Top inset: Benjamin Cotton. Bottom inset: Christina Cotton (Goodhue County Jail). Background: Home where the Cottons tortured their young children (KSTP).
A couple in Minnesota will be spending the next four years in prison for confining their children in improvised cages at night, claiming that they did so out of concern for the children’s safety.
According to court documents, Benjamin Cotton, 42, and Christina Cotton, 40, have pleaded guilty to child torture. They accepted a plea deal which resulted in the dismissal of the other 15 charges they were facing, which included torture, neglect, and harsh treatment of a child. The Twin Cities ABC affiliate KSTP reported that in August 2022, a report was received by the Goodhue County Health and Human Services regarding the well-being of four children aged 2, 5, 7, and 9. The report stated that Christina Cotton, who has a history of mental illness, was displaying erratic behavior. The affidavit mentioned that at least one of the children had been confined in a cage.
More from Law&Crime: Dad who tortured his 4-year-old daughter into a ‘vegetative state,’ told girl’s mother that she fainted during a ‘time-out’ learns his fate
A social worker and investigator from the Red Wing Police Department went to the home the day after receiving the report. Christina Cotton answered the door and invited them inside. She said the three younger children were in their bedrooms while the older child was downstairs. When cops asked if any of the children were locked in cages, Christina Cotton became upset and told them the kids were “locked up for their safety,” the affidavit said.
Investigators went to a bedroom and saw a 2-year-old locked in a playpen with what appeared to be a dog cage strapped on top so the child could not get out. The child wore a soiled diaper which was duct taped around his body, police said. Next to the playpen was a bunk bed “designed for very small children” that had wooded planks around the exterior that kept the kids locked up. The 7- and 5-year-old were inside, along with a mattress, blankets and a “puke bowl,” according to cops. They could not stand up, police noted. There was also a wooden door that had a sliding metal lock.
The mother said she locked up the kids around 8:30 p.m. the night before, meaning they had been contained in the cages for about 13 hours. The 9-year-old was found downstairs and not locked up. But the child had “excessive bruising” that covered the back and buttocks, police said.
According to the affidavit, the 7-year-old told cops he had his hands taped behind his back with duct tape as a form of punishment. He also said that he has to do daily chores like cleaning rugs and the couch and picking up toys. When he doesn’t do them, he said his father hits him with a belt “hard” and his mother “hits him really, really hard.” Further examination of the other three kids also showed bruising on their hips, buttocks and legs.
“The treating doctor opined that all of the bruising documented on the children was consistent with being forcibly stuck with an object such as a belt,” cops wrote.
Per police, the social worker told Christina Cotton that it was unacceptable to lock up her children in that manner. But she said “you don’t understand” and insisted the cages were to prevent her kids from “dying,” police said. She said one time one of the kids escaped and grabbed a kitchen knife. The mother also expressed concern that the children may get into household chemicals. Christina Cotton said if they weren’t caged they would “end up dead” and it would be the “fault” of the police department and Health and Human Services.
In an interview with investigators, the 9-year-old girl said she was concerned that she would get in trouble by talking to them, saying her parents told her that disciplinary issues stayed within the home. She said her parents told her that people who cause trouble end up in jail as adults.
“She explained that if an older person ends up in jail that they are given limited food quantity, limited food choices, and live in a cage,” the affidavit said.
Further investigation revealed that the parents had been caging their kids at night for at least four years. A licensed psychologist determined the children suffered “severe abuse” and may suffer developmental issues as a result. HHS took custody of the children.
