By Raul Castillo
23 Jul 2024, 21:46 PM EDT
In a case that has sparked outrage in Kentucky, 31-year-old Sheila Mann was recently arrested on charges of multiple counts of child abuse, including locking her 10-year-old daughter in a dog cage for several days. Madison County authorities have revealed disturbing details about the situation.
Mann faces charges of first-degree strangulation, first-degree criminal abuse of a child under 12, first-degree unlawful imprisonment, first-degree intentional endangerment, third-degree terroristic threatening and failure to appear, according to Madison County Detention Center records posted by Law&Crime.
The investigation began after the girl, whose identity is being withheld, told investigators of the prolonged abuse she suffered from January 1 to early March of this year.
The girl said that her mother kept her locked in a kennel-type cage for two or three days at a time, allowing her to go out only to use the bathroom.
Richmond Police Chief Rodney Richardson told CBS and WKYT that the girl also recounted an incident where Mann strangled her with his hands and threatened to slit her throat. The girl reported having difficulty breathing and a sore throat for several days after the strangulation.
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Additionally, court documents obtained by WDKY describe how Mann allegedly threw the girl onto the kitchen floor, sat on her back and tied her hands together with twine. On several occasions, he used twine to hold the cage closed, preventing the girl from escaping.
Sheila Mann, however, has denied all allegations. In a jailhouse interview with WKYT, Mann claimed it was a misunderstanding and that she herself was the victim in the situation. “No, that’s not true. It’s not true at all,” she said, specifically denying the cage allegation. “I’ve never done anything like that. I’ve always had a caretaker job.”
Mann’s daughter is currently in the care of foster parents, according to authorities. Mann was arrested Monday and is being held on $50,000 bail. She is expected to appear in court for arraignment Wednesday morning.
The Richmond Police Department is working to complete a request for access to all records related to the case, submitted by Law&Crime.
With information from Law&Crime.
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