CANTON, Ohio — On Wednesday, a Stark County grand jury handed down an indictment against a man and a woman accused of keeping a 7-year-old child locked in a dog cage in the basement of their Canton home, according to court records.
Derek Mayle, 30, and Lillian Cottrell, 29, are charged with felony endangering children for an incident dating back to August 2019, when Children Protective Services alerted Canton police, according to court records.
Court records say Cottrell and Mayle did “torture and cruelly abuse” the child from Jan. 1, 2019 through July 30, 2019.
According to Canton police, the dog cage was secured with a padlock.
Detectives also determined there were other forms of discipline deemed excessive involving a wooden sign.
The girl weighed 28 pounds when Canton police officers found her, confirmed Lt. Garren with the department.
Police said two other children were removed from the home, but detectives don’t believe the other children were given the same punishment.
Both are scheduled to be arranged on Friday, Sept. 4.
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