Ohio Woman Says Kids Requested Cages

[shugah]

Mar 2, 8:04 AM EST
Ohio Woman Says Kids Requested Cages

NORWALK, Ohio (AP) -- Some of the special-needs children who slept in cage-like beds fitted with alarms had asked for the structures to be built, their adoptive mother testified at a custody hearing.

Sharen Gravelle testified Wednesday that she and her husband Michael built bunk beds and attached a wooden playhouse the family called a club house for some of the children's toys.

The other children then requested them and the couple felt the brightly painted beds enclosed with wood and wire helped keep them from getting into trouble at night, she said.

The couple have pleaded not guilty to several charges, including child endangerment, in a separate criminal case. The custody hearing was scheduled to resume Thursday.

~snip~

Under questioning by her attorney, Ken Myers, Sharen Gravelle said that when the children became older they acted up more, including escaping from their regular beds in the middle of the night to fetch knives from the kitchen or to punch each other.

"They just didn't seem normal to me, I mean the behavior didn't and I didn't know what to do," she said.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CAGED_CHILDREN?SITE=WFSB&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-03-02-08-04-48

[Vinca]

1. But the cages were brightly painted . . . nt

[LynneSin]

2. That's as bad as the family in New Jersey

that starved the kids they had in child custody. The oldest, 19 years old, was found to be 47lbs and he was rooting through the neighbors garbage looking for food.

State of New Jersey rewarded the 4 boys who suffered through this like $10mil in restitution but the woman who did this will only see a few years in jail (her husband died of a heart attack about a year after they discovered what was happening to these boys).

BTW, she had these kids for YEARS and no one from state services noticed they were malnourished

[bleedingheart]

3. seeing it up close now ....I have come to realize that there just

isn't enough cash being spent on human services. Social service jobs don't pay well and a lot of non-state agencies that are contracted by the states do not provide benefits or full time pay...so the people who are good don't want to work in the field long because they have to feed themselves...

It doesn't excuse the neglect of the state but in a nation where bombs are a priority...children get the shaft.

[LynneSin]

5. Damnit, how are we suppose to give money to the rich

if we also have to spend money on all these poor kids.

The person who doesn't have their priorities right is bleeding liberals like you

:sarcasm:

[WhiteTara]

9. I volunteered as a CASA for a number of years

and most of the people who were in social services wanted to do a good job, but it sure was a revolving door. During my 7 year case, my 2 children had 10 foster homes, 5 social service case workers, 3 judges and a few therapists. The girls had little continuity in their lives and I found that incredibly distressing. I had to keep bringing those people up to speed on my kids case. My girls were lucky, most foster children don't have an advocate of any kind.

[sarcasmo]

4. And the Idiot Republicans don't want Gays to adopt. What a JOKE

this country has become under this administration.

[LostinVA]

6. "People" had an article on this a few weeks ago

The boys have each grown about a foot or more, and gained alot of weight. It's amazing (and great) hey won't be horribly stunted for the rest of their lives.

[SoCalDem]

7. Mommy, all I want for Christmas is a cage?

sure... :eyes:

[KamaAina]

8. I'll do the dishes for a whole month if you let me have a cage!

Promise. Honest!

And if you believe that, I have a bridge I'd like to show you...