article courtesy of wnem.com News
A woman was sentenced up to 20 years behind bars for locking her disabled sister in a closet with little food, water, or clothing.
Candy Lawson was sentenced 10 to 15 years for charges of unlawful and vulnerable adult abuse.
Lawson received a 40 to 60-month sentence on the embezzlement for a vulnerable adult charge.
Lawson was found guilty on Sept. 25.
Police visited Lawson’s home two years ago to check on the welfare of her sister.
Police said they discovered 42-year-old Dianna Churchill, who is deaf and had other “cognitive and physical impairments,” had been locked in a small closet at a home in Corunna.
Prosecutors said she was forced to live in a 4×8 foot closet and was given very little food and water, and just a bucket for a bathroom. Investigators said Dianna was just over 70 pounds when she was found.
Police suspect it could have been going on for seven years.
