A Texas father, Johnny James, 41, and his girlfriend, Kayla Clark, 42, were handed out lengthy sentences on Wednesday for tying their 15-year-old daughter to a tree for “over 24 hours.” After pleading guilty to child abuse and neglect, James was sentenced to 35 years, while Clark was sentenced to 30 years for child negligence and facilitating abuse.
Lori Fullbright of local CBS affiliate KOTV reports that they are originally from Texas and were visiting family in Vera, Oklahoma. On July 28, a local woman noticed the adolescent victim tied to a tree with a “ratchet strap” and notified the Washington County Sheriff’s office. The woman informed the deputies what she had observed and that she had fed the girl, despite the fact that her leg had a “hole” and there were lesions on her arm.
When deputies arrived, they found the teenage girl seated on a rectangular piece of carpet, wrapped around the waist and chained to a tree. When the authorities approached the father, he stated that he had tied up his daughter because “she cannot be trusted and likes to lie.”. Furthermore, according to Law & Crime, James claimed that she was only tied down for about an hour while he was gone and acknowledged having done it before. Furthermore, the girl, who is developmentally challenged, was apparently having “bathroom issues” at home, which is why James tied her up outside to avoid any “mess.”
Clark, James’ girlfriend, said that she was taking a shower and had no idea what had happened and that she didn’t notice the girl tied to a tree when they left for church because she was “frazzled.” Finally, investigators found that the father was punishing the youngster for wanting to live with her mother.
The Department of Human Services acquired custody of the teen victim as well as the other children living in the house. The girl was placed with a foster family and appeared in court earlier this week to provide a victim impact statement.
