JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (TCN) — A couple has been booked into jail following an investigation that found they had allegedly confined four children inside the cab of a tractor-trailer since 2019.
According to KATV, 51-year-old Keisha Epps and her fiancé, 37-year-old Tamra Marshon Stewart, were arrested Aug. 6 and each charged with four counts of child neglect.
Investigators learned that Epps worked as a truck driver and would drive a route between Miami and Atlanta, according to the New York Post. While Epps was driving, Stewart was allegedly in charge of watching the children, and he would allegedly sexually abuse one of them. When the other children told Epps about the alleged abuse, Stewart allegedly retaliated by punching them in the head. The child reportedly suffered from an untreated sexually transmitted infection.
According to the Post, investigators discovered the children had allegedly spent most of their time in the cab since 2019. They had reportedly not been to school in five years and did not receive medical treatment. They allegedly slept curled up together on a bunk bed and walked with an “unnatural gait” due to the alleged confinement, per the Post.
It is not known how the children were related to either Epps or Stewart, KATV reports. According to People, how the children were discovered and rescued has not been revealed.
Epps is being held on $400,000 bond, or $100,000 for each count, according to KATV. She is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 3. Stewart is being held without bond.
According to court documents obtained by the Post, capital sexual battery charges will be filed in the Ninth Judicial District against Stewart. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
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