A man and his girlfriend were detained in Oklahoma and charged with child abuse after the father allegedly tied his 15-year-old daughter to a tree in the yard, according to police.
According to jail records, police arrested Johnny James, 40, and his girlfriend Kayla Clark on accusations of child abuse and neglect.
According to a press release received by PEOPLE from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, officials were notified about a juvenile who had allegedly been tied to a tree with ratchet straps on a Vera property for three days. According to the official release, the family from Texas was visiting relatives in the area.
According to the announcement, authorities arrived on the scene and saw the girl seated on a rectangular piece of carpet she had been provided to sleep on. According to the announcement, the youngster was allegedly tied to a tree with a ratchet strap for “over 24 hours” by her father, James.
According to the news release, James allegedly told police that he tied the girl to a tree as punishment. James allegedly claimed to the police that “the child has problems urinating and defecating while indoors and if she was outdoors there would not be any mess.”
The girlfriend, 42, allegedly informed detectives that she knew the girl was tied to the tree but was “frazzled,” so she did not report James’ activities, according to the statement.
According to the announcement, James allegedly punished his daughter because the adolescent desired to live with her mother.
James and Clark are being held in Washington County jail on a $500,000 bond and are scheduled to appear in court on August 9. It is unclear whether either suspect has filed a plea or retained a representation.
According to a release obtained by PEOPLE, the teen was transferred to a local hospital for injury care, and the Department of Human Services (DHS) will take custody of her and other youngsters located in the residence.
If you suspect child abuse, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or visit www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week in over 170 languages.