Couple accused of caging autistic son, 19, make plea deal

BAD AXE, Mich. (AP) - A couple accused of keeping their 19-year-old adopted son in a cage at their home in rural eastern Michigan have made a plea deal and face sentencing in March.

Karen and Timothy Tolin each pleaded no contest to a charge of unlawful imprisonment Thursday in Huron County District Court in Bad Axe. In exchange, prosecutors dropped a charge of vulnerable adult abuse against each of them.

The Tolins face sentencing March 9.

Sheriff Kelly J. Hanson says a deputy answering a call Oct. 20 found the 19-year-old in a bedroom at the home. It's located in Paris Township in Michigan's rural Thumb region, about 90 miles north of Detroit.

Authorities removed three adults and two children from the home, which the state says was not a licensed care facility.