West Virginia couple convicted of forced labor, human trafficking of adopted kids
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia couple accused of neglect and forced labor involving their adopted children was convicted by a jury on Wednesday after eight hours of deliberations.
Jeanne Kay Whitefeather and Donald Ray Lantz went on trial in mid-January and each faced over a dozen counts, including forced labor, civil rights violations, human trafficking and child neglect.
The couple, who are white, were accused of mistreating their children — all of whom are Black — by locking them in a shed, forcing them to sleep on the floor and using buckets as toilets, and more.
The Kanawha County Circuit Court jury convicted Whitefeather on all 19 counts against her, including the civil rights violations. Lantz was found guilty on 12 counts out of 16. He was acquitted of four counts of civil rights violations. Both showed little emotion as the verdict was read.
Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney Debra Rusnak said she cried as she heard the word "guilty" repeated again and again.
"These cases mean a lot to us — we take a lot of this personally," she said at a news conference afterward. "This is our community, and these are the children of our community. If we're not going to fight for them, then who will?"
Whitefeather and Lantz adopted the five siblings while living in Minnesota. In 2018, they moved to a farm in Washington state and then brought the family to West Virginia in May 2023. The children ranged in age from 5 to 16.
The couple was arrested in October 2023 after neighbors saw Lantz lock the oldest girl and her teenage brother in a shed and leave the property. A deputy used a crowbar to get them out.
Read more at: https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/jury-convicts-west-virginia-couple-accused-of-neglect-forced-labor-involving-their-adopted-children/
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