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A Los Angeles woman is facing at least four felony counts after allegedly locking two young girls in a dog cage as punishment — until the terrified children made a daring escape, police said.
Sonia Marquez, 52, pleaded not guilty Friday after being charged with two counts of torture and two counts of child abuse likely to cause injury, police told The California Post.
Marquez was arrested Wednesday in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood.
The girls, ages 9 and 11, told police their stepmother had been punishing them by locking them inside the cage. The children were reportedly afraid to return home after escaping.
An adult took the girls into their home and called police. The Los Angeles Fire Department then transported the children to a hospital, where they were treated before being placed in the custody of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.
Police did not say whether the adult who took the girls in was related to them.
Investigators believe the alleged abuse had been going on since at least February, with the girls being locked in the cage periodically.
There was “severe neglect in her care,” police told The Post.
It’s also unclear exactly how long the children were allegedly kept inside the cage at a time.
Marquez is also facing a fifth felony child-abuse count involving a 12-year-old girl, according to her allegation sheet. Prosecutor Jonathan Hatami identified the girl as Marquez’s biological daughter, MyNewsLA reported.
Unlike the charges involving the younger girls, Hatami said the fifth count does not allege that Marquez inflicted bodily injury.
Marquez is being held on $2.75 million bail, police told The Post.
She is currently housed at the Century Regional Detention Facility, according to jail records.
There are no outstanding suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing.
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