

I was six years into my career, the 80 hour weeks and just the first one in, the last one out and I ended up burning out. There was a large chunk of my twenties that I like was just so wanting to like be out of that phase, out of my skin and I just like really regret not living in the present more.

[Host of Psychology of Your 20s]

You don't need to have everything figured out right now. You just need to understand yourself a little bit better. Listen to the psychology of your 20s on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.