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NORWALK, OHIO---Following a three week trial, a couple were found guilty of four felony counts of child endangering, two misdemeanor counts of child endangering and five misdemeanor counts of child abuse for forcing some of their 11-disabled children to sleep in cages.
Michael Gravelle, 57, and his wife, Sharen, 58, had pleaded not guilty, saying that they needed to keep some of the children in enclosed areas with an alarm in order to stop them from wandering around the house at night.
The couple was acquitted of 13 other charges.
They could each face up to 20 years in prison when they are sentenced on Feb. 12 and also face fines up to $40,000. The couple will remain free on bond until their sentencing.
The Gravelle's 11 adopted children, aged one to 14, were removed from their Huron County home in September 2005 after sheriff's deputies found that 3 ½ foot tall cages had been built around some of the children's bunk beds. The cages, painted bright blue, red and yellow, were surrounded by chicken wire and plywood and equipped with alarms to signal when the cages were opened.
Defense attorneys said that a social worker had recommended his clients build the structures to protect the children.
Some of the children testified at trial including one who said that he had been forced to live in a bathroom for 81 days and had to sleep in a bathtub because he wet the bed. Others testified that the Gravelle's shoved some the heads of some of the children in the toilet and had struck others with wooden paddles.
Other adopted children of the Gravelles said that they weren't forced to sleep in cages and said they missed them.
Some of the children had been placed in the home as foster children before the couple adopted them. The Gravelles had adopted black youngsters who were afflicted with autism, fetal alcohol symdrome, HIV and pica, an eating disorder in which children eat nonfood items such as dirt and rocks.
Defense witnesses included a social worker among others who said they had never witnessed any abuse at the Gravelle home and that the children's behavior improved because of the cages. 12-12-06
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© 2006 North
Country Gazette
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