Christina and Benjamin Cotton.Photo:Goodhue County Jail (2)
Goodhue County Jail (2)
A Minnesota couple has reportedly been sentenced to four years after they locked their children in cages for “their safety.”
The couple was arrested and charged with 16 counts in June 2023. They initially received two counts of child torture, seven counts of malicious punishment of a child, and seven counts of neglecting a child. In September, they made a plea deal dismissing 15 counts, according to the outlets.
On Aug. 17, 2022, Goodhue County Health and Human Services received a report of someone calling over concerns about the Cottons’ four young children as they accused the couple of offering “forms of extreme punishment” on their kids which included locking them in cages, per CBS News and KSTP.
Christina Cotton.Goodhue County Jail
Goodhue County Jail
A 9-year-old child was also reportedly found unconfined in a basement bedroom.
According to the complaint, per multiple reports, Christina initially said that the kids were kept locked up to keep them from dying “because door alarms and child-proof locks would not work” and they were usually locked up at night. She said she hadn’t released the kids that day “because she woke up late.”
According to the complaint, per the outlets, the children were removed from the home and medically evaluated. The three elder children had “extensive bruising” and the youngest child wore a diaper duct taped to their skin.
Benjamin Cotton.Goodhue County Jail
The 9-year-old was reluctant to speak and told officials that their parents “don’t want them talking about trouble” and to “keep it in the family,” CBS News reported.
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A Red Wing Police Department patrol car.Red Wing Police Department Facebook
Red Wing Police Department Facebook
In court on Friday, the children wrote in statements to the judge to “please lock them into prison until they are old,” as they called their parents “cold-blooded and cruel,” per thePost Bulletin.
The outlet reported that it was determined through investigation that the children had been locked up for at least half of their lives.
PEOPLE has reached out to Red Wing Police for further comment at this time.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
