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 NORWALK, Ohio (AP) - A jury began considering Tuesday whether the adoptive parents of 11 special-needs children committed a crime by confining some of them in wire and wooden cages at night.
Sharen and Michael Gravelle are charged with eight counts each of felony child endangering, misdemeanor child abuse and misdemeanor child endangering. The endangering charges accuse the couple of putting the children at a substantial risk of mental health impairment.
Defense attorneys described the couple as working under difficult circumstances to provide a loving family environment. "They loved their children," said Richard Drucker, an attorney for Michael Gravelle.
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