Old Saybrook mom kept son in dog crate

By: Tina Detelj

Old Saybrook, Conn (WTNH) - An Old Saybrook woman is out on bond after police say she locked her son in a dog crate at night.

Court papers outline the problems Kathlyn Anthony had been having with her young son, and her inability to control some of his behaviors, but police say putting the little boy in a dog crate was no way to deal with him.

54-year-old Kathlyn Anthony is accused of putting her son in a dog crate. In court papers she calls it a "sleep locker" or cubby. Other parents call it criminal.

"I just can't even imagine treating a child like an animal it's horrible," parent Heather Roberts said.

The arrest warrant describes the boy's bed wetting problems. Anthony told police he "...unirinated and defacated into the mattress to a point that it was no longer usable..." She believes he was "...doing this on purpose." The Old Saybrook mother did seek help, but couldn't change his behavior.

"I hope she gets help for herself, and her child recovers," Roberts said.

The crate, which is 36-inches by 22, and 30-inches high, is similar in size to one we put together. The boy who was born in 2004, and adopted by Anthony three years later, reportedly slept in the crate for 1-2 weeks at times in the basement.

"So this is the size of the dog crate that he was sleeping in. Oh that's horrible," parent Andrea Bond said.

Anthony wasn't home when we came by but she told officers she "... made the dog crate 'fun' by putting a bunch of stuffed animals in it." "...she would leave it unsecured, yet shut..."

Her daughter tells a different story. "...[Juvenile #2] noted that [Juvenile #1] can't get out when in the sleep cubby as the door is closed and locked."

"I can understand them wanting to control the situation, but I don't think that's the appropriate way to do it. That's just my personal opinion," said Bond.

In the two weeks since the boy was removed from his home, court papers indicate the little boy only had a couple of bed wetting incidents. The school principal told police he was having a great week.