ST. FRANCISVILLE - A married couple accused of abusing a child in their custody pleaded not guilty to charges in West Feliciana Parish on Thursday.  

Gretchen and Glenn Hanchey are both accused of felony cruelty to juveniles. Gretchen Hanchey was also booked on second-degree battery charges, while her husband was booked on Wednesday on false imprisonment charges. 

The pair is accused of child abuse dating back to 2024. Both have bonded out of the West Feliciana Parish Jail.

Gretchen Hanchey, 49, got custody of the child in 2018. She would allegedly hit the child with a metal bat and sticks, which continued over the next six years. In 2024, the couple brought the girl to a group home in Tupelo, Mississippi. A report from Mississippi officials says the child had burn injuries, scarring on her face and appeared to have suffered blunt force trauma.

Residents joined family members of the little girl at Thursday's hearing.

"I mean, she's always happy, and laughing and smiling and everything, but like you say, never know what's going on in somebody's house," Chuck Spillman, a resident of West Feliciana who says he knew Gretchen most of his life.

The little girl's biological father, Henry Hanchey, was there as well, angry at what his brother and wife were accused of doing.

"That's devastating, can't wrap it around my head, I can't", he said.

The girl's great aunt, Billie Reed, was in attendance as well. She said they knew something was wrong.

"I was surprised at the level, but I was not surprised by the abuse because there were definite signs of abuse that went un-listened to unheard," she said.

Court records WBRZ found also show that this wasn't the first home the child was placed in after allegations of abuse were made. In 2017, she was taken from her mother's home after allegations of poor living conditions. She was moved again in 2020 when the Hancheys got official custody of her.

The girl's family is hoping that the trial gets moved out of the parish.

"The biggest thing is this child needs justice, and she deserves justice finally, and justice will not be served here," she said.

Only WBRZ television cameras were at Thursday morning's hearing, where a motions hearing for the child abuse case was set for Jan. 29, 2026, while a trial was set for May 11, 2026.