Custodial dad, girlfriend charged with abuse of 12-year-old girl (Honesdale, Pennsylvania)

UNNAMED DAD (who is custodial) and his unnamed girlfriend have been charged with abusing his 12-year-old daughter (and assault, endangering the welfare of a child, making terroristic threats). They sound like a pair of real sickos--depriving the girl of food, not letting her use the bathroom, hitting her, making her stand with weights all day. Wonder what happened to the girl's mother...

http://www.wnep.com/wnep-wayne-couple-child-abuse,0,127732.story

Couple Charged with Child Abuse
By Julie Sidoni
5:50 PM EDT, October 21, 2009

A couple from Honesdale has a hearing scheduled for next week on charges they abused a 12-year-old girl.

Prosecutors in Wayne County said the abuse ranges from hitting the girl to depriving her of food.
Court papers detail what an abusive situation in which the 12-year-old girl was living.

Now a school community is being credited with saving her from it.

According to court papers obtained in Wayne County, a 34-year-old man and his 39-year-old live-in girlfriend, both from Honesdale, now face charges that include assault, endangering the welfare of children and making terroristic threats.

Newswatch 16 is not identifying them to protect the victim in this case.

Police said for months the 12-year-old-girl endured a number of physical and emotional abuses at the hands of her father and his girlfriend.

Court papers detail a disturbing list: they punished her by making her hold 46-pounds of weights while standing in a corner for an entire day.

They only allowed her to use the bathroom at certain times, sometimes hit her and some days didn't allow her to eat at all.

According to court papers, the reason it all came out in the first place was because of the staff and teachers at the girl's school, Wayne Highlands Middle School.

"I'm extremely proud of them. I have to be honest with you," said principal Tim Morgan. He and assistant principal Gerard Burns said more than one teacher and staff member noticed something just wasn't right with the girl.

They admit it's a horrible story but they're glad to say the system worked.

"Eventually last week we saw something that we really just weren't comfortable with and when we sat down and spoke with the young lady, she shared her story," Morgan added.

School officials said the girl seems to be doing very well now. She's in protective custody for the time being.

Her father and his girlfriend are awaiting a court date in Wayne County later this month.