A West Virginia couple is again in media headlines after a decide revoked their bond on expenses of human trafficking. Indictment paperwork reportedly accuse Donald Ray Lantz and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, each Caucasian, of enslaving at the very least 5 adopted Black youngsters, per MetroNews.
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Particulars On The Preliminary Arrest Of The West Virginia Couple
Based on the outlet, the replace occurred practically two weeks in the past, on June 11. Native regulation enforcement first arrested Donald, 63, and Jeanne, 62, in October 2023. On the time, a wellness examine at their West Virginia house revealed that the couple had two of their adopted youngsters locked inside a shed on their property.
Neither Donald nor Jeanne had been at house when deputies first arrived. Deputies discovered a 3rd Black little one, aged 9, contained in the West Virginia couple’s principal house. Three hours into their wellness examine, Donald Ray Lantz arrived house with an 11-year-old Black boy. An hour after him, Jeanne pulled as much as the home and led deputies to the final little one, a 6-year-old Black lady who was with acquaintances from the couple’s church.
The 16-year-old lady reportedly advised deputies the couple had her and the 14-year-old boy locked within the shed for 12 hours with no meals. Moreover, the 14-year-old boy had “open sores on his naked ft,” per courtroom docs that MetroNews cited. The teenagers’ bodily situation included physique odor and an unclean look.
Jeanne Kay Whitefeather beforehand advised the courtroom the shed was a “teenage clubhouse” that was not locked. Nonetheless, reviews from deputies painted a special image. The shed reportedly had no operating water and solely an RV porta-potty. Moreover, the kids revealed that they had been pressured to sleep on the concrete flooring with no padding or mattress.
The indictment reportedly cited neighbors who claimed that “the kids had been pressured to carry out farm labor and weren’t permitted contained in the residence.” It’s unclear who referred to as native authorities for the wellness examine.
Decide Revokes Couple’s Bond For THIS Cause
Donald and Jeanne face a number of expenses associated to human trafficking of a minor little one, use of a minor little one in pressured labor, and little one neglect with threat of bodily damage or loss of life. Regardless of proof and eyewitness accounts, the West Virginia couple pleaded not responsible to the costs.
Authorities saved them locked up on the South Central Regional Jail. Their unique bond was set at $200,000 every. They paid it in February after the sale of an 80-acre ranch in Washington for $725,000.
Nonetheless, Kanawha County prosecutors argued in courtroom that the cash for his or her money bonds was “contraband straight or not directly used or supposed to be used” of violating human trafficking legal guidelines.
Earlier this month, Kanawha County Circuit Decide Maryclaire Akers discovered benefit within the prosecutors’ arguments. Akers revoked their bond, calling it inadequate, and raised it to $500,000 every.
In the meantime, the Kanawha County Circuit Courtroom Clerk’s workplace is holding on to the cash the West Virginia couple paid in February. Decide Akers believes the cash needs to be positioned in a belief for the minor victims within the case.
“[The indictment] alleges human trafficking, human rights violations, the usage of pressured labor,” Decide Akers stated. “Human rights violations particular to the truth that these youngsters had been focused due to their race they usually had been used mainly as slaves from what the indictment alleges.”
The West Virginia couple are due again in courtroom on September 9 for his or her trial.
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