Two Baxter County residents charged with keeping a then 15-year-old male described as “low functioning” locked in a dark bathroom, naked and unfed for days were set to appear during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court/Criminal Division Monday (November 3) but the couple’s defense lawyer asked that the cases be continued to January 12, 2026.
Forty-one-year-old Daniel Wright and 42-year-old Jaclyn Barnett are facing 112 counts of false imprisonment as well as endangering the welfare of a minor and permitting the abuse of a minor. Kidnapping charges were also filed against the couple on October 8 alleging that the defendants restrained the victim so as to interfere substantially with his liberty with the purpose of inflicting physical injury upon him.
The state has also filed a motion to have the victim testify out of the line of sight of Wright and Barnett.
In the motion, the state points out that the layout of the courtroom where the trial will be held would put the victim, who is now 16-years-old, in close proximity to the defendants and that it would be difficult for the victim to be so close and directly facing the defendants because he is described as “terrified” of them.
The state suggests to the court that the victim and the court reporter switch positions allowing the teen to testify “out of the direct path and view” of the defendants. The change would only be made for the victim’s testimony.
The attorney representing Wright and Barnett, James Hensley, Jr., of Conway, has filed an objection to the request to allow the victim to testify out of the direct line of sight of the defendants. The defense attorney alleges such a move would violate his clients’ constitutional right to directly confront their accuser.
The investigation into the case showed that since 2013, twenty-nine “cases” had been opened on the young man based on reports that came to the Child Abuse Hotline managed by the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS).
The cases dealt with such matters as maltreatment, inadequate supervision, failure to provide food and other essential needs, extreme or repeated cruelty and failure to protect.
Information was provided by mandated reporters and anonymous sources. Mandated reporters are those who are required by law to report instances of child abuse and include teachers, social workers, health care professionals, law enforcement and coaches.
The “cases” based on the reports were apparently all closed after the incidents were deemed unsubstantiated.
Since it came to light that so many reports were made alleging abuse over more than 10 years — yet the young man was not removed from the situation by the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) attention has been focused on why the agency and it DCAFS dropped the ball to such an extent.
The case and DHS’ lack of response to the plight of the teen was the focus of a joint meeting by the House and Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committees in early October.
Scott Flippo of Bull Shoals, chairman of the Senate Committee, arranged the meeting along with the chairman of the House Committee, Jimmy Gazaway of Paragould.
USE THIS LINK TO SEE STORY ON THE MEETING
At his request, Prosecutor David Ethredge also met with the then head of the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) and the agency’s chief attorney to ask questions about how the 29 complaints were handled and why the teen’s situation had not come to light earlier as a result of the numerous complaints.
After the meeting Ethredge told KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot News that the then DHS head, Kristi Putman, admitted her agency had not met its responsibilities to the teen victim and that the “ball had been badly dropped.”
Putman has since left the agency. A DHS spokesman told KTLO, Classic Hits and the Boot News that the change in leadership at DHS would not delay completing the report and providing it to Ethredge and releasing it to the public.
However, the agency then did a complete reversal of that pledge and said the report would not be publicly released and that any shortcomings detected in the agency would be “dealt with internally.”
According to the probable cause affidavit, it was in January last year that the family moved into the apartment where the boy’s situation was eventually brought to light.
Downstairs neighbors reported hearing noises coming from the upstairs apartment where the family lived and said they reported it to management several times.
The apartment managers claim they notified Wright and Barnett, about the complaints, but the noises continued.
In October, police were notified and Wright was contacted by telephone about the noise.
During the telephone call with Wright, he was reported to have said the 15-year-old male who also lived in the house was at work with him. Records do not show that any effort was made to see the boy face-to-face in order to prove or disprove Wright’s claim.
Investigators speculate the two children in the house may have been coached by the adults not to talk about the 15-year-old or his substandard living conditions.
On November 2 last year, police returned to the apartment complex to investigate a report that audible cries for help were coming from an upstairs unit.
It was at this point that the boy’s maltreatment and the extent of that maltreatment was finally uncovered.
Officers met with the occupants of the downstairs apartment and were taken to the master bedroom where the teenager could be heard speaking to the tenants from the upstairs apartment.
He said that he was locked in the bathroom and could not get out.
Police headed to the upstairs apartment and were met by two juveniles, ages 10 and 11. Wright and Barnett were reported to have been at work. Wright is said to have worked for a furniture rental business and Barnett at a used car lot.
As the investigation continued, police went to the master bedroom of the upstairs unit occupied by Wright and Barnett and saw a red “ratchet strap” attached to the bedpost and the door of the master bath.
A ratchet strap is commonly used to tie down and secure items being carried in a vehicle.
When the strap was released and the door opened, officers saw the naked 15-year-old male. He told them he had been locked inside the bathroom the day before and not allowed out since.
Officers saw no clothing in the bathroom. The boy said he slept naked because he had once stuffed clothing into a vent to stop cold air from coming into the room.
According to investigative reports, the lack of clothing appeared to be some sort of punishment for clogging the vent.
Police reported that the teen was embarrassed to come out of the bathroom because he was nude.
Even though the two juveniles who met police at the front door had initially feigned ignorance about a person being locked in the bathroom, they did speak to officers after the victim had been discovered.
The two juveniles said they slept in bunkbeds and the 15-year-old male slept on a pallet in the bathroom. They said there was no bedroom in the apartment for the boy.
The victim incorrectly referred to Wright as his stepfather and to Barnett as his mother. She is actually his aunt and legal guardian.
There are court records regarding a guardianship for two boys and listing Jaclyn M Barnett as the person asking for the designation.
In court documents, Barnett is listed as the boy’s paternal aunt and as Wright’s fiancé.
In an annual guardianship report submitted by Barnett’s attorney several years ago, one of the boys was said to be attending a kindergarten where he received counseling, occupational, speech and physical therapy “to address his needs.”
In an annual report that guardians are required to submit, Barnett said one of the boys received $733 a month in social security benefits.
Court records are liberally sprinkled with documents showing what can only be described as an unusual family arrangement.
At one point, Barnett was quoted as saying there were at least six children in her home and higher numbers – up to a dozen – are also mentioned in court reports and other documents.
When Wright and Barnett were interviewed, they said they had no idea the 15-year-old had been locked in the bathroom.
The couple claimed the boy must have been locked in while “the kids were playing.” Officers reported the two juveniles were asked to demonstrate how they would manipulate the ratchet strap keeping the bathroom door shut but they were unable to perform the task.
Wright and Barnett were also reported to have told investigators that the ratchet strap was not used to keep the teen in the bathroom, but to keep all of the children in the house out because of a leaky faucet that had been reported to management several times.
Apartment managers contradicted that statement telling investigators they had been contacted once in July by Wright and Barnett and that was to report a loose toilet, not a leaky faucet.
The victim, who was reported to be small for his age, said he was only let out of the bathroom sporadically to attend school and that is also the only time he was able to eat.
When school records were checked, they showed the victim had been to school for only 112 days since January last year.
The teen was removed by DHS and he is reported to be doing well in his new environment.
Wright and Barnett have been free on $50,000 bond each.
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