Three members of a New Jersey family have been accused of aggravated assault and child abuse for making a 13-year-old girl wear a “shock collar” when she misbehaved.
The teenager, from Stratford, told police she had been forced to wear the collar when she was “bad” since she was nine years old.
The collars are designed to be worn by dogs, and can deliver a painful electric shock of up to 4500 volts when activated. They have been banned in several countries for being inhumane, and are never supposed to be placed on humans.
Neighbour Karen Villec told 6ABC the girl showed up at her door on 1 March and repeatedly rang the doorbell.
“I open the door and she hands me this dog collar. And I go, 'Is your dog loose?' She said, 'No, they shocked me! They shocked me!'”
The girl, identified in police charging document as “ID” had burn marks on her neck, and the collar was still vibrating in her hand, Ms Villec told the news station.
She was taken to hospital for treatment and has been placed in child protection services.
Kelly, Rebecca and Rachel Mennig are being held in Camden County Correctional Facility on multiple charges including child abuse and neglect.
In a charging document obtained byThe Daily Beast, the girl told detectives that Rachel Mennig had shocked her “multiple times” with the collar around her.
The girl said she was placed in the shock collar as a form of punishment.
“(The girl) additionally detailed times that she was deprived of the appropriate amounts of food and clothing amenities,” a police affidavit states.
The Mennigs are due to make their first court appearance on Friday.
Pet advocacy groups have called for the use of shock collars to be outlawed for their barbarism and cruelty.
“The use of shock collars to train dogs is nothing short of barbaric and should be halted immediately,” said American Humane CEO Robin Ganzert in 2021.
