Dallas

Kaufman Couple Waterboarded Boy as Punishment: Police

A North Texas couple has been arrested after police say she and her boyfriend "waterboarded" a juvenile relative as punishment and also tied a rope around his genitals, according to court records.

Christi Howell, 40, of Mabank, was in the Kaufman County jail Wednesday on $250,000 bond, according to court records. Her boyfriend, identified as 45-year-old Casey Don Shackleford, surrendered to the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department late Wednesday night. According to online jail records Shackleford is being held on a charge of causing an injury to a child and a probation violation. A bond amount has not been determined.

Attorney information for Howell and Shackleford was not immediately available.

The victim was identified as being younger than 14 years old, but documents did not give his exact age. According to the paperwork, the boy is a relative of Howell's and has mental disabilities.

The boy said he "wanted to be honest" and admitted to Shackleford that he had "stuck his finger inside the family dog's butt," an arrest warrant said.

He said Shackleford then grabbed him by the hair and pinned him down and told Howell "to get cold water and pour it on the victim's face while he held a towel over his head and face," the warrant said. The boy said he was able to "breathe slightly" if he moved his head to the side and that kept him from feeling like he was drowning.

According to Howell's arrest warrant, the couple also tied a rope around the boy's genitals and neck and placed him "in a hobbled position, causing rope burns to his genitals, neck and chest." They also allegedly beat him 20 to 30 times when he failed to do proper pushups.

A spokesman for the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office did not immediately return a call for comment.

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