A Port Huron foster mother has admitted to a years-long pattern of abuse that prosecutors say included locking two foster children in dog cages and darkened rooms. Sarah Elise Hager, 39, pleaded guilty to four felony counts in St. Clair County Circuit Court and is now awaiting sentencing in June. Court filings state the children lived with Hager in Emmett from 2017 through 2021 and describe repeated beatings alongside the confinement.
According to ClickOnDetroit, Hager admitted on Monday to two counts of second-degree child abuse, one count of second-degree child abuse in the presence of another child, and one count of attempted torture. In exchange, other felony charges were dismissed. Court records show she was taken into custody on Feb. 27, after investigators filed an affidavit spelling out the accusations.
The probable-cause affidavit lays out disturbing allegations in stark detail. As reported by Court TV, the children told investigators Hager beat them, locked them inside a dog cage and dark rooms, and that one boy said his face was rubbed into urine-soaked bedding after he wet the bed. Those statements formed the backbone of the criminal case prosecutors brought earlier this year.
Similar cases have surfaced statewide
Law enforcement officials and child-welfare advocates say the Hager case mirrors a small but alarming cluster of extreme abuse cases in Michigan homes. In one recent example, WNEM reported that a Wexford County couple pleaded no contest after investigators said they found a makeshift straitjacket and dog cages that had been used on adopted children. Those prosecutions have fueled renewed calls for closer oversight of foster and adoptive caregivers.
What the charges carry
Under Michigan law, second-degree child abuse is a felony that can carry up to 10 years in prison for a first offense, according to the Michigan Judicial Institute benchbook published by the Michigan Courts. The state torture statute is codified at MCL 750.85, and attempted offenses fall under Michigan's general attempt provision at MCL 750.92.
Hager is scheduled to be sentenced on June 22 at 1:50 p.m. in St. Clair County Circuit Court, according to court records cited by ClickOnDetroit. Prosecutors are expected to submit sentencing recommendations, and the judge will determine her punishment under state guidelines.
