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, arrest reports show.
Margate Police arrested Latricia Crawley, 46, and Benjamin Lockett, 43, after the teen texted her online instructor that she needed help and to send police to her address.
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When officers responded to the home, the teen said Lockett was extremely angry and threatened to hurt her when he thought she ate candy. An arrest report said that Lockett allegedly punched her in the head, causing her to fall and slam her head into the corner of the desk.
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The teen was sent to the hospital with a bleeding head, where officers noticed "evidence of long-term trauma" on her body, including scars, bruising, insect bite marks and signs of malnutrition, police said in the report.
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.
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The teen is now in the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families, police said.
Crawley and Lockett face charges of aggravated child abuse and child neglect with great bodily harm.
