No new trial over ‘caged kids’

CLEVELAND – A judge declined on Monday to grant a new trial or acquittal for a couple convicted of child endangering for keeping some of their 11 adopted, special-needs children in cages, a defence attorney said.

Michael and Sharen Gravelle failed to show the jury’s verdicts last month were inconsistent, the judge ruled. “We respectfully disagree with the court’s rulings and we intend to pursue the issues in the court of appeals,” said defence attorney Ken Myers, who represents Sharen Gravelle.The Gravelles were disappointed but “not terribly surprised,” he said.The Gravelles say they needed to keep some of the children in enclosed beds with alarms to protect them from their own dangerous behaviour and stop them from wandering at night.They could face one to five years in prison for each of four felony counts.Their sentencing is scheduled for February 14.Defence attorneys argued they did not have access to important evidence at trial, including notes from a social worker that prosecutor Russell Leffler had been told about the cages in 2003, two years before the children were removed from the Gravelles’ home.The social worker said in the notes that Leffler did not want to take action because of an upcoming election.Leffler called the allegation “crazy”.Nampa-AP”We respectfully disagree with the court’s rulings and we intend to pursue the issues in the court of appeals,” said defence attorney Ken Myers, who represents Sharen Gravelle.The Gravelles were disappointed but “not terribly surprised,” he said.The Gravelles say they needed to keep some of the children in enclosed beds with alarms to protect them from their own dangerous behaviour and stop them from wandering at night.They could face one to five years in prison for each of four felony counts.Their sentencing is scheduled for February 14.Defence attorneys argued they did not have access to important evidence at trial, including notes from a social worker that prosecutor Russell Leffler had been told about the cages in 2003, two years before the children were removed from the Gravelles’ home.The social worker said in the notes that Leffler did not want to take action because of an upcoming election.Leffler called the allegation “crazy”.Nampa-AP