Parents of Girl Locked in Bathroom for Months Arraigned This Morning; Girl Weighed 90 Pounds

Source: http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2010/02/parents_of_girl_locked_in_bath.php

The parents of the 14-year-old girl, who in January escaped from a bathroom where she had been held captive for nearly two months, pleaded not guilty this morning to child abuse and kidnapping charges in Maricopa County Superior Court.

Scott and Andrea Bass, according to prosecutors, held their 14-year-old daughter captive in the bathroom as punishment for nearly two months, where she was forced to exercise and only fed every few days.

She had no running water and was given a slop bucket to use as a toilet.

When we first reported this story, specifics about the girl were limited but details emerged today that make the whole scenario even more gruesome than originally believed.

According to court documents dug up by the Arizona Republic, the girl, who is 5-feet-9-inches tall, weighed a frightening 90 pounds when she went to police after escaping from the bathroom on January 24.

The reports also describe life inside the Bass' home, which makes Al Bundy's family look like Leave it to Beaver.

According to the reports, the 14-year-old girl says that her father, Scott bass, spent a night in jail for a domestic violence incident against Andrea Bass, the 14-year-old's step-mother.

Andrea Bass, who almost unbelievably volunteers at a Valley YMCA teaching toddler classes, was no saint, either.

By her own admission, Bass says she's been involved in at least 15 reports to child protective services in the past.

The abused girl says she hasn't seen her biological mother, Treasure Adams, in nearly seven years and that when Andrea Bass entered her life she turned her father against her.

There are four other children in the family, none of whom are believed to have been abused the way the 14-year-old was.

One of the children, an 11-year-old, when asked if she cared about her older sister, said "in certain situations, no."

At the time of Andrea Bass' arrest, she told officers she no longer wanted anything to do with the victim.

As stated in our earlier posts, we have a feeling that after a trip through the court system, Bass won't have to worry about that anymore.

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