Couple kept kids in ‘jail cell’ and fed them only bread and water, Texas officials say

A Texas couple kept two children in a cage that the kids referred to as a jail cell, officials say.

The Angelina County Sheriff’s Office arrested Joshua Turner, 36, and Courtney Parish, 27, last week on charges of endangering a child, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.

Child Protective Services and a Sheriff’s Office investigator found evidence that two children had been punished by being kept in a small cage for long periods of time, according to the news release. The children are 4 and 5 years old, KTRE reported.

“The children referred to the cage as a ‘jail cell’ and stated they were only fed two pieces of bread and water while being held in the ‘jail cell,’” the Sheriff’s Office news release said.

The arrests were made in part from warrants stemming from an ongoing Child Protective Services case, the release said.

“The material to make the cage is ‘welded wire fencing,’” KTRE reported from an arrest affidavit. “The wiring is in a form of smaller squares, which makes it nearly impossible to escape. Inside of the cage there is a small mattress and a pink, training potty chair.”

The sheriff’s office said Parish was also found to have methamphetamine, leading to an additional felony charge.

“These children definitely need prayers and may justice prevail,” the news release said. “This is totally unacceptable.”