INVERNESS, Fla. -- A Florida teacher is accused of holding a 12-year-old boy captive and abusing him regularly, reports CBS Tampa.

According to police, Denise Elaine Hallowell, 54, was arrested Monday on charges of aggravated child abuse.

The police report says they learned of the abuse after the boy's second attempt to run away from the house. The victim told authorities Hallowell would lock him in his room and deny him food or bathroom use as a form of punishment. The report also says a bucket was left in his room for him to urinate in and that the windows were nailed shut.

The Citrus County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that this is one of the worst cases of child abuse it has encountered.

Detectives say the woman would hit the 12-year-old boy across the face and neck and made another child slap, punch, and kick him in the groin. The relationship between the two children and Hallowell has not been made public.

The victim reportedly said he went as long as two days at a time without food, and that Hallowell would only let him out to perform chores naked.

Police say the victim had only an air mattress and few personal items in the room while the other boy living in the same household reportedly had a fully furnished bedroom with a computer, various electronics, and personal items, according to the station.

The 12-year-old boy told police he was fed different food than the other boy as a form of punishment, and was often called "worthless."

When Hallowell was questioned by detectives, she denied making the boy do chores naked or kicking and punching him in the groin, reports the station. She told authorities she had spanked the boy for discipline, and that she nailed his windows shut and locked his door to prevent him from running away.

Hallowell said she removed items from his room because he was "out of control" and would damage things. She also denied using the other child to abuse the boy.

The other child told detectives he had held the 12-year-old boy during physical discipline and that the boy was flailing his arms during one incident.

That child is no longer in the home and is being cared for. Hallowell is being held without bond.