Police Say Ohio Couple Put 2 Sons in a Cage to Punish Them; Charged With Child Endangerment

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) - A couple were charged with childen dangerment after their two sons said they were locked up in a cage as punishment or while their father used drugs, authorities said.

Jessica Botzko, 28, and John Westover, 37, were to be arraigned Thursday.

The boys, ages 10 and 5, ran away from home and were found on a neighbor's porch. They told officers that they had been abused and locked in a cage at their home, including when the father used drugs, police Capt. Ray Carroll said.

Police searched the mobile home where the boys lived and found it filled with garbage, Carroll said.

Another Ohio couple, Michael and Sharen Gravelle of Norwalk, were convicted in February of child abuse and endangerment for keeping some of their 11 special-needs adopted children in wire and wood enclosures.

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