9-Year-Old Routinely Locked In Dog Cage , 2 Arrested

RACINE COUNTY, WI — Two caregivers in Racine County have been arrested on child neglect charges after authorities say they routinely locked a 9-year-old girl in a dog kennel.

On Wed. Sep. 6, just before Noon, the Racine County Sheriff’s Office along with Racine County Human Services Department responded to an elementary school in Wind Lake for a Child Abuse investigation.

Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling states, “I was sickened at what I witnessed last night. This by far, is one of the most disturbing and heart-wrenching cases of child abuse I’ve seen, it doesn’t get much worse than this.”

During the investigation, it was learned that a 9-year-old juvenile was being held in a dog kennel at night and occasionally throughout the day at her residence located in the Town of Norway.

Additionally, authorities learned that the dog kennel was padlocked to prevent the child from escaping.

Investigators responded to the residence and located the dog kennel which measured four feet, ten inches in height, four feet and eight feet in width.

The following two caregivers were taken into custody for Causing Mental Harm to A Child, False Imprisonment and several other felony charges: Gale D. Lalonde, 47 Wind Lake and Dale A. Deavers, 48, from Wind Lake.

The victim and another sibling were removed from the residence and placed into protective custody by Racine County Human Services.

The investigation into this matter is ongoing.

correction: this story has been corrected to properly identify the unnamed juvenile as a female.

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image via racine county sheriff