Parents accused of keeping kids in box for 4 years plead not guilty
The two Joshua Tree parents who allegedly kept their three children in a 20 feet by long by 3 feet high by 10 feet wide plywood box for 4 years pleaded not guilty to accused of three felony child endangerment counts.
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51-year-old Mona Kirk and 73-year-old Daniel Panico face three felony charges of child abuse. The couple was arraigned at Joshua Tree Superior Court Friday afternoon.
On Wednesday, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputies discovered what appeared to be an abandoned trailer while conducting an area sweep of the 7000 block of Sun Fair Road in Joshua Tree. The trailer didn’t have electricity or running water and was occupied by approximately 30-40 cats.
During a further search of the property, deputies encountered three juveniles, aged 11, 13, and 14, and their parents, Mona Kirk and Daniel Panico. It was determined that the parents had been housing their children in the plywood box beneath the trailer for the past 4 years.
Kirk and Panico were then arrested and booked in Morongo Basin Jail on child cruelty charges. They are being held on $100,000 bail.
The children were taken into the care of the Department of Children and Family Service.
Anyone with additional information relating to this case is urged to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Morongo Basin Station at 760-366-4175. To issue an anonymous tip, contact We-Tip at 1-888-78-CRIME or online at wetip.com.
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