Mother and Boyfriend Arrested For Keeping Toddler in a Cage: Authorities

A North Carolina couple was arrested for keeping a toddler in a cage, deputies said.

Haley Trantham, 23, and her boyfriend, Vincent Lee II, 28, were taken into custody last week after authorities responding to a child abuse report found a 19-month-old caged in an upstairs room, according to the Madison County Sheriff’s Department.

Read: Dad Arrested for Allegedly Tying 2-Year-Old to Tree Without Food or Water

The baby was imprisoned in a crib with a mattress on top of it so the child could not get out, WLOS-TV reported.

The toddler was held captive for 23 hours a day and fed only small amounts of food, deputies said.

The child was taken by deputies and child welfare workers to a hospital for a medical evaluation. The baby is now in the custody of his father, the station reported.

Read: Dad Abandons Daughter, 10, in Desert Without Shoes or Water: Authorities

Trantham and Lee were charged with two counts of child abuse, authorities said. Trantham was also charged with possession of marijuana.

Both are being held at the Madison County Detention Facility in lieu of $20,000 bail each. 

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