Parents Suspected Of Abusing Kids

An 8-year-old boy was found confined to a cramped basement reachable through a trap door, and his little brothers spent much of their time strapped in car seats, a sheriff said.

Their parents, Kathy Eckhardt, 25, and Dale Eckhardt, 24, were arrested Saturday on suspicion of felony child abuse, Cedar County Sheriff Elliot Arens said Sunday.

A man who stayed with the couple for several months told authorities about the children.

He said the couple’s two youngest boys, ages 1 and 2, spent about half of their time strapped in car seats, Arens said.