A preliminary hearing was held today (Tuesday, August 15, 2017) in Rhea County for a couple accused of aggravated child abuse. Officers arrested Monica Hall and Dennis Couch of Evansville earlier this year for abusing a 5-year-old boy. Police say they allegedly restraining the child to the floor using a medium-sized dog harness attached to a man’s belt and fastened to a U-bolt on the floor. Authorities say Hall and Couch put the boy in the harness for hours at a time and sometimes overnight for at least three months. In a testimony, an officer said at one point the boy tried to chew his way out of his harness, leaving cuts in his mouth. The hearing ended today with the case being sent to an upcoming grand jury that will consider indictments against the two.