Charges: Red Wing couple abused their 4 young children, confined them to makeshift cages
RED WING, Minn. -- A Red Wing couple faces more than a dozen felony charges for allegedly abusing their four young children, including confining them to makeshift cages for hours and withholding their food.
According to Goodhue County court documents, Benjamin and Christina Cotton, ages 41 and 38 respectively, face two counts of child torture, seven counts of neglecting a child, and seven counts of malicious punishment of a child. Of the 16 charges, 13 are felonies and three are gross misdemeanors.
Criminal Complaint Details
According to the criminal complaint, Goodhue County Health and Human Services received a report last August concerning the safety of the Cotton couple's four children, who were all under the age of 10 at the time. The caller noted "recent erratic behavior" from Christina Cotton, and that the children were subject to "forms of extreme punishment" such as being locked in cages.
The next morning, an investigator with Red Wing police and a social worker went to the Cotton residence in Red Wing to conduct a welfare check on the four children.
Christina Cotton answered the door and let them both in. When they said they were there due to a report of her children being kept in cages, she told them they were "locked up for their safety," the complaint said. She then directed them to a bedroom down the hallway where three of the four children were located.
In the bedroom, they found a toddler, nearly 3 years old, who was trapped inside a playpen that was covered by what appeared to be a dog gate, the complaint said.
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Also in the bedroom was a bunk bed designed for small children that had been "converted into an actual cage," including a makeshift wooden door. Two children, ages 5 and 7, were located in the bottom bunk.
"The height of the cage bunkbed did not permit either of the contained children the ability to stand up," the complaint said.
The investigator and social worker then checked on the 9-year-old, who was located in a basement bedroom. That child was not caged or confined in any manner.
Christina Cotton allegedly said the children were caged to keep them from dying, because door alarms and child-proof locks would not work. She said the children were only locked up during the night and were only still caged because she woke up late, the complaint said.
All four children were removed from the home and medically evaluated. The youngest child was wearing a diaper that was duct taped to their skin. The other three children were found to have extensive bruising, the complaint said.
The children reported multiple instances of abuse. One child reported being struck by a belt if chores weren't done and having their hands tied behind their backs with duct tape. The 9-year-old told officials that their parents "don't want them talking about trouble" and to "keep it in the family."
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Benjamin and Christina Cotton also allegedly withheld food and bathroom privileges from the children, who were typically caged for 13 to 14 hours a day. Further investigation found that the parents began using the cages four years prior, the complaint said.
Medical staff determined the children suffered "severe abuse," adding the reported abuse could fit into the category of Intrafamilial Child Torture.
"Children who suffer from either 'severe abuse' or 'ICT' also suffer significant impairment to emotional, physical and social development," the complaint said.
If convicted, both parents could face up to 25 years of imprisonment on the child torture charge alone.
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