Father Allegedly Tied 15-Year-Old Daughter to Tree for 'Over 24 Hours': Police

Police responded to a home in Vera, Okla., on July 28 where they found a teenage girl allegedly tied to a tree and given a carpet square to sleep on, police allege

A man and his girlfriend have been arrested in Oklahoma and face child abuse charges after the man allegedly tied his 15-year-old daughter to a tree in a yard, police allege.

Police arrested 40-year-old Johnny James and his girlfriend Kayla Clark on child abuse and neglect charges, according to jail records.

Per a press release obtained by PEOPLE from the Washington County Sheriff's Office, authorities were informed of a teenager who allegedly had been tied to a tree with ratchet straps on a Vera property for three days. An investigation found that the Texas-based family was visiting relatives in the area, per the press release.

When police arrived on the scene, they allegedly found the girl sitting on a rectangular piece of carpet she'd been given to sleep on, per the release. An investigation determined that the girl had allegedly been tied to a tree with a ratchet strap for "over 24 hours" by her father, James, the release states.

Per the press release, James allegedly told police he tied the girl to the tree to punish her. James allegedly told police "the child has problems urinating and defecating while indoors and if she was outdoors there would not be any mess."

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The girlfriend, 42, allegedly told authorities she knew the girl was tied to the tree but she was "frazzled," so she didn't report James' actions, the release states.

Per the release, James allegedly punished his daughter because the teenager wanted to live with her mother.

Both James and Clark are being held in jail in Washington County on $500,000 bond and have a court appearance on Aug. 9. It's not clear if either suspect has entered pleas or retained an attorney.

The teen was taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries and The Department of Human Services (DHS) will take custody of her and other children found in the home, per the release viewed by PEOPLE.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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