Children Locked in Cages

(Wakeman, Ohio) This story is sickening. Nine children were found locked in cages in their own home in a little town west of Cleveland.

From NewsNet5.com:

The sheriff said the kids, ages 1 to 14, were found in the cages with no blankets or pillows on Friday. The wooden cages, estimated to be about 3 feet by 3 feet, were built into the walls. Officials are not releasing the photos of the cages, but the sheriff described them as makeshift cellblocks.

The parents, Sharon and Mike Gravelle, didn't seem to think anything was wrong with their treatment, officials said. Officials said all the children were adopted children. The Gravelles have not been arrested. They had 11 children in all.

Officials stated that all the children were adopted from agencies and the Gravelles received monthly checks to support them. The Gravelles explained that they put the children in cages to protect themselves from each other because they were disabled. The children were removed from the home.

One has to wonder how the Gravelles were deemed acceptable as adoptive parents. I have always thought that the vetting process for prospective adoptive parents was fairly rigorous. Hopefully, there will be a review performed of those responsible.

Something is obviously wrong about this whole situation. In my opinion, the Gravelles are guilty of fraud or abuse or a combination of the two. It's not clear why there were no charges of child abuse. In this day and age, a person can't smack a kid's fanny without being arrested. I expect we'll hear more about the Gravelles.