Mother, boyfriend charged with keeping toddler in a cage

(INSIDE EDITION)- A North Carolina couple was arrested for keeping a toddler in a cage, deputies said.

Haley Trantham, 23, and her boyfriend, Vincent Lee II, 28, were taken into custody last week after authorities responding to a child abuse report found a 19-month-old caged in an upstairs room, according to the Madison County Sheriff's Department.

The baby was imprisoned in a crib with a mattress on top of it so the child could not get out, WLOS-TV reported.

The toddler was held captive for 23 hours a day and fed only small amounts of food, deputies said.

The child was taken by deputies and child welfare workers to a hospital for a medical evaluation. The baby is now in the custody of his father, the station reported.

Trantham and Lee were charged with two counts of child abuse, authorities said. Trantham was also charged with possession of marijuana.

Both are being held at the Madison County Detention Facility in lieu of $20,000 bail each.