White West Virginia couple forced their adopted black children to work as slaves and live in barn

A couple who have been accused of locking up their adopted black children and forcing them to work as slaves have been sent behind bars once again.

Donald Ray Lantz, 63, and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, 62 of Charleston, West Virginia, plead not guilty on Tuesday to over a dozen new charges after their kids were found locked in a dilapidated shed after laboring on the surrounding farmland.

The new charges included human trafficking of a minor child, use of a minor child in forced labor, and child neglect creating substantial risk of serious bodily injury or death.

Their bond has now been set to $500,000 each - which is $300,000 more than each of their original bonds. 

The couple's first arrest took place in October after it was discovered that the couple's five adopted children, all of whom were black, were forced to live in a locked barn in squalor conditions.

The latest indictment claims the couple is guilty of human rights violations, speculating that the couple forced their children into hard labor because of their race. 

Kanawha County Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers told MetroNews that this case is the first of its kind that has seen in her career and that the couple's original bond of $200,000 was insufficient compared to the severity of their crimes.

'Along with human trafficking and neglect was serious risk of bodily injuries or death, I don't find the bond to be sufficient,' Akers said. 'It alleges human trafficking, human rights violations, the use of forced labor.'

'Human rights violations specific to the fact that these children were targeted because of their race and they were used basically as slaves from what the indictment alleges.'

Prosecutors previously raised concerns that the couple's $400,000 bond money in February might have come from their alleged human trafficking activities.

Kanawha County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Christopher Krivonyak reported that the couple, who previously claimed to have no assets or income, sold an 80-acre ranch in Tonasket, Washington for $725,000 on February 2. 

Three days later, Whitefeather's brother posted two $200,000 bonds to get the couple out of the jail cells they were being held in.  

Then on March 28, Krivonyak noted that they had also sold their home in Sissonville, where they were arrested, for $295,000.

Prosecutors concluded that despite whether or not the money was obtained legally, it was originally intended for human trafficking.

The couple's money is still in the custody of the court, which Krivonyak said should be transferred to the children in the form of a trust fund.

The minors involved were aged 16, 14, 11, 9, and six.  

Whitefeather previously stated that the barn where the 16-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy were found was a 'teenage clubhouse,' and they were not held their against their will.

However, the teenage girl told deputies they had been locked in the building for approximately 12 hours and were last given food in the morning.

The building only had a small RV porta-potty and no running water, according images from inside and the initial police report. 

The children were also forced to sleep on the hard concrete floor, they said.  

Court documents said neighbors reported that the children were forced into farm labor and were not allowed inside the main house.

Filings also state that the teenage boy wreaked of body odor and had 'open sores on his bare feet.'

Deputies found the nine-year-old girl inside the main house three hours after police arrived at the scene.

Lantz came home with the 11-year-old boy, while Whitefeather surrendered their six-year-old girl to authorities, who has been with friends from the couple's church.

Their trial is set for September 9.