A Texas woman is accused of waterboarding her 13-year-old son and tying a rope around his genitals as punishment.
Christi Howell, 40, and her boyfriend, Casey Shackleford, 45, were charged with injury to a child, the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office told The Huffington Post.
Both remained in custody as of Friday afternoon, with Shackleford facing an additional charge of violating parole that stemmed from an assault on a family member, the spokesman said.
In an affidavit obtained by ABC affiliate WFAA in Dallas, the boy said the torture began after he admitted to inappropriately touching the family dog. Shackleford then told the mother to pour water over the boy's face while he held a towel over it, the boy said. Shackleford then asked the mother to tie up the teen's genitals with a rope and she complied. Then Shackleford pushed the boy onto a couch, causing the rope to tighten, the boy said, per the affidavit. He said he remained tied up for several minutes.
Photos of the teen's injuries are consistent with his claims, Kaufman County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Jimmy Weisbruch told the station.
According to CBS in Dallas-Forth Worth, authorities first learned of the alleged incident from school officials. The boy, who has special needs, had apparently touched the dog on the behind, the station noted.
The mother's bond was set at $250,000 and her son is now in foster care, the New York Post reported.
Here's an earlier TV report before the boyfriend was arrested:
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