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Michigan Mom Sentenced In Abuse Of Teen Son

ESCANABA (WWJ/AP) - A woman who pleaded guilty to abusing her 15-year-old son who was kept inside their home in Michigan's Upper Peninsula for four years has received prison time.

A Delta County Circuit Court judge sentenced her on Tuesday to 20 years to 50 years for first-degree child abuse and the same amount of time for torture. The sentences will run concurrently.

Police say the boy rarely left a room made from tarps while being tortured and abused.

"There was a large room, like an attic, and a smaller room using tarps that were stapled to the walls and floor," Escanaba police Capt. Jamie Segorski previously said. "The only source of heat was a space heater. He was allowed on the stairs to eat."

The boy was rescued from the Escanaba home in April after a worried relative who hadn't seen him in a long time called police.

The boy's mother pleaded guilty in June. Her boyfriend pleaded guilty to first-degree child abuse and no contest to aiding and abetting first-degree criminal sexual conduct. He's scheduled for sentencing Aug. 19.

Names of those involved are being withheld to protect the boy's identity.

TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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