Girl Forced to Wear Shock Collar for Dogs
Georgia authorities found a 15-year-old girl who was forced to live in a chicken coop days at a time and who was forced to wear a shock collar for dogs as punishment.
The parents of the girl, Samuel and Diana Franklin, have been arrested and charged with multiple counts of child cruelty and false imprisonment, reports The Associated Press.
The girl has been placed in temporary state custody.
The unidentified girl was adopted around 2007 and was home-schooled in a small rural town about 85 miles south of Atlanta, reports the AP. The girl told investigators that she was often punished by being forced to wear the dog shock collar if she didn't finish her schoolwork. In addition, she says she was forced to spend days at a time locked inside a small outhouse and chicken coop in the back of the home.
The outhouse was described as just large enough to sit in, being four feet in length and width, and just a few feet high. For parts of the past two years, the girl could come out of the coop and outhouse for just a little bit to shower in the main house, reports the AP.
Authorities began their investigation in May into the suspected child abuse after a tip.When child welfare agents showed up, they saw enough convince a judge to order the teen removed from the home that same day.
Generally removal of a child from a parent's home is only reserved for extreme circumstances. The wearing of a shock collar and forced living in a chicken coop obviously met these requirements for removal.
If convicted of the child cruelty and false imprisonment charges, the girl's parents could face many years behind bars. It's just a shame that prison would seem luxurious given the conditions the girl allegedly endured. If convicted, perhaps a judge will require the girl's parents to wear shock collars as they sit in jail.
Related Resources:
- Georgia couple forces adopted daughter to wear shock collar around neck, authorities say (New York Daily News)
- Ga. parents locked teen daughter inside chicken coop as punishment, investigators say (CBS)
- Man Straps Kids to Hood of Car, Drives Drunk (FindLaw's Blotter)
