Stepfather accused of cruelty to girl

An 18-year-old Hayden man is facing child cruelty charges after deputies say he placed a 25-pound bag on his stepdaughter to stop her from moving.

Zacharee J. Wright said the youngster was unable to sleep, so he placed her facedown on a concrete floor Sunday with no pillows or blankets and put a bag of dried drink mix on her legs, according to a report from Kootenai County Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew Edmunds. The girl’s age was unavailable, but reports show she was born in 2009.

Wright and his wife, the girl’s mother, live in the basement of the home at 1106 E. Whispering Pines Road. A family member called police about 5:30 p.m. after discovering the girl whimpering in the storage room. Wright told investigators he left the girl in the room for about 30 minutes and checked on her every 10 minutes.

The girl had red marks on her face and was dirty but not seriously injured, according to the report.

Meghann M. Cuniff