Clarksville family faces more than 70 counts of abuse

A Clarksville family faces more than 70 charges for allegedly torturing and abusing their two adopted daughters between March 2006 and May 2008.

Ernest Perry, 66, is charged with 20 counts of aggravated kidnapping and 10 counts of aggravated child abuse.

His wife, 52-year-old Windie Perry, faces six counts of child rape and 44 counts of aggravated child abuse or neglect.

The couple's adopted daughter, 21-year-old Elizabeth Perry, is also charged. She faces 56 charges of abuse.

Police said the family inflicted heinous acts on the children, including torturing them with jumper cables and denying them food for several days at a time.

Some of the other allegations outlined in an indictment obtained by News 2, include: "Tying her down to a cot with ropes, handcuffs, and chains," "Forcing a broomstick down her throat," and even "Attempting to ‘cut off' her arm with an axe."

Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Lund says she has never seen a case like this before.

The children are under the age of 13.

Despite the charges, the Perrys say they're innocent and so does a family friend.

"I know everything about the case... and under no circumstances are they guilty," said family friend Lori Sharpe.

Sharpe is watching their home while the Perrys are in jail, and she believes the girls are lying.

She says the two girls had access to television and probably made up the scenarios based on crime shows.

"They never got spanked. [Windie Perry] did not believe in spanking her children," Sharpe said.

A neighbor, who does not want to be identified, said the Perrys kept to themselves. "They hardly ever come outside. I never actually saw the children much either," she said.

Sharpe says these charges are all based on lies, and the parents are really the victims.

"She just wanted to give them a home," Sharpe said about Windie Perry. "She saw them on the internet and she said they looked pitiful. She said, 'My heart went out to them.'"

The Assistant District Attorney says the girls are in state custody. "To my knowledge, they're safe," Lund said.

Windie, Ernest, and Elizabeth Perry remain in the Montgomery County Jail on $200,000 bond each.

Sharpe says the Perrys have nine children. The oldest two are biological and the younger seven are all adopted.