A Lowell, Indiana woman and her fiancé face 16 felony charges for abusing her teenage son over a 2 year period.
The alleged crimes are so violent, if found guilty they could get 20 years in prison.
40-year-old Tina Louise Graham and 55-year-old Vernon Widner were arrested Friday and accused of keeping the woman's 14-year-old son in a dog kennel, threatened to cut off his genitals, put a gun to his head and gave him only one meal a day.
Sources say they have been in contact with Indiana’s Dept of Child services at least six times in recent years to report abuse in the family home. The agency tells WGN that it has the utmost confidence that case managers handled the boy properly.
Local police have been in touch with the Graham family since the fall of 2010. They responded to calls about a runaway. Child services removed the child from his Indiana home last March and he is now in protective custody.
Right now Graham is out on bond. Widner remains in jail also charged with trying to strangle the teen.
The alleged crimes are so violent, if found guilty they could get 20 years in prison.
40-year-old Tina Louise Graham and 55-year-old Vernon Widner were arrested Friday and accused of keeping the woman's 14-year-old son in a dog kennel, threatened to cut off his genitals, put a gun to his head and gave him only one meal a day.
Sources say they have been in contact with Indiana’s Dept of Child services at least six times in recent years to report abuse in the family home. The agency tells WGN that it has the utmost confidence that case managers handled the boy properly.
Local police have been in touch with the Graham family since the fall of 2010. They responded to calls about a runaway. Child services removed the child from his Indiana home last March and he is now in protective custody.
Right now Graham is out on bond. Widner remains in jail also charged with trying to strangle the teen.
