The legal guardians of a Margate teenager were arrested this week after police uncovered the pair had “maliciously tortured” and “willfully abused” the 15-year-old for years. NBC6’s Jamie Guirola reports
Another arrest has been made in connection with a case of a Margate teen who police say was abused, tortured and caged up for years by her legal guardians.
Treaunshae Jashawn Gibbons, 29, was arrested Wednesday on charges of child neglect causing bodily harm and failure to report child abuse, Broward jail records showed.
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Gibbons is at least the fourth suspect arrested in connection with the case involving a 15-year-old who police said was "maliciously tortured" and "willfully abused" for years.
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According to an arrest affidavit, Gibbons, who is the victim's cousin, lived in the same home with the victim between November 2015 and November 2019.
The victim was abused over the course of approximately 10 years, the affidavit said.
Gibbons doesn't appear to be charged in the abuse but investigators believe Gibbons "witnessed, and/or otherwise knew of the abuse and neglect the child victim was experiencing and failed to make a reasonable effort to protect the child victim or report the abuse and neglect," the affidavit said.
In October, the teen's legal guardians, Latricia Crawley and Benjamin Lockett, were arrested on charges of aggravated child abuse and child neglect with great bodily harm.
The teen had texted her online instructor that she needed help and to send police to her address, and when officers arrived they found the teen with a bleeding head, an arrest report said.
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The report said officers noticed "evidence of long-term trauma" on her body, including scars, bruising, insect bite marks and signs of malnutrition.
The victim said she slept in two closets throughout almost 10 years of living in their residence. The pair allegedly locked her in the closets, bound her with zip ties, and provided only a bucket for her to use the bathroom in. At times, Crawley would allegedly throw cold water at the teen to wake her up.
According to the arrest reports, Crawley and Lockett's years of alleged abuse caused permanent disfigurement to the victim. When she was only 13, Crawley allegedly oiled her knees and made her kneel on rice for several hours and for several days in a row, causing permanent scarring to the teen's knees, the report said. Lockett allegedly kicked the teen in the chin when she was 11 years old, resulting in noticeable scarring. Crawley also allegedly threw a pot of boiling water at the teen.
Days after the arrest of Crawley and Lockett, authorities arrested 20-year-old Shankyria Clayton, who was accused of participating in and witnessing the abuse.
The teen has been placed in the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families.
