Sprayed with vinegar, locked in cage: Florida family charged with abuse of 9 children
Four family members were arrested in Florida over accusations they abused nine children by caging them with plywood under a bunk bed, spraying them in the face with vinegar and giving them nonprescribed medications, authorities said.
Brian and Jill Griffeth, 47 and 41, along with 21-year-old Dallin Griffeth and 19-year-old Liberty Griffeth, were charged July 22 with aggravated child abuse of five biological and four adopted children between the ages of 7 and 16 at their home in Fort White, Florida, the Columbia County Sheriff's office said in a news release.
In interviews conducted as part of the investigation, the children told officials Brian Griffeth had beaten them with a cane and locked them in their bedrooms. They alleged Jill Griffeth placed a sheet of plywood on top of their bodies and pressed down, according to police.
The children also said the four adults sprayed them in the face with vinegar, gave them medications not prescribed to them, and did not provide adequate schooling to read or write, the Columbia County Sheriff's office said.
The public defender's office, which is representing Liberty Griffeth, declined to comment on the case.
A judge appointed the Office of Criminal Conflict and Regional Counsel to represent the other Griffeth family members, due to a conflict with the public defender's office. The office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The investigation into the Griffeth family began after a mandatory reporter at their church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Branford, Florida, expressed concerns about the children's well-being. One of the children was seen with a “functioning electronic stun gun” at a church camp and among other concerns, the news release said.
“Additional concerns were raised about the adopted children being treated unfairly compared to the Griffeth biological children, in addition to the children not knowing their full name or their own birthdays,” the release added.
Child services investigators who entered the home in early July saw the family’s four adopted children completing chores while the five biological children watched television and played, according to police.
The four Griffeth family members are each being held in jail on a $500,000 bond.
Relatives of the Griffeths could not be immediately reached for comment.