JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Another person was arrested after a child said she was locked in a closet for nearly a month, according to an arrest warrant.
Kenneth Trout, 38, was booked Wednesday into the Duval County jail on charges that include child neglect and aggravated child abuse, jail records show.
The girl’s mother, 37-year-old Alexandra Ebey, has been in jail since Dec. 14 on a charge of child neglect, according to jail records.
According to sources, Trout and Ebey are in a relationship.
According to Ebey’s arrest report, police responded Dec. 14 to a Westside home, and Ebey brought the girl, who court records show is 5 years old, outside. The report stated the child appeared weak, emaciated and had open wounds all over her body.
The report said the child was transported to Wolfson Children’s Hospital due to her malnourished condition and injuries. There, she told JSO that she had been “handcuffed and tied down” and locked in a closet for 25 days and was let out six days ago, the report said. The child said she had to use a bucket as a toilet while in the closet, according to the report.
A neighbor, who wants to remain anonymous, said three other children live at the home, but seeing the 5-year-old girl was rare.
According to Trout’s arrest warrant, investigators spoke with the girl’s two older brothers who said their sister “was always in trouble” and always in her room or closet. One boy said he fed his sister a couple of days before DCF arrived but wasn’t sure who fed her before that, the warrant stated.
The neighbor said the boys acted like parents.
“They even expressed to me that they cooked chicken nuggets and corn dogs for their meal every night,” the neighbor said.
Sources close to the family told News4JAX that the children are with a family member and the 5-year-old is still in the hospital.
News4JAX reached out to Trout’s family on Thursday, but the family did not wish to comment.
Records show Trout has been in jail in the past on drug and aggravated battery charges.