Dentist and wife accused of locking teen in ‘closet cage’ strike plea deal in Indiana
An Indiana dentist and his wife who were accused of locking their teenage daughter in a cage and depriving her of food will end up serving less than two weeks in jail, according to media reports.
Alan Friz, 59, and Aimee Friz, 39, of Dubois County accepted a plea deal Friday that sentenced them to 730 days in jail. But 718 days were suspended to probation and six more were credited as time served, the Dubois County Herald reported.
Prosecutor Anthony Quinn called it a “difficult decision” to offer the plea deal to the Friz couple, who have been out of jail on bond, WFIE reported.
“Nevertheless, the case ultimately is about the victim,” Quinn said, according to WFIE. “We felt continuing the trauma she has endured while this case has been pending, and by having to testify to a jury does not serve her best interest. I hope the victim continues to thrive in her new environment and continues on the path of healing.”
DuBois County is located in southern Indiana, near the Hoosier National Forest.
Police were called to the Friz residence in 2017 when the girl, described as mentally disabled, was involved in a scuffle with her grandfather, the Dubois County Free Press reported. Aimee Friz told police the girl “had made threats about killing her and her unborn child,” according to the publication.
Through their investigation, police learned the girl was sometimes confined in a “closet cage” covered with wood, WFIE reported, citing a 2017 affidavit.
The cage, 4 feet by 8 feet, contained a mattress and a pan for the girl to use the restroom, the Free Press reported.
She was deprived of food, Fox 59 reported.
The Friz couple said the girl was kept in the cage to protect Aimee Friz and other children inside the home, according to court documents obtained by the Free Press.
The couple were initially charged with 11 counts of neglect and 11 counts of criminal confinement, all felonies, the Herald reported. Alan Friz was also charged with four counts of sexual misconduct, according to the Herald.
As part of the plea deal, they were convicted on two misdemeanor counts of neglect of a dependent and will serve supervised probation, according to the Fox 59.