A white couple from West Virginia have been accused of child neglect after allegedly forcing their adopted black children to work as ‘slaves’ and locking them in a barn.
Donald Ray Lantz, 63, and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, 62, pleaded not guilty at Kanawha County court on Tuesday to multiple charges, including human trafficking of a minor child, use of a minor child in forced labour, and child neglect creating substantial risk of serious bodily injury or death, according to local news outlet Metro News.
They also face allegations of human rights violations, over specifically targeting black children and forcing them to work because of their race, Metro News said.
Kanawha County circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers claimed that the children were “used basically as slaves”, citing what the indictment alleges.
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The couple were first arrested in October 2023 after a wellness check led to the discovery of two of the couple’s five adopted children – aged six, nine, 11, 14 and 16 – living in inhumane conditions at a property in Sissonville.
In a previous statement made to the court, Whitefeather alleged that the barn where the 14 and 16-year-old were found in was a “teenage clubhouse” and denied that they were locked in.
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A nine-year-old girl was found inside the main house before Lantz came home with an 11-year-old boy and later, Whitefeather returned with a six-year-old.
Their bail has been set at $500,000 each, up from the previous amount of $200,000.
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A trial date for the couple has been set for 9 September.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to a series of parties in Morgantown over the weekend.
Morgantown police officers, West Virginia University Police and state police responded to reports of overcrowded parties, underage drinking, physical altercations and multiple injuries.
Morgantown Communications Director Brad Riffie said several citations were issued for open containers and underage consumption.
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Two large parties were dispersed and six arrests were made without incident.
None of the reported injuries are believed to be serious or life-threatening.
The Morgantown Fire Department assisted in the operations.
Hancock County, WV — A Weir High School senior has been recognized as the 2026 West Virginia Student Journalist of the Year.
Hailey Hans was selected for the statewide honor after building a journalism portfolio since her freshman year. She also serves as the staff manager of Weir Student Media, where she oversees articles and is in charge of deadlines.
“When I was a freshman I was placed in the journalism one class, and I actually tried to get pulled from the class. But, then after I sat in the class and I learned a little bit, that’s where my love grew and then from there I continued to take classes, I helped pass a law, and I got to these national conventions. Where it just lit a fire inside me,” Hans said.
Hans is planning to attend West Liberty University in the fall to study education with a minor in journalism, with the goal of becoming a journalism teacher. She will now submit her portfolio for the national-level contest.
The regular season is now behind us, and we are moving on to the next chapter of the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season, the week of conference tournaments.
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With their win on Friday over UCF and thanks to TCU taking care of business against Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon, the West Virginia Mountaineers have locked up the No. 7 seed in the Big 12 tournament, meaning they will receive a first-round bye. Ross Hodge’s squad will await the winner of No. 10 BYU and No. 15 Kansas State.
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While most may think it’s best to pull for K-State to spring the upset, it’s actually probably better if BYU wins. Why? Well, simply because beating Kansas State isn’t going to boost your resume. If there’s any chance at an at-large bid for the Mountaineers, they need to beat more quality teams. Beating BYU a second time would go a long way, and then springing the upset against Houston in the quarterfinals would really open some eyes.
Anyways, here is a look at all of the matchups and the entire bracket.
First round byes: Iowa State, TCU, West Virginia, UCF
Double byes: Arizona, Houston, Kansas, Texas Tech
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Tuesday (First Round)
Game 1: No. 12 Arizona State vs. No. 13 Baylor, 12:30 p.m. on ESPN+
Game 2: No. 9 Cincinnati vs. No. 16 Utah, 3 p.m. on ESPN+
Game 3: No. 10 BYU vs. No. 15 Kansas State, 7 p.m. on ESPN+
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Game 4: No. 11 Colorado vs. No. 14 Oklahoma State, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN+
Wednesday (Second Round)
Game 5: No. 5 Iowa State vs. winner of No. 12 Arizona State/No. 13 Baylor, 12:30 p.m. on ESPN/2
Game 6: No. 8 UCF vs. winner of No. 9 Cincinnati/No. 16 Utah, 3 p.m. on ESPNU
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Game 7: No. 7 West Virginia vs. winner of No. 10 BYU/No. 15 Kansas State, 7 p.m. on ESPNU
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Game 8: No. 6 TCU vs. winner of No. 11 Colorado/No. 14 Oklahoma State, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2/U
Thursday (Quarterfinals)
Game 9: No. 4 Texas Tech vs. Game 5 winner, 12:30 p.m. on ESPN/2
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Game 10: No. 1 Arizona vs. Game 6 winner, 3 p.m. on ESPN/2
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Game 11: No. 2 Houston vs. Game 7 winner, 7 p.m. on ESPN/2
Game 12: No. 3 Kansas vs. Game 8 winner, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN/2
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Friday (Semifinals)
Game 13: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 7 p.m. on ESPN/2
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Game 14: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN/2
Saturday (Championship)
Game 15: Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner, 6 p.m. on ESPN
