Three New Jersey women have been arrested on several charges, including child abuse and neglect after they allegedly forced a young girl to wear a dog shock collar.
Over three years, Kelly Mennig, 42, Rebecca Mennig, 22 and Rachel Mennig, 20, mistreated a young girl when she was acting “bad” by shocking her with a dog collar and taking away her food and clothes. The victim, 13 now, said the canine shock collar abuse started when she was nine and in the fourth grade.
Police initially learned about the girl, who was identified as I.D., being abused when a neighbor spotted the child wearing the collar and called 911, The New York Post reports. According to the affidavit from October 2018 to March 1, 2022.
“[I.D.] is standing there and she goes, ‘They’re shocking me! They’re shocking me!’” the witness, Karen Villec, told The Daily Beast. “She hands me this dog collar, which is like, vibrating in my hand. She lifts her head up, and I can see the marks on her neck where they were shocking her. So my husband called 911, and I was in the kitchen with [I.D.], trying to calm her down,” Villec continued.
The girl was taken to Jefferson Hospital, where she was treated for injuries. She’s since been removed from her home by the Child Protection and Permanency Division. Villec tells The Daily Beast that she saw the girl back in school.
All three women are being held at the Camden County Jail. They face charges including aggravated assault, child abuse and neglect. They’re scheduled to appear in court on Friday.
