Third adult arrested in connection to horrific, decade-long abuse of teen girl
A teenage girl who was abused for a decade is now in Child Protective Services custody while the three people who allegedly either participated in the abuse or didn’t report it now face charges.
The girl’s legal guardians Benjamin Lockett, 43, and Latricia Crawley, 46, both of Margate, were arrested on Oct. 24 and Oct. 25, respectively, on counts of aggravated child abuse and child neglect with great bodily harm, accused of abusing the minor girl for years by locking her in closets, refusing her food, hitting her and using other forms of “punishment” that left permanent marks on her body, their probable cause affidavits said.
A third adult who lived at the home with Crawley, Lockett and the 15-year-old victim has now been arrested.
Shankyria Clayton, 20, lived at the home where the abuse happened on numerous occasions over the years but never reported what was happening to the victim, according to a probable cause affidavit. She was arrested on Nov. 2 on charges of aggravated child abuse, child neglect with great bodily harm and failing to report child abuse.
Florida law requires people who know or have reasonable cause to believe that a child is being abused to immediately report information to the central abuse hotline.
Margate Police’s investigation began late last month after the girl messaged her online school teacher and asked her to call 911 for her, according to Crawley and Lockett’s probable cause affidavits. Lockett allegedly punched the girl in the head, the force knocking her head into a desk.
While at the hospital receiving treatment for her injury, the signs of abuse were obvious to officers, according to the affidavits — scars, bruises, bug bites and evidence of malnutrition and starvation.
Clayton is accused of participating in, witnessing “and/or” knowing of the abuse, her probable cause affidavit said. She did not on multiple occasions give the girl food, water or medical care and allegedly kept her locked in a closet.
In the past two years, Crawley had forced the teen to kneel on uncooked rice grains with oil on her knees, which left permanent scars, smashed her toes with a hammer and threw a pot of boiling water on her, among other forms of abuse. Crawley and Lockett on multiple occasions when the girl was 14 tied her to different objects with rope, which left scarred and hyperpigmented skin, the affidavit said.
Clayton was released from jail after posting bail last week, court records show. Attorney information for Clayton, Crawley or Lockett was not available Wednesday evening.
