Held in dog crate, chained in a room: Couple charged after teen escapes house
Held in dog crate, chained in a room: Couple charged after teen escapes house
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When someone is arrested and charged with a crime, police departments observe a protocol that includes the reading of Miranda Rights.
A Gloucester Township, New Jersey, couple is accused of abusing a child, now 18, for eight years by confining her to a dog crate, bathroom, and bare room.
The victim alleges she was beaten, sexually abused, and prevented from attending school past the sixth grade.
The suspects, Brenda Spencer and Brandon Mosley, were arrested and are awaiting detention hearings.
A New Jersey couple is accused of confining and abusing a child under nightmarish conditions in their home for eight years.
The alleged victim, now 18, fled from the Gloucester Township home of Brenda Spencer, 38, and Brandon Mosley, 41, on May 8, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.
She described a horrific life inside the suspects' house, saying she was forced to live in a dog crate, a padlocked bathroom and a bare room with an alarm to prevent her from leaving.
"She also reported being beaten by a belt as well as being sexually abused by Mosley," the prosecutor's office said in a statement Wednesday.
According to the victim, the abuse began in 2018 around the time she was removed from school in the sixth grade at Spencer's discretion.
"She stated that shortly after this, she was forced to live in a dog crate for approximately one year and was let out periodically," the prosecutor's office.
She was later chained in a padlocked bathroom, being let out when family visited the home, according to the statement. The victim also told investigators she used a bucket instead of a toilet when confined to a bare room.
The young woman escaped the home and was assisted by a neighbor on May 8.
"She later disclosed the abuse, which was reported to law enforcement," the statement said.
A search of the residence found "squalid conditions alongside numerous dogs, chinchillas, and other animals," according to the prosecutor's office.
"Detectives learned that a 13-year-old who also lived in the home was removed from school years earlier at Spencer's discretion as well," the account said. "Both girls were allegedly homeschooled."
The prosecutor's statement does not identify a relationship, if any, between the victim and Spencer or Mosley. It also does not give an address for the couple's residence.
Spencer, who is unemployed, and Mosley, a SEPTA train conductor, were arrested at their home on May 11. Both are at Camden County Jail, pending detention hearings.
Charges against Spencer and Mosley include kidnapping, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal restraint, and weapons offenses.
Mosley also is accused of aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault.
The charges are only allegations. Mosley and Spencer have not been convicted in the case.
Anyone with information is asked to contact prosecutors and Gloucester Township Police .
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.
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