Old Appleton couple accused of locking teen in closet

An Old Appleton couple are in custody and face charges of felony child abuse after being accused of keeping a teenage girl locked inside a small room.

On Saturday night, law-enforcement personnel from the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Department and Missouri State Highway Patrol arrested James Bradley Hughes, 36, and Rebekah Elizabeth Hughes, 33, on suspicion of child abuse.

The sheriff’s department, in a news release on social media, said the suspects kept the victim, a 15-year-old girl, in a closeted area on the back porch of their residence.

The room measured 10 by 8 feet and was locked, accessible only from the outside. The interior walls had been carpeted, several windows had been screwed shut, and it was furnished only with a small piece of foam and bedsheet on wooden slats.

The sheriff’s department also stated the victim had been given small food rations for an undisclosed time and was given a bucket to relieve herself instead of a toilet.

Rebekah Elizabeth Hughes

The victim apparently was able to jump through an unsecured window, after which she ran away and alerted an off-duty deputy, who contacted the sheriff’s department.

The Cape Girardeau County prosecuting attorney’s office issued a search warrant for the residence.

During the search, police also found illegal guns and charged James Hughes with unlawful possession of firearms, also a felony.

The two are being held on $50,000 cash or surety bond each.

They are not permitted to have any contact with the victim or leave Missouri.

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Department officials were unavailable for comment Sunday.

tgraef@semissourian.com

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