Donald Ray Lantz and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather are currently under police custody following an incident in which two children were reportedly discovered confined in a shed in Sissonville, West Virginia. This information was conveyed by the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office through an official press release.
The Caller Observed The Act Of Unlocking The Shed
Deputy H.K. Burdette promptly responded to a distress call originating from the 200 block of Cheyenne Lane in Sissonville, shortly after 5:45 p.m. local time on Monday afternoon, as stated by the department. According to authorities, the caller witnessed a man unlocking the shed, engaging in conversation with the minors, and subsequently securing the shed once again.
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The sheriff's office relayed that the deputies were compelled to forcibly enter the barn, where they discovered a male and female juvenile locked within a confined space measuring approximately 20x14 feet. The deputies further reported that the captive children were devoid of access to running water and functional bathroom facilities within the shed.
Incapable Of Vacating The Shed
Supposedly, the kids were exposed to deficient clean consideration and denied food inside the shed, which needed windows, beds, or even a lone table and seat. As indicated by reports from WSAZ, the delegates were educated by two minors, a 16-year-old young lady and a 14-year-old kid, that they couldn't leave the shed.
WVVA likewise detailed that the 16-year-old young lady referenced that this was what was happening for the kin. She further revealed that they were furnished with food at around 6 a.m. early that day, after which they were restricted to the room until the specialists showed up.
Currently Located In The Primary Dwelling
According to the criminal grumbling got by WSAZ, there was one more minor present in the fundamental home. The protest states, "I noticed a little kid through the window, having all the earmarks of being roughly 5 to 6 years of age sitting alone on the floor of the space. I witnessed the child in a state of distress, shedding tears while positioned perilously close to the railing of a loft that stood at an estimated height of 15 feet.
Because of the troubled state of the youngster and the hazard of the kid falling, the constrained section was made to get the kid," as announced by WZAS News. The sheriff's office affirmed that there were no overseers or gatekeepers present at the scene upon the delegates' appearance. Notwithstanding, the new parents, Lantz (63) and Whitefeather (61) showed up at the home between 8:30 p.m. furthermore, 9:45 p.m.
Detained On Serious Criminal Charges
According to a report by WVVA, it has been alleged that Whitefeather confirmed to the deputies that the children were left in the shed and expressed that "they like it." As per the authorities, Lantz and Whitefeather have been arrested on felony charges of gross child neglect creating a substantial risk of injury.
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The bonds for Lantz and Whitefeather have been set at $200,000 cash, and a starter hearing date has been booked for the pair on Oct. 12, as revealed by WSAZ. Nonetheless, the Kanawha Region Sheriff's Office representative didn't answer quickly to the solicitation for extra data on Tuesday.