Couple accused of locking daughter in room

OSHKOSH (AP) – A 13-year-old girl taken to a hospital because she was hearing voices told police she had been locked in her room for nearly two years and was allowed out only for meals, chores and timed bathroom breaks.,”

Couple accused of locking daughter in room

OSHKOSH (AP) – A 13-year-old girl taken to a hospital because she was hearing voices told police she had been locked in her room for nearly two years and was allowed out only for meals, chores and timed bathroom breaks.

Her 32-year-old father and 35-year-old stepmother were charged in Winnebago County Circuit Court on Tuesday with one count each of causing mental harm to a child, a felony.

According to the criminal complaint, the girl had been locked in a small bedroom since February 2005 as punishment for bad behavior. She spent 22 hours a day in a room whose only furnishings were a urine-soaked mattress, blanket, pillow and empty dresser.

The door had an alarm system and a dead-bolt lock on the outside, and a camera recorded the girl's activities, the complaint said. The girl's father told detectives the alarm was installed on the door after the girl sneaked out to watch television or eat candy.

Clint M. Engstrom, the girl's father, and Lynn M. Engstrom, her stepmother, were each held on $25,000 cash bond. It was not clear who was representing them in the case. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Jan. 25.

Miller sales up on new drinks, flat with domestic brews

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Sales for Miller Brewing Co. were up 4.3 percent in the most recent quarter, largely on growth of the brewer's two new brands. Sales of mainstay brews declined.

Excluding the two new drinks, the Milwaukee-based brewer's domestic sales were down .9 percent in the three months ending Dec. 31 compared to the same period the previous year, parent company SABMiller PLC said Wednesday.

SABMiller bought Sparks, a caffeinated alcoholic drink, and Steel Reserve, malt liquor, from McKenzie River Corp. for $215 million cash last summer.

Sales of Miller Lite, Miller's largest brand, were up 1.5 percent, with a strong showing in December, the company said. Increased marketing and a strong sales push helped the brand grow, the company said.

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