Police: North Texas woman, boyfriend waterboarded mentally disabled boy, tied up his genitals

Kaufman County Sheriff's deputies arrested Christi Howell, 40, on Feb. 9 and charged her with injury to a child, according to Kaufman County Jail records. She is being held on a $250,000 bond. Kaufman County Sheriff's deputies arrested Christi Howell, 40, on Feb. 9 and charged her with injury to a child, according to Kaufman County Jail records. She is being held on a $250,000 bond. Photo: Kaufman County Jail Photo: Kaufman County Jail Image 1 of / 96 Caption Close Police: North Texas woman, boyfriend waterboarded mentally disabled boy, tied up his genitals 1 / 96 Back to Gallery

Police have accused a North Texas woman and her boyfriend of waterboarding a mentally disabled boy and tying up his genitals.

Kaufman County Sheriff's deputies arrested Christi Howell, 40, on Feb. 9 and charged her with injury to a child, according to Kaufman County Jail records. She is being held on a $250,000 bond.

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Howell's boyfriend Casey Shackleford, 45, turned himself in to Kaufman County Jail on Wednesday in connection with the case.

Shackleford has been charged with injury to a child and violating his probation, a spokesman for the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office said Thursday.

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The couple allegedly committed the acts after the boy told Shackleford he had "put his finger inside the family dog's butt, " the boy told Kaufman County investigators, according to an arrest affidavit.

Shackleford grabbed the boy, pinned him down and held a towel over the boy's face, according to the affidavit.

Howell then poured cold water over the boy's face through the towel, the boy told investigators.

That process is known as waterboarding, a way to simulate drowning that is widely considered a torture technique banned by the United States for use against enemy combatants.

The boy was able to avoid that drowning sensation by moving his head to the side, which allowed him to breathe to a certain extent, the boy told investigators.

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According to the affidavit, Shackleford and Howell also tied "pig rope" to the boy's "private parts" and neck. The boy suffered burn marks and cuts from the rope.

Howell admitted to waterboarding the child and tying the rope around the boy's genitals and neck but said that Shackleford "came up with the idea and told her to do it," according to the affidavit.

jfechter@mySA.com

Twitter: @JFreports