Couple Locked Kids In Basement, Fed Them Once A Day: Cops

STONE MOUNTAIN, GA — A DeKalb County couple is under arrest on charges they sexually and physically abused two young boys, including locking them in a basement and only feeding them once a day.

The DeKalb County Sheriff's office's sex offender unit arrested Tamara Raychell McGowan, 38, and Thomas Charles Young, 42, of Stone Mountain on Wednesday in the parking lot of a Walmart near their home. They were found sleeping in a vehicle there, sheriff's office spokeswoman Cynthia Williams said.

According to authorities, the couple locked two boys in the basement of their home on North Hairston Road for hours at a time and would only feed them once a day. This abuse lasted from June 1, 2017 to April 30, 2018, Williams said.

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The couple also exposed the boys to drug use and sexual activity and "attempted to have the juveniles participate," according to the sheriff's office.

Both McGowan and Young are charged with two types of first-degree cruelty to children, criminal attempt at sodomy, second-degree cruelty to children and simple assault. They were arrested without incident and taken to DeKalb County Jail.

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