(CNN) - A Tennessee couple is facing charges after they used a dog harness to bolt a 5-year-old to the floor, police said.
Detective Rocky Potter said when he went into the house, the child cried "Out! out!"
Potter described a U-bolt in the floor of an empty bedroom without carpet and only a small mattress inside. Attached to the bolt was a dog harness on a 3-foot leash made with belt and electrical tape.
The child was sometimes tied to the harness for hours of a time as punishment, Potter said.
The child cannot speak at age level, so police have been unable to talk to him.
"He did have some physical injuries that were photographed, but I think the mental part would be the most extreme," Potter said.
The boy's mother, Monica Hall, and her boyfriend Dennis Couch will appear in court on Aug. 4.
Two other children were in the home at the time. They are now staying with relatives.
Copyright 2017 CNN. All rights reserved.
