California couple charged with torture, attempted murder for allegedly abusing 8-year-old boy

HESPERIA, Calif. (TCN) — A California couple has been arrested and taken into custody on suspicion of torturing an 8-year-old boy. 

On Nov. 6, an investigation began in connection with a child who had been hospitalized with extensive injuries, the San Bernardino Police Department said in a statement Nov. 12.

Detectives and deputies from the Victorville and Hesperia’s sheriff’s stations initiated the investigation and detectives from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office Crimes Against Children Detail took over.

Investigators identified Denise Althoff, 26, and Elias Heinrich Dickson, 38, as the suspects, and they were arrested Nov. 7 and taken into custody at the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino.

Both were charged with four counts of torture, one count of attempted murder, and one count of false imprisonment, the Victorville Daily Press reports. They pleaded not guilty to the charges on Nov. 13. 

Bail was set at $1 million for each suspect, the sheriff’s department said. Their preliminary hearings are scheduled for Nov. 18, the Victorville Daily Press reports. 

MORE: