"During the deputy’s investigation, it was determined the 15-year-old had been outside and secured to a tree with ratchet straps and had been for over 24 hours," said deputies. Investigators said the "child has possible mental development issues."
Deputies in Oklahoma arrested a Texas man after he allegedly left his daughter tied to a tree for more than a day.
Johnny Lee James, 40, is charged with five counts of child neglect and a single count of child abuse while his girlfriend Kayla Clark is charged with five counts of child neglect and a single count of enabling child abuse, according to case information sheets obtained by Insde Edition Digital.
The two are both being held on $500,000 bond, do not have attorneys at this time, and are expected to enter a plea when they make their initial appearance on August 16, according to their court information sheets.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) said in a press release that deputies received a report on July 28 of "possible child abuse and/or neglect " involving a 15-year-old girl at a home in Vera, a town with just 334 residents located 25 miles north of Tulsa.
Deputies from the WCOS along with representatives from the Department of Human Services' (DHS) child welfare division arrived on the scene to find an adolescent female who had been tied up to a tree in the yard and forced to sleep on a "remnant of carpet," according to the release.
"During the deputy’s investigation, it was determined the fifteen-year-old had been outside and secured to a tree with ratchet straps and had been for over 24 hours," said the release. Investigators also learned that the "child has possible mental development issues" and that her father allegedly "tied the child up for disciplinary reasons," according to the release.
Weather data for the area shows that temperatures reached as high as 93 degrees during this time.
When deputies interviewed James, he allegedly "claimed the child has problems urinating and defecating while indoors and if she was outdoors there would not be any mess," according to the release. He allegedly went on to say that his daughter did this because she wanted to live with her mother back in Texas.
Clark allegedly told deputies that she was aware that the child had been tied to a tree for over 24 hours but had been too "frazzled" to call anyone or say anything. According to the release, others in the house said that they were too afraid of James to say or do anything.
James and Clark were arrested while the teenager was taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries and then placed in the care of DHS' child welfare division along wth several other children who were in the household that day, according to the release.
The Washington County District Attorney's Office is now investigating this incident while James and Clark remain in custody at the Washington County Jail. If the two should make bond, they would also be prohibited from having contact with any minor child under the age of 18 according to a copy of the court minutes from their arraignment obtained by Inside Edition Digital.
