CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Harrison County authorities have shed more light on an ongoing investigation in Clarksburg about a child being kept in a cage.
Harrison County Sheriff Robert Matheny II said on MetroNews “Midday” Wednesday it was a very disturbing scene. The 11-year old told forensic investigators at the Child Advocacy Center he was hit with a paddle by Michael Gibson, 44, that caused bruising and pain that would last for days and confined him in a locking “homemade bed with four walls and a solid roof,” according to the criminal complaint.
“The juvenile was kept in a man-made cage that was an enclosure around the bed,” Matheny said. “They kept the child there.”
The child told investigators he was kept in the cage for hours at a time causing him to have to use the cage as a bathroom, per the complaint. When he did have an accident in the cage, the child said Gibson would punish him.
“Who knows how long it’s been going on, but it was reported around the first of September,” Matheny said. “The reports also indicate the child would be left there long enough he would urinate and defecate in the cage.”
The juvenile was interviewed on September 4 and later that day deputies got a search warrant and went to the home. Deputies said they found the locking cage in the victim’s bedroom and confirmed what the victim told investigators.
“This victim was brave enough to reach our for help because that is a rarity in those instances,” Matheny said. “I give full credit to the bravery of the victim.”
Matheny became choked up at times while talking about the conditions the child was forced to endure. He said it’s not yet clear how long the child was forced to live in the cage.
“On behalf of the sheriff’s office, and I’m sure every West Virginian across the state, I pray the healing and the peace that surpasses human understanding,” Matheny said. “Because I can’t imagine what kind of experiences that victim has gone through.”
The West Virginia Child Advocacy program played a vital role in uncovering the abuse that Matheny had high praise for. The interviewers are the first step in healing for victims in abuse cases like these.
“If it wasn’t for those forensic interviewers none of this would be possible and the subsequint convictions wouldn’t be possible either,” Matheny said.
Gibson has been arrested and is behind bars in the North Central Regional Jail. He’s being held without bail.