Ashly Clark, 22, was collared Monday night, along with a trio of her trailer-mates, after cops in North Platte discovered how she had imprisoned her boys, ages 3 and 5.
Clark told police she devised the barbarous treatment after the boys tried to hop out of the windows of her trailer, according to KNOP-TV in North Platte, which is in the central part of the state.
The kennel measured 42 inches by 30 inches. Clark fastened its gate closed with a wire tie. Its inside contained a small, decrepit mattress, reported KHAS-TV in nearby Hastings.
Cops said the kennel was filthy, but nothing could compare to the wretched state of the trailer itself.
"Once they gained entry into the residence, they found the house was extremely dirty," North Platte Police Lt. Rich Hoaglund told KHAS-TV.
"There were a lot of animal feces and urine about the house, along with dirty clothes, food and trash, et cetera."
Cops had visited the trailer to check on the family, but the reason they did so was not clear.
Two sisters - one 8 years-old, the other just 8 months-old - were rescued from the trailer, though cops said they were not kept in a kennel, like the unfortunate boys.
The girls' 20-something parents, Bryson and Samantha Eyten, were also collared, KNOP-TV reported.
All four children were placed in the government's care.
A fourth neighbor of Clark's, Lacy Beyer, 24, was arrested as well, KNOP-TV reported.
The four now face charges ranging from felony and misdemeanor child abuse to felony false imprisonment. Each is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail; they are due in court on Thursday.
Police said the boys' imprisonment was most likely not a recent development.
"It had to be going on for some time," Hoaglund told KNOP-TV. "Whether it was going on six months or a year, I couldn't tell you."
Source: mjaccarino@nydailynews.com
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