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Boy, 10, punched, caged after spiking family drinks

A 10-year-old boy locked in a feces-laden dog crate by his grandmother had apparently been spiking his family's beverages with household chemicals for some time, said police in Washington, Pa.

The boy, a student at Washington Park Elementary School, was angry that his family took an out-of-town trip recently without him, so he laced beverages with lamp oil and a household cleaner, said city police Officer James L. Markley.

Apparently, he had tainted their drinks on several other occasions. Family members became sick but were not hospitalized.

Officer Markley and other police responded to the Fayette Street home of Rhonda Lehman, 51, on Saturday, and discovered that she had locked her grandson in a 3-foot-by-4-foot plastic dog cage for about 90 minutes. There were dog feces in the cage, Officer Markley said, and only a small, metal door for him to see through.

Another relative who lived in the home, Michael McCreery, 24, allegedly had punched the boy on the right side of his face, giving him a black eye.

Officer Markley said when he asked Mr. McCreery why he punched the boy, he said he was angry over the tainted drinks and that the injury "was minor compared to what he wanted to do to him."

Officer Markley said Mr. McCreery didn't elaborate. It's still unclear if the boy had been locked in the cage at other times.

During the incident, Ms. Lehman allegedly called Washington County's mental health/mental retardation officials and threatened to "bury him alive in the back yard" if someone didn't come to get the child.

Ms. Lehman has custody of the boy. According to what she told police, the boy's father, who is her son, escaped from a federal prison in California and the whereabouts of his mother is unknown.

"It's a crazy situation," Officer Markley said.

Police charged Ms. Lehman with endangering the welfare of a child and terroristic threats. Mr. McCreery was charged with simple assault and harassment. They were arraigned before District Judge Valarie Costanzo and held in the Washington County Correctional Facility on $25,000 bond each.

The boy was turned over to county Children and Youth Services, where he was being treated for mental health issues.

A preliminary hearing is set for Tuesday before District Judge J. Albert Spence.