Stepmother charged in child abuse case

A stepmother was indicted and charged with child abuse in the case of a 15-year-old girl allegedly chained and abused for hours by her father in the garage of their Clovis home, according to a news release from 9th Judicial District Attorney Matt Chandler.

Evidence that Christine Storseth, 45, knew the abuse was occurring and repeatedly ignored the girl’s requests for help compelled the grand jury’s decision for indictment, according to the release.

Allegedly she did nothing to stop or prevent the events, the release said.

June 16, Brian Storseth, 44, allegedly abused his daughter in an effort to make her tell him what had happened to $10 missing from the home, court records show.

Brian Storseth is charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a household member, kidnapping and child abuse.

His 15-year-old daughter told police her father had handcuffed her and chained her by the neck to the ceiling of their garage for several hours while he hit her with a baseball bat and whipped her with a belt, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in Curry County Magistrate Court.

Officers documented wounds on the girl’s neck, arms and legs. They also found in the family’s garage duct tape with what appeared to be blood and strands of hair adhered, according to the complaint.

The girl was deprived of food and water throughout the 14-hour ordeal and was only able to call police for help the next morning while her parents slept, the release said.

Recovering from her injuries, the girl has been placed in the care of the Children Youth and Families Department, the release said.

Christine Storseth was arrested Friday and is being held at the Curry County Adult Detention Center on a $5,000 cash bond.

Brian Storseth, arrested June 17, also remains in custody and is being held on a $110,000 bond.

If convicted, Christine Storseth faces three years in prison and Brian Storseth faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, according to the release.