Police in Oklahoma have arrested and charged a father and his boyfriend after they allegedly tied their teenage daughter to a tree next to their chicken coop for three days, Law & Crime reported.
Washington County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) arrested According to police authorities, the father, Johnny James, 40, and his girlfriend, Kayla Clark, 42, were arrested on Sunday in connection with the incident. reservation record. (Related article: Three 11-year-old girls confront kidnapping suspect, film him grabbing 6-year-old on cell phone)
Police received complaints of child abuse, putting authorities on high alert. Law and Crime reportCiting an arrest warrant, a woman told WCSO officers she found a 15-year-old girl tied to a tree in her backyard and in need of medical treatment. The girl “had holes in her legs and wounds on her arms,” according to the report.
According to the affidavit, the woman told officers the girl had been there for three days and had sneaked the girl's food, Law & Crime reported. The outlet reported that officers saw the 15-year-old wearing a “ratchet-style restraint belt.”
According to the affidavit, James told WCSO when he got home that he was punishing his daughter because he “cannot be trusted and she likes to lie.” Law & Crime reported that James claimed he had tied her up for no more than an hour, and that he had done it in two separate sessions.
James told police that his daughter urinated and defecates indoors and that the punishment prevented her from becoming soiled, according to the affidavit, according to the outlet. The father told police he “restrained her” because he “didn't know how else to help” her, the outlet reported.
James allegedly claimed the girl's actions were due to her wanting to live with her mother, according to the media outlet. He reportedly told police he “realized we had to come up with another solution” other than tying the girl to a tree, according to the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, WSCO deputies also questioned Clark about the incident, to which he replied, “I was in the shower and nothing happened,” according to the outlet. Clark also reportedly claimed he was “too tired” to notice the girl when he left to attend a church service.
The girl was taken to a hospital for treatment for her injuries, and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services' Child Services Division took custody of her and the other children found in the home, the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise reported. report.
James was charged with aggravated child abuse and neglect, according to arrest records. Clark was charged with aggravated child neglect. Bail for both was set at $500,000, records show.
The Daily Caller has reached out to the WSCO for comment but has not yet heard back.
