REDSTONE TOWNSHIP, PA - Two parents from Fayette County have been arrested after Pennsylvania State Police said the parents allegedly locked their five kids inside a "dungeon" while subjecting them to severe punishment.
James Russell Kahl, 65, and his wife Carly Kahl, 41, were taken into custody on Wednesday, September 3, after the kids were freed from the house of horrors, the Daily Mail reported. According to a Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) report, the investigation into this case began in early August, after CYS received a complaint of deplorable living conditions at a home where five kids under 14 lived.
PSP responded to the home to assist CYS with the complaint, making contact with parents James and Carly, according to WPXI. Troopers said that the home had no beds, boarded-up windows, feces covering the bedroom walls, fleas, limited clothing, limited food, and more.
"I can't imagine living in a household like what we saw," said District Attorney Mike Aubele. All five children were forced to live in a single squalid bedroom. Upon further investigation, detectives determined that the father locked the children's bedroom from the outside, trapping them inside the room for part of the day and all night. The doors had three deadbolts on the outside and no door handle.
A criminal complaint states that James told troopers and a CYS case worker that he would "not be removing the locks from the bedrooms for any reason."
"This room functioned as a dungeon with video cameras hardwired to the father's room," the PSP said. "It's sickening," said Trooper Ally Wilson. "It's the only word I can use to describe what we saw and what those children went through."
The children, aged between five and 14, were immediately removed from the home and placed in the care of CYS. In the weeks following the home removal, forensic interviews were conducted with the children. A criminal complaint alleges that during those interviews, the children said that James smoked marijuana all day and would not care for the children.
He is also accused of making Carly use a Taser on one of the kids as a punishment within the last two weeks. "There's no reason to be using a device like a stun gun, which is less lethal, not non-lethal, against a child," Aubele said. He said that a tip to Pennsylvania's ChildLine system was made by a "brave family member." ChildLine is a system staffed 24 hours a day that allows concerned citizens to report suspected child abuse.
"Law enforcement cannot be in every household and every single minute of every day; we need people to come forward and think of these children," he said. During a search warrant that was executed, PSP said investigators recovered a stun gun, a replica pistol, a surveillance camera, drugs, and drug paraphernalia.
James and Carly have been charged with recklessly endangering another person, use of an electronic incapacitation device, endangering the welfare of children, aggravated assault, and drug charges. "I'm hoping that these parents go to jail and they answer for what they've done," Trooper Wilson said.
Bail has been set for both of the parents, who are being held at the county jail. Court documents also show that James has had a series of run-ins with the law in the past, including a harassment charge he pleaded guilty to in 2006. That same year, he was also arrested for driving under the influence, and in 2012, he was charged with a probation violation.
James Russell Kahl, 65, and his wife Carly Kahl, 41, were taken into custody on Wednesday, September 3, after the kids were freed from the house of horrors, the Daily Mail reported. According to a Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) report, the investigation into this case began in early August, after CYS received a complaint of deplorable living conditions at a home where five kids under 14 lived.
PSP responded to the home to assist CYS with the complaint, making contact with parents James and Carly, according to WPXI. Troopers said that the home had no beds, boarded-up windows, feces covering the bedroom walls, fleas, limited clothing, limited food, and more.
"I can't imagine living in a household like what we saw," said District Attorney Mike Aubele. All five children were forced to live in a single squalid bedroom. Upon further investigation, detectives determined that the father locked the children's bedroom from the outside, trapping them inside the room for part of the day and all night. The doors had three deadbolts on the outside and no door handle.
A criminal complaint states that James told troopers and a CYS case worker that he would "not be removing the locks from the bedrooms for any reason."
"This room functioned as a dungeon with video cameras hardwired to the father's room," the PSP said. "It's sickening," said Trooper Ally Wilson. "It's the only word I can use to describe what we saw and what those children went through."
The children, aged between five and 14, were immediately removed from the home and placed in the care of CYS. In the weeks following the home removal, forensic interviews were conducted with the children. A criminal complaint alleges that during those interviews, the children said that James smoked marijuana all day and would not care for the children.
He is also accused of making Carly use a Taser on one of the kids as a punishment within the last two weeks. "There's no reason to be using a device like a stun gun, which is less lethal, not non-lethal, against a child," Aubele said. He said that a tip to Pennsylvania's ChildLine system was made by a "brave family member." ChildLine is a system staffed 24 hours a day that allows concerned citizens to report suspected child abuse.
"Law enforcement cannot be in every household and every single minute of every day; we need people to come forward and think of these children," he said. During a search warrant that was executed, PSP said investigators recovered a stun gun, a replica pistol, a surveillance camera, drugs, and drug paraphernalia.
James and Carly have been charged with recklessly endangering another person, use of an electronic incapacitation device, endangering the welfare of children, aggravated assault, and drug charges. "I'm hoping that these parents go to jail and they answer for what they've done," Trooper Wilson said.
Bail has been set for both of the parents, who are being held at the county jail. Court documents also show that James has had a series of run-ins with the law in the past, including a harassment charge he pleaded guilty to in 2006. That same year, he was also arrested for driving under the influence, and in 2012, he was charged with a probation violation.
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