Donald Ray Lutz and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather confronted new expenses associated to the neglect and abuse of their adopted kids.
Jun. 25 2024, Revealed 7:30 p.m. ET
A white couple in West Virginia have been accused of forcing their adopted Black kids to work as their slaves and dwell in a locked, dilapidated barn, RadarOnline.com has realized.
Donald Ray Lantz, 63, and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, 62, pleaded not responsible on Tuesday, June 24, to mulitple new expenses associated to the remedy of their 5 adopted kids, aged six to 16-years-old.
Article continues under commercial
Donald Ray Lutz of Charleston, West Virginia, pleaded not responsible to the brand new expenses.
The 5 kids had been found locked in a run down barn after allegedly being compelled to work on neighboring farmland. The choose presiding over the case mentioned the couple focused the kids due to their race they usually had been allegedly “used mainly as slaves.”
The couple’s new expenses embrace human trafficking of a minor baby, use of a minor baby in compelled labor, and baby neglect creating substantial threat of great bodily damage or loss of life.
Their bonds had been raised to $500,000 every.
Article continues under commercial
Jeanne Kay Whitefeather additionally pleaded not responsible to her expenses on Tuesday, June 25.
Article continues under commercial
Based on the couple’s October 2023 arrest report, the 16 and 14-year-old kids had been locked within the 20×14 shed, which had no lights, working water or meals. A digital camera was mounted within the left nook of the cramped house.
The barn moreover had no means of being opened from the within.
Article continues under commercial
A welfare examine revealed the kids had been in poor situation, carrying soiled garments and had sores on the bottoms of their ft.
Whitefeather, who homeschooled all 5 kids, instructed authorities that the barn was a “teenage clubhouse” and claimed the minors weren’t being held there towards their will. She moreover tried to say that the youngsters “preferred” the barn they had been discovered locked inside.
One of many youngsters disagreed and instructed police she had been locked contained in the constructing for 12 hours — and was final given meals at 6 AM.
Article continues under commercial
The kids had been locked within the barn with out lights, meals or working water.
MORE ON:
crime
Article continues under commercial
Three hours after police found the older kids contained in the locked room, they found an 9-year-old lady locked inside a loft within the couple’s $295,000, three-bed room residence.
Lantz got here residence with the 11-year-old boy and his spouse later surrendered a 6-year-old lady to authorities, who had been with mates from the couple’s church.
Youngster Protecting Companies had been known as to the scene and the kids had been handed over to the company.
Article continues under commercial
By no means miss a narrative — join the RadarOnline.com publication to get your each day dose of dope. Each day. Breaking. Movie star information. All free.
Article continues under commercial
Whitefeather claimed the outhouse was a ‘teenage clubhouse.’
Article continues under commercial
Disturbing pictures taken by police of the within of the outhouse revealed a small porta-potty rest room with no working water. The kids instructed authorities they compelled to sleep on the concrete flooring.
“If there was a medical emergency or hearth, the kids could be unable to exit the locked room to security,” the prison grievance said.
Courtroom paperwork revealed involved neighbors alerted authorities and claimed the kids had been being compelled to carry out handbook labor on the property’s 5 acres and weren’t allowed contained in the couple’s residence.
Article continues under commercial
Along with the couple’s Sissonville property, the place the kids had been found, additionally they owned an 80-acre property in Tonasket, Washington, which featured a $725,000 residence.
The couple offered their second property following their arrest in October.