A Wyoming couple is facing up to 20 years in jail after they allegedly left a 7-year-old locked in an outdoor cage for three weeks under the impression that the child appeared to like it.
Jena Harman, the child’s mother, and her boyfriend, Alexander Smith, built the cage outside of their Laramie home in June.
The six-by-five-foot cage was made out of cattle paneling and wooden snow fence with plywood covering half of the opening.
According to Laramie Boomerang, the child was locked inside with books, clothing, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a five-gallon bucket to go to the bathroom in.
A metal chain and “dog-leash-style latch” were reportedly used to keep the child trapped inside until the mother or her boyfriend allowed him out.
The child, whose gender has not been identified by authorities, spent most of the day inside the cage, and was only fed once a day—if Harman remembered to bring any food.
Harman told police that she would release her 7-year-old from the makeshift prison whenever Smith, a truck driver, wasn’t around to see. Smith lived in a camper near the home.
After being rescued, the child reported being kicked and sprayed with a hose by Harman and Smith, and was also kept inside the cage during rainstorms.
Before living in the cage, the child allegedly slept on the floor in Harman’s home.
Harman and Smith were arrested on July 24, following an anonymous tip to police. They are each charged with one count of child abuse and three counts of felonious restraint, according to District Court felony information documents.
According to an affidavit, Harman tried to tell police that the child needed to be punished for “constantly doing bad things.”
The couple also called the tiny cage a “playpen” for the 7-year-old because the child appeared to love playing inside the small prison.
Smith also admitted that he didn’t like the child very much, but still felt like the cage was a safe place to protect the minor.
According to Laramie Boomerang, the Sheriff’s Office began receiving complaints of child abuse and requests for welfare checks in August 2013.
Harman and Smith remain in custody on a $100,000 cash bond at the Albany County Detention Center in Laramie.
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