Nation IN BRIEF : SOUTH CAROLINA : Hired Help to Hold Tethered Teenager

A judge ordered that a helper be hired to hold 15-year-old Tonya Kline’s leash when her stepfather returns to his Navy job this weekend. In December, Judge Wayne Creech ordered Tonya tethered to her mother 24 hours a day while awaiting sentencing for burglary, truancy and shoplifting. Otherwise, the teenager would have to be sent to a juvenile center. The girl’s stepfather, Richard Harter, has been responsible for holding her leash since last month, when Tonya’s mother, Deborah Harter, was hospitalized after overdosing on a prescription drug for anxiety.