10-year-old put in cage

10-year-old put in cage, Two Pennsylvania parents have been arrested after police say motorists spied a 10-year-old girl riding in a dog cage in the back of the family pickup truck.

The incident happened at around 7pm Monday on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Millvale, just outside Pittsburgh, according to police.

Officers responded to the scene after getting reports from passing driver who saw the girl riding in the back of the truck in the cage.

Her mother, 29-year-old Abbey Carlson, and stepfather, 30-year-old Thomas Fishinger, are now facing charges of endangering the welfare of a child.

According to police, Carlson and Fishinger told officers the girl had said she wanted to be with the small dog. The child was not injured.

Carson and Fishinger were arraigned Tuesday morning and released on their own recognizance. They are due back in court June 6 for a preliminary hearing.

The arrest came after a motorist driving eastbound on the turnpike called state police just after 7pm to report seeing a girl caged along with a small dog in the bed of a passing pickup truck.

Troopers received a second 911 call from another motorist a few minutes later.

The Good Samaritans were able to provide a description and license plate of the vehicle, which helped troopers track the family down.

Fishinger, who was driving the truck, told arresting officers during questioning that they were on their way home after spending Memorial Day weekend at his mother's home in Beaver County, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

According to Carlson's Facebook page, the family have at least two mixed breed dogs.

In three of the photos posted on the page, a girl believed to be the couple's daughter is pictured playing in the snow with a gate separating her from one of the dogs.

On May 8, the 29-year-old mother posted a graphic on her page with the following saying: 'Daughter: A Daughter may outgrow you lap, but she will never outgrow your heart.'

For Fishinger, the Monday night arrest comes less than a week after he was taken into custody and charged with 18 counts of identity theft and access device fraud, according to court records cited by The Smoking Gun.

The 30-year-old man was released from jail Friday on $5,000 bail.