Kentucky Parents Accused of Caging Kids Have Abuse Charges Dropped as Prosecutors Seek Five Years Each

Kentucky parents Brian Smith, 32, and Kayla Smith, 33, each face a recommended five-year prison term after a Lexington court found them guilty of wanton endangerment following allegations their two children were confined in cages and locked rooms.

The pair had six counts of first-degree criminal abuse of a child dropped under a plea deal on Friday, instead entering Alford pleas to a single count of wanton endangerment each.

Prosecutors have urged Judge Diane Minnifield to impose five years in prison on each defendant. She has deferred sentencing until a presentence investigation has been completed.

The case began after Kentucky's Department for Community Based Services received a child abuse report on 30 January. The couple's two children, both younger than 12, were placed in foster care and described alleged mistreatment to their foster parents, according to earlier reporting on the criminal complaints.

Police later interviewed the children, whose accounts included confinement in cages and locked rooms, as well as allegations of cigarette burns.

Kentucky Parents Enter Alford Pleas as Abuse Charges Are Dropped

At the 16 October hearing, the Smiths each entered an Alford plea, a procedure that allows defendants to maintain their innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors have enough evidence to secure a conviction.

The court found each guilty of a single wanton endangerment count, while the remaining charges were dismissed under the agreement.

That outcome narrowed the charges before the court, but it did not establish the truth of every allegation made during the investigation. The original first-degree abuse charges arose from the children's reported experiences, while the convictions followed the negotiated pleas.

Prosecutors recommended a separate five-year prison term for each defendant. The judge has not yet decided whether to accept those recommendations. The available reporting from the hearing did not explain prosecutors' reasons for agreeing to the reduction in charges.

Prosecutors Detail Allegations of Confinement and Cigarette Burns

Prosecutors told the court that the children were punished between 2024 and 2025 'by putting them in cages and in rooms without food or water for punishment'. A prosecutor described one cage as 'too small for one of the children to sit or stand up'.

The allegations also included long periods of isolation. Prosecutors said the girl was left without access to a bathroom for extended periods. According to a criminal complaint cited by WLEX, a combination lock was placed on the outside of a bedroom door 'so she could not escape'.

According to the complaints, the other child described being placed in a dog cage for hours as punishment. He told investigators that he sometimes slept 'to pass the time'. He said he was allowed out to use the bathroom but was returned to the cage afterwards.

The children also alleged that Brian Smith burned them with lit cigarettes and that Kayla Smith knew about the conduct. Police observed scars on both children, which the children attributed to the alleged burns. The reviewed reports do not include independent medical findings establishing the cause of the scars.

The confinement and cigarette-burn allegations formed part of the prosecution's account of the case. The Smiths' Alford pleas did not constitute an admission that every alleged incident occurred.

The court's findings of guilt concerned the wanton endangerment counts accepted under the agreement.

Sentencing Delayed as Judge Orders Background Reports

Rather than sentence the couple at Friday's hearing, Minnifield ordered a presentence investigation to obtain more information about them and their family. She will consider that information before deciding how to proceed with the recommended prison terms.

The judge also told Brian and Kayla Smith that they would be able to withdraw their pleas if she rejected the Commonwealth's proposed sentences. That leaves a further decision outstanding despite the findings of guilt on the wanton endangerment counts.

The prosecution has asked for five years in prison for Brian Smith and five years for Kayla Smith, but neither term has been imposed. Both are scheduled to return to court for sentencing on 4 December 2026.