Couple Who Caged Adopted Children Are Indicted in Ohio

An Ohio couple who caged some of their 11 adopted children were indicted Tuesday on charges of child endangerment, authorities said.

Michael and Sharen Gravelle also are accused of falsifying adoption applications and lying under oath, Huron County Prosecutor Russ Leffler said.

The Gravelles have denied mistreating the children, ages 1 to 15. They have been fighting to regain custody since the children were placed in foster care in the fall after a county social worker likened the wood-and-chicken-wire cages to kennels.

The couple have said the enclosures were necessary to keep the children from harming themselves or one another. The children have problems such as fetal alcohol syndrome and a disorder that involves eating nonfood items.

The couple’s attorney, Ken Myers, said the pair were upset but determined to fight the charges in court.

Elaine Thompson, a private social worker hired by the Gravelles, also faces several charges, including aiding and abetting child endangering.

Thompson testified during a custody hearing that she had approved of the cages as a way to help handle the children. But she said she never asked the youngsters during her weekly counseling sessions how they felt about the enclosures.

If convicted, the Gravelles will face one to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000 for each of the 16 counts of felony child endangering.

Thompson will face one to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000 if convicted of the felony charges.