According to local reports, a wealthy white couple in West Virginia has been indicted on charges of child abuse on their adopted black children who were allegedly confined to a shed and treated like slaves.
According to the New York Post, Donald Ray Lantz, 63, and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, 62, pleaded not guilty to more than a dozen new charges in the Kanawha County Circuit Court in West Virginia on June 11.
The couple faces a total of 12 charges including human trafficking, forced labor, and child neglect. All five adopted children were minors, aged 6, 9, 11, 14, and 16.
The investigation began in October last year after the police received a report from a neighbor claiming that the children were locked in a shed on the couple’s farm.
Upon arrival, the police discovered two teens locked in a filthy shed. Both children wore dirty clothes and smelled of body odor. They had open sores on their bare feet.
Inside was only a small RV porta-potty but no lights or running water. The children reportedly had to sleep on the concrete floor.
Meanwhile, a 9-year-old girl was found by the police in the main residence and the remaining two children were with Rantz and a church acquaintance.
Couple Denies Child Abuse Accusations
Despite the evidence, the couple denied the child abuse accusations.
Whitefeather claimed in court documents that “the children loved being in the barn, which they called a ‘clubhouse.'”
However, neighbors testified to the police that “the children were regularly subjected to forced labor on the farm and were not allowed to enter the house.”
The couple had faced similar charges before. Prosecutors said they have evidence the couple moved from Washington after they learned they were under investigation for child abuse and neglect.
Initially, the couple was set a bail bond of $200,000 each. They managed to secure enough funds for their release from jail by selling their house and ranch in February. However, the court more than doubled the bond, raising it to $500,000 each, after the prosecution alleged that “this money was made from (the children’s) forced labor.”
“The adopted children were exploited as slaves due to their race,” said Kanawha County Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers.
“It is one of the worst I’ve ever seen,” she added.
The case is set to go on trial on September 9.
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