A St. Clair County woman accused of brutally abusing her two foster children over a four-year span, including locking them in dog cages, was sentenced on Monday to 6-10 years in prison.
Sarah Elise Hager, 39, of Port Huron, was arrested in March and charged with seven felony counts — including child abuse and torture — for allegedly abusing the children under her care from 2017 to 2021.
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Hager pleaded guilty on May 18 to two counts of second-degree child abuse, one count of second-degree child abuse in the presence of another child and one count of attempted torture. All other charges were dismissed, according to court records.
She was sentenced to serve 6-10 years for the child abuse charges and 42 months to five years for attempted torture, to be served concurrently. She also received a 119-day credit for time served.
In an affidavit filed on Feb. 13, 2026, the children — a boy and a girl who have not been identified because they are still minors — said they experienced unspeakable horror while living with Hager in Emmett, Michigan. They told authorities that Hager routinely abused them, including beating them and locking them inside darkened rooms and a dog cage.
The boy told authorities that he once wet the bed, and Hager proceeded to beat him and then rubbed his face in the urine-soaked bed.
Child Protective Services was alerted of the abuse in 2025, at which point the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office was notified.
Hager was taken into custody by the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office on Feb. 27, 2026.