Alabama mom and grandparents arrested for keeping 4 children locked in tiny wooden cages with mattresses inside
SMITHS STATION, ALABAMA: Three suspects—a mother, grandmother and grandfather—are accused of locking children in wooden cages, according to Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones.
Pamela Deloris Bond, 66, James H Bond, 69, and Kylla Michelle Mann, 30, who live in the Smiths Station, a small city near the Alabama-Georgia border, were arrested on the suspicion of child abuse after authorities conducted a welfare check at their house earlier this week and made contact with four children aged 3, 4, 10, and 11, respectively.
The welfare check was conducted following a report of possible child abuse. During a search of the property, investigators found two wooden crib-shaped cages with hasps and locks. Inside the cages, there was evidence that the children had been locked inside multiple times. There were mattresses and blankets placed inside the confinements. It also had a slatted lid across the top that could be opened and closed.
In one of the photos from the incident, an actual crib could be seen with what seemed like a wooden lid fastened to the top. Apart from the four children, the residence also housed an 8-month-old child but he or she was not there when deputies arrived.
Following the arrest of the suspects, all five children have been placed in the custody of the state Department of Human Resources.
The suspects have been charged with two counts of aggravated abuse of a child less than 6 years of age and two counts of reckless endangerment. Additionally, Pamela is charged with one count of tampering with physical evidence.
James and Mann's bonds were set at $1,22,000 each, while bail for Pamela was $1,23,000.
John Rigby, one of the neighbors said that they never suspected that children were being held against their will at the house. "I’ve seen school buses. You hardly ever see the children. I wouldn’t have known, except for the school buses, that the children were there,” Rigby told WTVM. “You see people, you see people come and go. The man is the only one I’ve ever seen over there, but from what I’ve learned, that’s appalling."