WATERBURY — The 57-year-old woman accused of holding her stepson captive for more than two decades asked the state's appellate court on Monday to reverse a Superior Court judge's order requiring her to wear a GPS monitor, arguing the decision was legally improper and not supported by evidence.

The March 28 order issued by Judge Joseph Schwartz added GPS monitoring to Sullivan's pre-trial conditions, despite a ruling two weeks earlier by a different judge, who denied the same request.

In her petition, Sullivan argues that the new order constitutes an abuse of judicial discretion and reflects a punitive shift rather than one based on public safety.

"There was no new material information that demonstrated the inadequacy of the original conditions and need for the new condition. The Defendant was not arrested or even charged with any new offenses in connection with this case," Christopher DeMatteo, an attorney at Pattis and Paz law firm, wrote in the appeal.