Insets from left to right: Gina Sagona and Mark Sagona (Ascension Parish Sheriff”s Office). Background: The Ascension Parish Jail in Donaldsonville, Louisiana (Google Maps).
Gina Sagona, aged 44, faces charges of cruelty to a juvenile, as announced by the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office in a recent Facebook post.
Her husband, Mark Sagona, 45, has been charged with being a principal to cruelty to a juvenile.
The incident came to light on Monday when law enforcement responded to a call from the Department of Children and Family Services, alerting them to a child abuse situation involving a 14-year-old boy at a residence in Ascension Parish. This parish is centrally located between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
During their investigation, detectives reviewed home video footage that clearly showed Gina Sagona pushing the boy face down into dog urine and dragging him through it. The sheriff’s office also noted that the boy had been struck several times.
Detectives say that during their investigation, they “reviewed home video footage showing Gina Sagona force the juvenile face down into dog urine and then drag him through it.” The sheriff’s office added that the teenager “was also struck multiple times.”
Mark Sagona was allegedly “present during portions of the incident.”
When investigators interviewed Gina Sagona, she reportedly “admitted to the abuse.” She and Mark Sagona were arrested and booked into the Ascension Parish Jail in Donaldsonville, Louisiana.
Authorities stressed that the investigation was ongoing. The relationship between the defendants and the teen is unclear.
Jail records show both defendants were booked into the jail on Monday and are still in custody. Gina Sagona is being held on a $50,000 bond while Mark Sagona is being held on a $40,000 bond.
They are both awaiting an arraignment in court, the records add.
