DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. — Investigators believe a child who was found inside a dog kennel in Davidson County had been living there for months.
Last week, the Davidson County Sheriff's Office announced three adults had been charged with child abuse and false imprisonment after a 9-year-old boy was found inside a dog kennel. That child and four others were placed in protective custody.
A search warrant reveals new details about the case.
Davidson County deputies responded to a home on Cress Road after an anonymous 911 caller reported a boy locked inside the kennel. The caller said she and her husband had taken food to the child "in the past".
According to the warrant, deputies found a 9-year-old boy wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and no shoes inside the kennel. Deputies noted there was frost on the ground when they arrived in the early morning hours of Oct. 19.
Deputies forced their way into the padlocked kennel, removed the child, and put him in a patrol car.
The warrant said that while deputies were removing the boy, they saw his stepmother, Sarah Starr, holding a baby and watching them through a back door.
"(She) looked right at (the deputy) before turning the lights off and walking out of sight," the affidavit reads.
Deputies found and detained Starr who told deputies she did not know the combination to the kennel's lock.
According to what she told deputies, Starr's aunt, Shelley Barnes, owns the home and the family was living with her. Starr also claimed that Barnes was the only one who knew the lock's combination.
Deputies took the baby Starr was carrying and a four-year-old who they found underneath a bed.
While being checked by EMS, the 9-year-old boy said he had been living outside since April. He later told a deputy that he did not have a room in the house because he lived outside.
Sarah Starr told a detective that she knew the boy was being kept in the kennel but again said she did not know the combination to the lock. She also said the child's biological father, Jonathan Starr, was aware too.
"(She) claimed they were upset about it," the affidavit reads.
According to the warrant, a man arrived on a four-wheeler during the search and told investigators that the boy had been inside the kennel since 10:30 p.m. the night before and that he had brought him a coat and snacks.
The search warrant lists several items that were taken from the property as part of the investigation. They found an animal print blanket inside a dog house in the kennel, assorted clothing items that were listed as being "damp" and a marijuana plant in a bedroom.
Jonathan and Sarah Starr are both charged with the following:
- Felony child abuse
- Misdemeanor child abuse
- False imprisonment
Barnes is charged with the following:
- Felony child abuse
- Misdemeanor child abuse
- False imprisonment
- Possession of a firearm by a felon
- Maintaining a dwelling place for controlled substances
Davidson County Social Services has taken protective custody of all three children who were found at the home, and two other children who live there but were found safe at school.
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