A malnourished Phoenix girl was locked in a bathroom without running water for two months, beaten with metal rods and forced to exercise until exhaustion because her father said she had stolen food and cheated on a home-school test, police say.
Police said Wednesday that Scott and Andrea Bass, the 14-year-old girl's father and stepmother, had been arrested Feb. 4 for investigation of child abuse, kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment.
Phoenix police Officer Luis Samudio said the girl escaped from the bathroom through the attic and rode her bike to a coffee shop, where a worker called police.
Andrea Bass, who is no longer in custody, did not immediately return a message left at her home.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to a request to interview Scott Bass, who remains jailed.