A couple is accused of tying a child to a tree

Washington County deputies were called to a home near Vera on Sunday and found a 15-year-old girl tied up between a shed and chicken coop.

The girl’s father, Johnny James, and his girlfriend, Kayla Clark, were visiting from Texas.

Clark’s sister, who owned the home where the pair were staying, called 911 and said the girl had been tied up since Thursday.

The father told deputies that he tied her up because she lies and uses the bathroom on herself.

The father says he didn’t want a mess in the house, so he tied her up when he went to church and the store.

James told the deputy that he believes the behavior is due to the teens desire to return to her mother.

James and Clark were both arrested for child abuse.