Oklahoma police apprehended a Texas couple for abandoning their 15-year-old daughter after tying her to a tree.
Police in Washington County detained a man and his girlfriend following a call that they bound her to a tree in the rear of a house using a ratchet strap, sandwiched between a shed and a chicken coop.
42-year-old Kayla Sharee Clark is accused of aiding child neglect, and 40-year-old Johnny James is facing charges of severe child abuse and neglect.
The girl was found bound in the backyard, and according to the affidavit, she had a hole in her leg and lesions on her arms, indicating she needed medical assistance. The caller claimed to have been secretly bringing her food for three days. Deputies found the girl sitting on a rectangular carpet, bent forward at the waist next to a red shed and a chicken coop, and fastened to a tree with a ratchet strap.
According to the 15-year-old, the woman who spoke with the police was her “nana.” The grandmother initially claimed ignorance of the girl’s health but later confessed she knew what was happening but remained silent because she was “too afraid” of James.
James informed deputies when he got home that the teen lies and can’t be trusted, which is why he bound her. He claimed she was only restrained for one hour while he was away and only restrained two times.
He said he left her outside so she could relieve herself and there would be no mess inside.
According to James, the girl’s desire to live with her mother is the root of all the discipline problems. He informed deputies that he “sees now he will need to figure out another solution” other than shackling her.
James and Clark were arrested by deputies and transported to the Washington County Jail, where they continue to be held on bail of $500,000. They are set to appear in court on August 9.
First responders transported the teenager to the hospital. According to the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, she and any other children present in the home will be placed under the care of the Department of Human Services.
