Authorities said Friday that four people were arrested on charges of mistreating nine children in their Florida home by securing them with plywood beneath a bunk bed and punishing them by sprinkling vinegar in their faces.
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office stated in a statement Friday that husband and wife Brian and Jill Griffeth, 21-year-old Dallin Griffeth, and 19-year-old Liberty Griffeth were all detained and charged with severe child abuse.
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According to the sheriff’s office, the four adults are suspected of abusing five biological and four adoptive children, ages seven to sixteen, in their Fort White, Florida, home, which is about 35 miles northwest of Gainesville.
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The sheriff’s office claims that the suspects locked the kids in their beds, beat them with a cane, and gave them over-the-counter medication.
According to the sheriff’s office, the children were not transported to school or given proper instruction to read or write, and they had been told to lie about what was going on in their home.
Authorities also stated that a court order has been issued for the removal of all nine of the children from the house.
According to the statement, the Griffeths’ investigation started when a required reporter at their local church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Branford, Florida, expressed worries about the kids. A professional who is legally obligated to report suspected child abuse or neglect is known as an obligatory reporter.
A few days before the arrests, one of the kids was found at church camp carrying a working electronic stun gun, according to the sheriff’s office.
In addition to the fact that the adopted children were unaware of their complete names or their own birthdays, the sheriff’s office stated that investigators thought the adopted children were receiving unequal treatment in comparison to the Griffeth biological children.
According to the statement, the adopted children were working on household tasks while the biological children were playing or watching television when the Department of Children and Families investigators visited the family’s home to conduct an interview.
The bond amount for each adult was set at $500,000.
A comment from the Griffeths could be obtained right away. Whether they have gotten legal counsel is unclear.
