Imagine spending 81 days in a bathroom

Gravelles get 2-year terms for caged-kids case
Parents' sentence won't begin until expected appeals are over
Sielicki, Jim. Toledo Blade, Feb, 16, 2007, pg. A1.

NORWALK, Ohio - Michael and Sharen Gravelle, convicted in December of forcing some of their 11 adopted children to sleep in caged beds, were each sentenced yesterday to two years in state prison.

They were given a temporary reprieve from heading to prison, though, when Judge Earl McGimpsey delayed the sentences pending outcome of their expected appeal.

The Huron County Common Pleas judge ordered the Gravelles to serve two-year sentences on each of the four felony convictions for child endangering and six months on each of the seven misdemeanors they were convicted of, five of which involved child abuse and two child endangering. The judge then ordered the individual sentences to be served at the same time.

Two of the couple's former children, in statements read to the court, asked the judge to hand down the maximum sentence.

"What the Gravelles did was wrong," one of their daughters said in her statement. The court has ordered that the 11 children removed from the Gravelle home in Sept., 2005, not be identified during the proceedings. They ranged in age from 1 to 14 years when removed from the Gravelles' care.

"They are grown adults who know the difference between right and wrong. So I ask that they get as much time in jail for as long as my siblings had to be in cages," the daughter also wrote.

The Gravelles, who live outside Wakeman in northeast Huron County, were ordered to pay $11,230 in restitution to cover the cost of counseling the children have received since they were removed from the home by Huron County sheriff's deputies.

The parents lost custody of their children a year ago after juvenile court proceedings, which the Gravelles have appealed.

A common pleas jury convicted the Gravelles on Dec. 22 after listening to three weeks of testimony that included some from their children who told how their parents shoved their heads down a toilet and flushed it, beat them with sticks and boards, and hosed them off outside the house in winter.

The girl said she didn't hate her parents. Her biological brother, however, did not share that sentiment.

Outside the courtroom, the teenager, the eldest of the 11 children, said, "I hate them."

"They should have gotten their hands cuffed today," he said.

The Gravelles had forced the boy to sleep in a bathroom for 81 days because of bedwetting.

Prosecutor Russ Leffler, who recommended a minimum 12 years in prison, said he was disappointed with the sentence.

"It wasn't long enough," he said, but added, "The children are out of there for good."

"They knew what they were doing was not correct," the prosecutor said, recalling testimony from a child who told of Sharen Gravelle becoming angry after a county social worker showed up at the home hours before the children were removed.

In addressing the court, the defendants maintained they had their children's best interests at heart.

Michael Gravelle recalled the drive the couple made to pick up their first adopted child, a 55-day-old infant, and their tears of joy at finally having a child of their own.

"We felt we were being led by the Lord," he said in a soft voice before sentencing.

As he went on to defend his and his wife's actions, Gravelle began speaking louder, with the firm voice of a preacher as he spread his arms and gestured for emphasis.

The children's disruptive behavior - jumping from windows, defecating, and urinating into heater vents - forced the couple to seek outside help and to use strict discipline.
"I'm telling you," he implored, "I do not deserve jail."

His wife, who paused to gain composure throughout her statement, also cited the couple's inability to receive help beyond additional money for their children's care. She said county agencies were unresponsive to their call for help in trying to discipline the children.

She said the caged beds, made out of wood and wire, were needed to keep the children safe at night and prevent them from serious injuries by jumping from the second-floor window, repeating the couple's defense throughout the trial.

"The beds were not a punishment, no matter what was said," she said.

"I'd be here [in court] either way, whether we built them or not."

In imposing his sentence, Judge McGimpsey cited "positions of trust as parents" in his reasoning for the prison terms.

"Remember, the case was not just about enclosed beds," the judge said, citing the humiliation the Gravelles forced on their children with harsh discipline.

In explaining his decision to stay sentencing, Judge McGimpsey took note of conflicting rulings in other courts regarding the definition of child abuse and the use of expert testimony when weighing the potential for psychological harm a child faces.

As the judge noted during the trial, an appellate court must sort out those conflicts before the Gravelles' sentence should begin.

The couple are free on a recognizance bond and ordered to file their appeal before April. 2.

He also told the couple they could seek early release after serving six months of their sentence.

They had faced a maximum five years and a maximum $10,000 fine for each felony conviction.

Co-defense attorney Richard Drucker said he was pleased with most of the outcome.

"I don't like the two-year part," he said.

"But we're happy they're free while it's appealed. We will win this on appeal."