Arizona personal injury - A 14-year-old girl was locked up, barley fed, forced to live outside

2010-02-11 05:22:57 (GMT) (JusticeNewsFlash.com - Justice News Flash, Personal Injury)

Legal news for Arizona personal injury attorneys. A horrendous case of child abuse was reported in Phoenix.

Personal injury attorneys alert- Child Protective Services is investigating a shocking case of child neglect involving a 14-year-old girl.

Phoenix, AZ—A nightmarish story was reported on Tuesday, February 9, 2010, about a 14-year-old girl who was imprisoned like an animal with no running water for nearly two months by FoxNews.com. The girl’s father and stepmother kept her in what the parents called “lock-up” as a punishment for stealing food.

While in “lock-up” the terrified girl was forced to exercise until exhaustion, beaten with belts and metal rods, and they would even pull her by her hair if she stopped exercising. Her father and stepmother, Scott and Andrea Bass, gave her only a few cans of food, crackers and bread every couple of days. On January 24, 2010, the girl managed to escape her dungeon by crawling up a linen closet, into an attic crawl space where she kicked out a loose board, and then ran out the back door of the home. The girl ran for help and someone called the police for her. Officers and Child Protective Services rushed to the victim’s home to talk to her dad and stepmother. Once inside the home, officials found a bathroom locked from the outside. Scott, not realizing that his daughter had escaped, opened the door and was visibly shocked to see her missing. Inside the bathroom was a 5-gallon bucket with nearly 4 inches of urine, a blanket on the tile floor, and empty cans of food. Bass did admit to officials that he locked the girl in the bathroom for stealing food and cheating in home schooling. Investigators then uncovered that the girl has been forced to live and sleep outside on the patio during the summer time. She was also locked in a closet for a week with no light, and locked in a bathroom for a week. Andrea reportedly acknowledged the allegations, and stated, “She no longer wanted to have anything to do with [the victim.]”

After a medical evaluation, it was revealed that the 14-year-old girl was in the 25th percentile for weight and in the 50th percentile for height, when comparing to other girls her age. The Bass’ were arrested on February 4, on charges of unlawful imprisonment, kidnapping, failure to report neglect of a minor, and child abuse.

Legal News Reporter: Nicole Howley-Legal news for personal injury lawyers in Arizona.