CLARKSFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- The director of the Huron County Job and Family Services said his department was not involved in the case of 11 adopted children until the office got a complaint.

Michael Gravelle, 56, and Sharen Gravelle, 57, are accused of caging their special needs children because they said they had to protect them from each other, NewsChannel5 reported.

Erich Dumbeck said it's hard to tell who would be responsible for the children at this point.

"I don't believe there were any case workers checking in with this family," said Dumbeck.

Prosecutors said nine of the 11 adopted children, ages 1 to 15, were kept in cages at night with alarms that would sound if the kids tried to leave.

Residents in the St. John Road neighborhood want to know how this could happen with no one knowing about it.

Officials said the family had good recommendations.

"Adoption records are, as I'm sure you understand, very difficult to obtain. There may, at some time, be some subpoenas involved, but I think that if there were not home studies done and if there was not a regular monitoring process, that needs to be questioned," Lt. Randy Sommers said.

He said the children did not appear to have been beaten or malnourished.

The Gravelles received a subsidy of at least $500 a month to care for the children, who had a variety of illnesses, including fetal alcohol syndrome and autism.

Because adoption information is privileged, all that is known for sure is none of the adoptions were done in Huron County. One child was adopted from the Cuyahoga County Job and Family Services five years ago. The director said proper procedure was followed.

Adoption and foster care are totally different. Officials said once an adoption goes through, the state is not involved anymore.

NewsChannel5 obtained the search warrant issued after a social worker visited the home Friday.

According to the document, the cages were 2½ feet high and 3 feet long. It said the there was no room for the kids to stand up. The cages were built with 2-by-4 wooden planks and chicken wire.

There was also a strong urine smell coming from the home and there was no bedding inside the cages. They contained small rubber mats for the kids to lie on.

The children were removed Friday and placed in foster homes.

No charges have been filed against the Gravelles. A grand jury is reviewing the case. The parents may face unlawful confinement and child endangerment charges.