http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S6192.html?cat=1Man locked girl in kennel
Updated: 02/10/2005 03:50:11 PM
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Eric Bare
ST. PAUL - A man who allegedly put a 13-year-old girl in a dog kennel for days at a time, hit her, read her diary, and strip searched her, was charged this week with unreasonable restraint of a child.
Eric Bare, 42, of St. Paul, admitted to child protection workers that he did lock the teenager in the kennel on two different occasions, once for three consecutive days, and once for seven consecutive days. Bare said that he "fixed up the kennel nice" and that it was "a suitable temporary living arrangement."
Bare is not the girl's father, but she called him dad, according to charges. The girl's mother, Deborah Lee Cameron, was also charged. Cameron and Bare have lived together for 10 years. The alleged incidents occurred in an apartment on the 600 block of Snelling Ave. in St. Paul.
The case began in January when police were called to the residence on a report of a girl screaming. When police arrived, the girl's mother told police she wanted her daughter taken out of the home because of behavior problems.
The girl told police that Bare locked her in a dog kennel, and police made arrangements for her to be taken out of the home.
A few days later, she told child protection workers that Bare only let her out of the kennel to attend school and do chores. She told the workers that it was cold but not freezing in the kennel, because she had a blanket. She also said that her mother knew she was in the kennel and brought her food and talked to her.
The girl also alleged that Bare stripped her naked and made her "squat to see if anything came out."
Bare told the workers he did strip her naked and make her squat because he was looking for contraband. He thought she had stolen a key and was trying to escape the kennel. Bare also said that the kennel was assembled over a drain in case the girl had to urinate.
