An Arkansas couple is accused of zip-tying a 4-year-old girl to furniture as a form of punishment, according to the Sentinel-Record in Hot Springs.
The girl’s mother, Jennifer Diane Denen, 30, and her live-in boyfriend, Clarence Eugene Reed, 47, both of Hot Springs, were arrested around 3 p.m. Friday on charges of first-degree domestic battery, permitting the abuse of a minor and first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor, the newspaper reported.
According to a police report, when asked her name, the girl responded “idiot” — a reference Reed admitted to using, claiming that it was only a joke.
Denen told police that she saw Reed strike the 4-year-old girl on the bottom with a plastic bat. Reed admitted to striking the child but told authorities that he used a half-inch thick wooden paddle instead of of a plastic bat.
Another minor at the couple's home told authorities that the 4-year-old girl had been tied to a chair using plastic zip ties. Reed allegedly admitted that he and Denen had previously used zip ties as a form of punishment after the girl climbed cabinets in the kitchen, the Sentinel-Record reported.
A motion was filed Tuesday morning in Garland County District Court regarding pretrial publicity, seeking to bar the prosecuting attorney, deputies and all law enforcement officials from commenting on the case.
Denen and Reed, who have both pleaded innocent, remained at the Garland County jail as of Tuesday morning in lieu of $500,000 bond each, records show. They are set to appear in district court Sept. 27.