A Wind Lake couple was arrested Sept. 6 after police learned they kept a 9-year-old girl in a dog kennel at their Town of Norway home.
Gale D. Lalonde, 46, and Dale A. Deavers, 48, face charges of causing mental harm to a child, false imprisonment and other felony charges.
Racine County sheriff’s deputies and human services were called to an elementary school in Wind Lake at about 11:50 a.m. Sept. 6 for a child abuse investigation.
During the investigation, authorities learned the 9-year-old girl was being held in a dog kennel at night and occasionally throughout the day at her residence in the Town of Norway. The dog kennel was padlocked to prevent the child from escaping, according to police.
At the home, investigators located the dog kennel, which measured 4-feet, 10 inches tall, 4 feet long and 8 feet wide.
The girl and another sibling were removed from the home and placed into protective custody by Racine County Human Services.
“I was sickened at what I witnessed last night,” Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said Sept. 7. “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.”
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