Parents Locked Children in Bathroom for Punishment: Cops

A Watertown couple with five adopted children were arrested Thursday for locking them in the bathroom for extended periods of time as punishment, according to police.

Arrested were George Barnes, 45, and Nancie Barnes, 47. Their children range in age from nine to 18, and while isolated in the locked bathroom they were watched with a baby monitor set up in the room, reports WTNH News.

During their punishments, the children would have to stand and read, and they would only be allowed to leave the bathroom to go to school or sleep. The children were removed from the home in December, after authorities discovered one child’s punishment period had gone on for at least three months.

Both parents were charged with two counts each of:

• cruelty to persons
• second-degree unlawful restraint
• risk of injury to a minor

The investigation is continuing and additional charges may be filed. The two were each held in lieu of $35,000 bonds and are scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

Click here to read the full story on the WTNH News website.