Jan 21, 2012
Ohio Man Allegedly Ties Up Daughter, Locks Her in Cage and Threatens to Electrify It
An Ohio man is facing child endangerment charges after allegedly tying up his 12-year-old daughter with duct tape, sticking her in a dog cage as punishment, and then threatening to electrify it.
James Tapke, who was arrested Thursday, was ordered held on $50,000 bond during his arraignment Friday.
Police in Springfield Township, near Cincinnati, say Tapke, 41, wrapped duct tape around the girl’s hands and feet, then shut her in a large dog cage on Jan. 10.
While the girl was in the cage, Tapke allegedly dropped small amounts of water on her face, according to police.
Police said the girl’s 13-year-old brother let her out after about 20 minutes, but Tapke put her back in after she poured water on him.
Tapke then allegedly asked his son to get an electrical jumper pack from the garage. Tapke allegedly put the pack outside the cage and threatened to electrify it, although he never did, according to police.
The girl was eventually let out of the cage by her grandmother, who removed the duct tape from her hands and feet, police said.
Police were alerted after a concerned parent saw photos of the girl in the cage on Facebook and called the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services.
Tapke’s attorney, Christopher Jackson, said the incident was a joke that got out of hand.
“I believe this was a joke that got out of control. This is why his son, who is 13, posted the pictures on Facebook, as a joke after this happened. … Maybe not the best joke in the world, but I believe that will come out in trial,” Jackson said, according to ABC News affiliate WCPO-TV in Cincinnati.
ABC News affiliate WCPO contributed to this report.
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