|
Parents in Caged Children
Case Convicted
December 22, 2006
By. M.R. Kropko
Associated Press
More articles:
Opening statements heard in Gravelle case (click
here)
Parents guilty on several counts in 'caged children' case
(click
here)
NORWALK, Ohio - A couple accused of
forcing some of their 11 adopted children to sleep in chicken wire
cages were convicted Friday of several felony and misdemeanor
charges against them.
Michael Gravelle, 57, and his wife,
Sharen, 58, were found guilty on charges of child endangering and
abuse.
The couple had claimed during the
three-week trial that they needed to keep some of the youngsters in
enclosed beds rigged with alarms to protect them from hurting
themselves and each other.
Sharen Gravelle, left, and Michael
Gravelle, center, speak with attorney
Ken Myers, as the jury considering their case continues with their
third day of
deliberations, in Norwalk, Ohio, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2006. The
Gravelles are
charged with 16 counts of felony child endangering and eight
misdemeanor
child endangering charges. They are also accused of locking some of
their
11 adopted special-needs children in cages. (AP Photo/Jamie-Andrea
Yanak)
__________________________________________
Parents guilty on several counts
in 'caged children' case
December 22, 2006
By Dave Summers
 HURON
COUNTY -- With 13 hours of deliberations over three days, a jury in
the so-called "caged kids case" has found parents guilty on several
of the 24 counts of child endangering they faced. Michael and Sharen
Gravelle were found guilty of four felony and two misdemeanor counts
of felony child endangering and also five counts of misdemeanor
child abuse. The couple was acquitted of 13 other charges.
They could face 40 years in prison.
The Gravelle's used enclosures made
of wood and chicken wire and alarms to control the children.
The couple says the enclosures were
necessary to protect the special-needs children from their own
destructive behavior.
The impending Christmas holiday
seemed to have an effect on this jury. For two days now, they have
asked to start deliberations early, and Thursday night they stayed
late.
__________________________________________
WYKC.COM
Opening statements heard in
Gravelle case
November 18, 2006
By Dave Summers
HURON -- Opening statements were
read Tuesday morning in the child endangering case against the Huron
county couple accused of making their children sleep in cages and
using disciplinary actions that were abusive. Sharon and Michael
Gravelle face 24 counts of child endangering. If convicted, the two
face up to 80 years in prison and $100,000 in fines.
Eleven adopted children were
permanently removed from the Gravelle home in March 2006 after
Children's Services found the children sleeping in wood and chicken
wire enclosures.
The Gravelle's deny the cruelty
charges.
Many of the children were special
needs children.
The trial is expected to go three
weeks.
_________________________________
|
