Parents accused of locking 6-year-old in dog cage overnight

ROBERTSDALE, Pa. – Pennsylvania police say a couple locked their children in a basement dog cage as punishment and even left their 6-year-old inside a cage overnight.

Thirty-six-year-old Nicholas Chamberlain and 34-year-old Linda Chamberlain were charged Friday.

State police troopers say the investigation began June 19 when police responded to a call of a child refusing to return home in Huntingdon County. Police say the couple’s 13-year-old child escaped to a neighbour’s house to call police after the 6-year-old was locked in the cage overnight.

The couple also has a 10-year-old.

Online court records don’t list attorneys for the Chamberlains, who remain jailed Monday and face a preliminary hearing Aug. 3.

Both are charged with false imprisonment and endangering the welfare of children. Nicholas Chamberlain is also charged with simple assault.

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