State attorney general: Washington County woman kept sister in wooden cage

A Washington County woman allegedly kept her 53-year-old sister in a wooden cage with a dirty mattress, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

His office charged Leona Biser, 51, of Vestaburg, with neglect of a care-dependent person, abuse of a care-dependent person, recklessly endangering another person, unlawful restraint, and false imprisonment.

“This defendant professed to be caring for her sister when, in fact, the home was in deplorable condition, had no running water, and the victim was not getting her prescribed medicines,” Shapiro said in a statement.

Shapiro said officers found out Biser was keeping her sister in a man-made cage in her home’s living room.

Here’s a picture of Leona Biser, the woman who PA’s Attorney General says locked her sister in a cage in a home with no running water and no bathroom @WPXI pic.twitter.com/jxZ6AuPkXX

— Amy Hudak (@amy_hudak) January 16, 2020

“Our agents have made sure the victim has received needed care and will no longer have to suffer daily living in a cage,” he said.

The sister was taken to Monongahela Valley Hospital for treatment of a urinary tract infection and rhabdomyolysis, a muscle breakdown caused by infection.

Her health has improved since being taken to the hospital, according to Shapiro’s office. She is working with a speech therapist and has regained some mobility.

Biser was arraigned before District Judge Joshua P. Kanalis, and is free on a $50,000 unsecured bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 24.