Clarksburg Boy in Cage Case Explained: Arrests, Felony Charges, and Child Safety Protocols
The Harrison County Magistrate Court accepted formal complaints charging the female suspect with felony child neglect creating substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury, paired with unlawful restraint of a minor. The statutes under West Virginia Code classify mechanical or structural restraint of a dependent as an elevated offense, stripping away parental discipline defenses when confinement crosses into hazardous endangerment.
Her co-defendant faces matching indictments. Arrest records show that both adults shared continuous custody over the residence during the period of confinement. By maintaining the locked enclosure, both defendants actively participated in or permitted systemic deprivation, exposing them to simultaneous prosecutions under joint liability doctrines. Harrison County prosecutors signaled during initial hearings that they intend to resist plea structures that dismiss the primary felony counts.