TERRY COLLINS and MARCUS WOHLSEN
STOCKTON
A California couple has been charged with kidnapping and torturing a 17-year-old boy police say they sometimes kept shackled in their home.
The boy’s one-time guardian, who also stayed in the couple’s home with the teenager, was also charged with similar abuse allegations.
Kelly Layne Lau and her husband, Michael Schumacher, both of Tracy, are charged with 13 counts related to the alleged abuse. The former guardian, Caren Ramirez, is charged with 10 counts.
Court documents allege the boy was beaten with a baseball bat and belt and cut with a knife.
The boy escaped from the couple’s home Monday by jumping over a fence in the backyard and seeking help at a nearby gym.
