Pleasantville, OH-- John Kinser said his neighbors, Russell D. Terry and Jamie M. Curnell, had a "normal, happy family," even if their house wasn't in good shape.
He said that a few months ago, he found their 4-year-old daughter sleepwalking outside at 5 a.m. and made sure they knew she had gotten out of the house.
Now, he fears that might be the reason Terry and Curnell have been arrested.
Earlier this week, deputies arrested the couple on kidnapping and child endangering charges after they say they found the child's bed wrapped in steel mesh and equipped with a sliding latch and a screen-door latch. Terry, 34, and Curnell, 32, of Pleasantville, were arraigned Thursday on the charges, which are second- and third-degree felonies.
"I was surprised to (hear about this.) I've known (Terry) since kindergarten," Kinser said. "They've come over to swim in my swimming pool."
Deputies say the girl was kept locked in the bottom bed of the bunk bed because she would get up during the night. Fairfield County Sheriff Dave Phalen said the parents told deputies they had kept the child in the enclosure during the night for the past three months.
Deputies found the enclosure when they responded to a domestic violence call at 1:34 a.m. Tuesday.
Phalen said the house was "filthy" and the mattress was bare. Phalen said the child was not in the bed when deputies arrived.
"Even beyond the psychological damage, the real damage here would have been if there was a fire," Phalen said. "This kind of thing is not acceptable."
A fire was reported in the home in January. A wood-burning stove started a blaze that damaged a wall and a ceiling.
Neighbors said they were surprised to learn that Terry and Curnell were arrested. Kinser called Terry and Curnell "loving and caring" parents.
While things seemed normal, Kinser said the house was "unlivable."
"I knew from the looks of the outside of the house that the inside wasn't clean," he said.
There is no true front door to the house -- it's blocked by a piece of plywood. Several of the windows are boarded up, and the entire house is leaning.
Phalen said the 4-year-old and an 8-month-old living at the home were removed and placed with family members.
Phalen said there were no other signs of abuse.
Terry and Curnell are in the Fairfield County Jail. Their bonds have been set to $500,000 each.
WKYC/USA Today