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Jacksonville man, woman accused of locking disabled man in shed

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man and woman were arrested Friday after police said they locked a disabled man in a shed in the back of a Jacksonville home.

Joyce Cobb, 44, and Robert Stevenson, 33, were both arrested on charges of abuse of disabled adult without causing great bodily harm and willfully tortures, maliciously punishes, or willfully and unlawfully cages an elderly person or disabled adult, according to Jacksonville Sheriff's Office arrest reports.

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Kenny Williams lives next door, and told Action News Jax Reporter Ryan Nelson he and his wife were in their backyard Friday evening when they heard a commotion.

“We could see them, two people pulling him, dragging him, carrying him in there, they put him in the shed there,” said Williams. “Next thing you know, you hear glass busting and he’s crying.”

Williams tells us he could hear loud banging coming from the shed and glass breaking.

When police responded to the home, an officer could hear a person "repeatedly yelling, 'Let me out,'" the report detailed.

A black SUV was parked less than an inch from the shed's pull out door, so the shed was not able to be opened.

Officers said Cobb "had no idea" where the keys to the SUV were and "it took her several minutes to find them," according to the report. While Cobb located the keys, Stevenson was detained in a police car.

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Once the SUV was moved and the shed was opened, the disabled man was found "sitting on an old couch in the dark," according to the report, as there was no light in the shed. Officers said the man "appeared terrified" and was covered in blood.

Broken glass was found throughout the shed and the two windows in the shed were broken. According to the report, officer said that it appeared the man was trying to break the windows to try and escape the shed.

Cobb told police that the disabled man went into the playhouse/shed willingly. Stevenson told police he was not involved in placing the man in the shed and said he was "asleep during the time period due to drinking alcohol," the report said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Cobb and Stevenson were still listed as being held in the Duval County Jail, each on a bond of $100,006.