Father tied up his daughter to a tree for 3 days because ‘she likes to lie’

Authorities in Oklahoma have arrested a father and his girlfriend after discovering his 15-year-old daughter tied to a tree with a ratchet strap in their backyard, positioned between a chicken coop and a shed.

40-year-old Johnny James is charged with aggravated child abuse and neglect, while his girlfriend, 42-year-old Kayla Sharee Clark, faces a charge of enabling child neglect.

Deputies from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded to a child abuse complaint on July 28 at a home in Vera, a small town about 25 miles north of Tulsa.

A concerned woman called 911, reporting that a 15-year-old girl had been tied up in the backyard for three days and needed medical attention for a “hole in her leg and lesions on her arms.” The caller said she had been secretly feeding the girl.

When deputies arrived, they found the girl sitting on a piece of carpet near a red shed and a chicken coop, with a bandage below her knee and a “ratchet-style tie-down strap around her.” They interrogated a woman who was later found to be the girl’s grandmother.

The grandmother initially denied knowing about the situation but later admitted she was aware, explaining that she was too scared of James to speak out.

Upon his return, James told deputies he had tied his daughter up because “she cannot be trusted and likes to lie.” He claimed she had only been restrained for about an hour while he was away and admitted to doing this on two separate occasions.

James justified leaving her tied outside to avoid her pooping or urinating on herself while inside the house. According to him, he did not want to come back and find his home messed up.

James said he attributes the disciplinary issues to the girl wanting to live with her mother. He admitted he needed to find a different solution, but at the time, he thought this was his only option.

Clark claimed she was unaware of the girl being tied up, saying she was in the shower and didn’t see her outside when they left for church, attributing her oversight to being “frazzled.”

The girl was taken to the hospital, and the Department of Human Services assumed custody of her and the other children in the home.

James and Clark were both arrested and are currently held in the Washington County Jail on a $500,000 bond each. They are scheduled to appear in court on August 9.

SEE ALSO:

• Child molester and disgraced Olympic gymnastics doctor ‘targeted’ and in ‘danger every day’ in prison
• Mom burns teen daughter’s rapist alive after he taunts her about the attack while out of prison
• Mom wrapped baby in wet blanket, place him close to A.C. as he freezes to death

The extent of James’ actions paints a deeply troubling picture of a father whose solution to his daughter’s difficulties was to treat her worse than an animal.

His actions reflect a profound lack of compassion and a disturbing willingness to resort to inhumane measures, showcasing just how unfit he is for the responsibilities of parenthood.