FLORIDA – Content warning: This story details allegations of child abuse and neglect. For anyone needing resources, the 24/7 Florida Abuse Hotline can be reached at 1-800-962-2873.
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A Georgia couple has been arrested and charged in Florida on numerous charges of child abuse and neglect for allegedly keeping four children confined in the cab of a tractor-trailer for years, as they traveled throughout the state.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, along with other law enforcement officials, discussed the case and the arrests during a news conference on Tuesday.
Officials detailed years of alleged abuse of the children, including lack of food, hygiene, schooling, and medical care, among others.
Official: 4 children confined to, abused in tractor-trailer
What we know:
Keisha Epps, 51, and Tamra Stewart, 37, are accused of abusing the children—two boys and two girls—they kept in a tractor-trailer Epps drove on routes between Miami, Orlando, and Atlanta for six years, Uthmeier said.
Keisha Epps, 51, and Tamra Stewart, 37, are accused of abusing four children they kept confined in a tractor-trailer for six years.
Uthmeier said the girls were sexually abused by Stewart, and the boys, who witnessed the abuse, were physically beaten when they confronted Stewart or reported the abuse to Epps.
“The evidence shows that the truck would at times hit a truck station where the adults would go to the restroom, they might take a shower, but they would leave these kids locked in this rolling dungeon,” Uthmeier said.
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The children were forced to share a single bunk inside the cab and denied access to food, showers, schooling, and medical care, the Attorney General’s Office said. Two of the children were found with untreated burns that left serious scarring.
The children were between the ages of five and nine when the abuse started, officials said.
What they’re saying:
“These children were trapped in a rolling prison and abused by the adults who were supposed to protect them. Florida has zero tolerance for anyone who preys on children. We will seek the maximum punishment under the law,” Uthmeier said in a statement.
Suspects face multiple charges, additional charges possible
Dig deeper:
Uthmeier said the suspects face numerous charges.
Stewart: two counts of sexual battery, two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child under 12, two counts of battery of a child, two counts of child neglect without great bodily and two counts of child neglect causing permanent disfigurement.
Epps: two counts of sexual battery, two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation of a child under the age of 12, two counts of child neglect without great bodily and two counts of child neglect causing permanent disfigurement and four counts of failing to report child abuse.
Officials said the investigation is ongoing and more charges may be filed in the case.
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