Abusive Grandmother, Beau Locked Toddlers, Ages 9 And 6, Inside Dog Cage As Punishment

A Mississippi couple has been arrested after they reportedly locked their grandchildren inside a dog cage as punishment on Wednesday, March. 9.

Brenda Dennison, 51, and her boyfriend Adrian LeSure, 51, have been arrested and charged with two counts each of felony child abuse for allegedly locking two of the former's grandchildren, ages 9 and 6, inside a dog cage as punishment, Law & Crime reported.

The incident came to light after the Tate County Sheriff’s Office received a report from East Tate Elementary School alerting that a student allegedly told a teacher about their grandparents locking them in a dog cage at home when they get in trouble.

Following this report, deputies and investigators with the child welfare agency went to the Dennison residence located on the 400 block of Turner Road in Coldwater, Mississippi. At Dennison's home, they allegedly discovered a metal wire cage outfitted with some sort of a locking device. The officers also found additional evidence at the scene that indicates that the grandchildren had, at least at some point, been placed in the cage, 16 WAPT News reported.

According to Tate County Sheriff Brad Lance, no children were inside the cage when law enforcement officers conducted their search.

Four underage children lived in the home prior to the investigation. The youngest of the four children is reportedly 4 years old. Meanwhile, the middle two children are aged 5 and 6 years old, and the eldest child is 9 years old. The children who alleged that they had been locked in the cage are the two oldest, the 9-year-old and the 6-year-old.

The authorities arrested and charged both defendants by Wednesday, March. 9, just a day after they received the referral about the incident.

According to the sheriff’s office, none of the four children appeared to be physically injured or malnourished and were all first placed in Child Protective Services custody before later being placed in another home.

Meanwhile, the officers added that the investigation into the incident is ongoing and additional charges could be filed against the defendants.

The Mississippi law reportedly outlines various penalties for “felonious child abuse” including a likely sentence of two to 10 years in prison.