West Virginia couple accused of trafficking their adopted black children to use as 'slaves,' authorities say

CNN
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Two West Virginia parents are awaiting trial on more than a dozen charges after they adopted four black children and allegedly used them for “forced labor” on their farm, according to court documents.

Jeanne Whitefeather, 62, and Donald Lantz, 63, both white, were charged with child trafficking, civil rights violations, use of a minor child in forced labor and child neglect. children, according to the indictment which has 17 counts.

Madison Tuck, an assistant district attorney in Kanawha County, West Virginia, told CNN on Wednesday that the trial is expected to begin on September 9.

Tuck said the children were “all safe,” but declined to provide further details about their location.

Lantz and Whitefeather pleaded not guilty at their arraignment on June 11.

Mark Plants, an attorney representing Whitefeather, told CNN on Thursday that his client “absolutely and categorically denies the allegations.”

“We're talking about two parents who adopted and cared for five black children for the last eight years. This will be revealed at trial. We'll let the jury decide in the end. But we categorically and categorically deny these allegations. »

Lantz's attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

At the arraignment, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers said, “I don't think I've ever seen an indictment like this in my entire life.” »

Akers, referring to the indictment, said the children were “targeted because of their race” to be used “essentially as slaves.”

CNN obtained court documents related to the case, which began in October 2023 when Kanawha County sheriff's deputies responded to a 911 call raising concerns about the children.

CNN requested a copy of the 911 call, but authorities declined to release it.

The 911 caller reported that the children were “being forced to do farm work” and “were not allowed in the house,” according to a sworn statement from the deputy who responded to the call.

A news release from the sheriff's office said, “Officers were forced into the barn where they located a young man and a young woman locked in a room approximately 20 x 14 feet.”

“The children had no way to get out of the barn on their own, no running water, no toilets, and were obviously deprived of adequate hygiene care and food,” the statement said.

According to the deputy's affidavit, “the minor also stated that she and her 14-year-old brother were not allowed in the house.”

“There were no accessible windows in the room or a way for the children to get out. In the event of a medical emergency or fire, the children would not have been able to escape from the locked room to safety,” the statement said.

When Whitefeather and Lantz arrived a few hours later, the deputy wrote, “Ms. Whitefeather admitted to Detective Alford that the children had been left in the shed, but stated that they 'liked it.' »

A sworn affidavit from a sheriff's office lieutenant said the October 2023 encounter with police was preceded by two other 911 calls regarding the children's welfare.

Both callers, in May and June 2023, told dispatchers that children living there were “sleeping in the barn” and using portable toilets outside, according to the affidavit.

Each time, Whitefeather and Lantz told responding officers that they had just moved to the site from Washington state and were using the portable toilets because of plumbing problems in their new home, the report said. the press release.

“MS. Whitefeather told deputies that people in the area did not like them and that vehicles were stopping in the roadway in front of their residence,” the lieutenant wrote of the June 2023 encounter. “This call was authorized without any police intervention being necessary.”

A grand jury returned an indictment against Whitefeather and Lantz in May, alleging, among other things, that the couple “knowingly, criminally and willfully trafficked a minor” and “recruited, enticed and obtained the victim of the offense from a shelter and facility that serves runaway youth, foster children, homeless persons and victims of human trafficking, domestic violence and sexual assault.”

The two pairs are each being held on $500,000 “cash only” bonds, according to a charging order.