Posted on 11/13/2007 6:34:38 PM PST by SmithL
TAZEWELL - A child abuse case that one investigator called the worst he's seen in a 35-year career was sent to a Claiborne County grand jury today, charging a man with using electric shock dog collars to control his two teenage daughters and with raping both girls.
The man is being held on $1 million bond on charges of aggravated child abuse and two counts of rape.
The Claiborne County Sheriff's Department began investigating in September when one of the man's 18-year-old daughters reported abuse to a school official. His wife is charged with aggravated child neglect failing to report child abuse. She is free on bond.
The man, who is a dog trainer, is accused of repeatedly using shock collars on his teenage daughters' legs to control them. The collars were activated by a push-button radio controller. It's the type of collar used to train hunting dogs and is generally more powerful than anti-bark collars or perimeter shock collars.
The family has five children ranging in age from 11 to 19, and a 15-year-old brother testified that his sisters would scream, lay on the floor and repeatedly plead with their father to stop activating the collars. The family kept about 30 bird-hunting dogs, which it trained using the same collars.
The 18-year-old wept during her testimony, explaining that her father had been raping her since was 12 or 13 years old.
She said she decided to report it to a school officer on Sept. 10, after her father used the collar on her neck for the first time.
The girl testified she was afraid that her father would kill her. She said he pantomimed shooting her and himself if she told anyone about the abuse.
A state prosecutor said authorities have been unable to locate her 19-year-old sister.
Claiborne County Sheriff's Capt. Sam Nelson, who investigated the case, testified that he told the older girl that she could go to prison if she had been witness to the events while she was an adult.
Nelson called it the worst case of child abuse he'd seen in 35 years in law enforcement.
Today's hearing began at 9 a.m. and ended after noon.
The case is being prosecuted by assistant district attorneys general Amanda Sammons and Jared Effler of the 8th Judicial District.
The family's children, except for the missing 19-year-old, are in foster care.
The family is not being identified because the charges involve allegations of rape.
If you were her, would you take that chance?
“Claiborne County Sheriff’s Capt. Sam Nelson, who investigated the case, testified that he told the older girl that she could go to prison if she had been witness to the events while she was an adult.”
I’m guessing here...
But I suppose the 19 y/o was also a victim and was also threatened by him. If so, this captian spoke reckelssly. Even at 19 the daughter may have still suffered under the father’s horrors. Heck, his threats may have included the “if you know whats good for you and your sister, you’ll shut up.
Prayers for these poor girls.
The mother and the monster can both rot in hell.
Hold on while I dull this spoon some more.
Then he's an idiot.
If you were her, would you take that chance?
No.
*sigh* Yeah. Poor girl.
Torture him first.
I pray you’re right. I was considering the threat she could pose to the father and the motive that might create to have her disappear.
Absolutely right on. 1 strike and you are dead. Pedophiles can never be rehabbed period. You can’t fix them, its like a rabid dog a bullet is the only cure.
I think the idea was- why did she not do something to stop it?
Agreed that busting her at this point helps nothing. Lobbing the threat of criminal charges out there helps even less. But good lord- five kids and they could not somehow band together and give this wretch what he had coming?
He really needed to spend a few years with that collar around his neck and whoever had the notion could take full reign of the controls.
Technically it is a “Digger” term. As in OZ. Ref: Breaker Morant. For the legal use see:
tarlton.law.utexas.edu/lpop/etext/okla/kershen22.htm
The US version would be Rule 308
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