An Oklahoma judge sentenced a couple to decades in prison for the horrific abuse of a 15-year-old girl, who was tied to a tree for three days because they claimed she “could not be trusted.”
A 41-year-old man received 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to child abuse and neglect. His 42-year-old girlfriend was sentenced to 30 years for child neglect and enabling abuse. The victim, who is now in a foster home, had the opportunity to address the court during the sentencing hearing.
Authorities became aware of the abuse on July 28, when deputies responded to a child abuse complaint at a home in Vera, Oklahoma. A woman reported that a teenage girl was tied up in the backyard and needed medical attention, suffering from a leg wound and lesions on her arms. She told authorities the girl had been restrained for three days and that she had been secretly sneaking her food.
Deputies arrived to find the girl near a red shed and a chicken coop, sitting on a piece of carpet with a bandage below her knee and a ratchet strap binding her. A witness, identified as the girl’s grandmother, initially denied knowing about the situation but later admitted she was aware of what was happening but was too afraid of the man to intervene.
When confronted by deputies, the man admitted to tying the girl up, claiming it was because she “could not be trusted and liked to lie.” He insisted she was only restrained for short periods, at most an hour while he was away. However, he later admitted she had been left outside on two separate occasions.
He justified the abuse by claiming the girl had been urinating and defecating on herself, and he did not want the mess inside the house. He explained that tying her outside was the only way he knew to handle the situation but acknowledged that he would have to find another method in the future.
His girlfriend initially denied any knowledge of the situation, saying she was taking a shower at the time. She later claimed she did not see the girl outside when they left for church because she was too overwhelmed.
The girl was taken to a hospital for treatment, and child welfare officials removed her and other children from the home.
