CLARKSFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- The mother of the caged children in Huron County had previously accused her husband of abusing the children.

The information came out in divorce proceedings in 2001, NewsChannel5 reported.

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.

Court documents showed that Sharen filed for divorce, claiming domestic abuse and child abuse. Michael maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings. The couple reconciled before it was finalized.

Family Ties

NewsChannel5 spoke with the children's grandmother Wednesday. She said the family will do anything to get the kids back.

"The kids, we love them and we are trying to get them back home. Thank you," the grandmother said.

Charges

Lt. Randy Sommers with the sheriff's department was the first investigator in the house. He met Wednesday with prosecutors to decide what is next in the case.

No charges have been filed yet. By law, there is no time frame in which it has to be done.

The parents may face unlawful confinement and child endangerment charges.

Cages

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.

During a news conference, Huron County officials described how the kids tried to escape from the cages.

"We found that the rabbit wire, the wire fencing, was pulled away from the interior of the frame of the cage and ripped. It takes a lot of determination to rip that wire. It's pretty tough. It was on both ends of the cage, then there were boards nailed over the ripped areas. It looks very much as if someone inside was trying to get out," Sheriff Dick Sutherland said.

According to the search warrant, 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.

The Gravelles haven't been to the home since the story came out. The kids are in foster homes.

One of the children said she has never slept in a bed so soft until now, NewsChannel5 reported.