Civil case opens on Sissonville couple for bond payments tied to possible human trafficking

KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK) – A civil case has been filed in connection with a man and a woman accused of keeping children locked in a barn.

Donald Lantz and Jeanne Whitefeather were indicted last month on charges of human trafficking of a minor child; civil rights violations based on color, race and/or ancestry; use of minor child in forced labor; child neglect creating a substantial risk of serious bodily injury or death; and false swearing.

Both were arrested in October 2023 after two of their adoptive children were found in a locked barn with no running water, a working bathroom or a way to leave, and a third child was found in an unprotected loft in the home.

The two were released on a $400,000 cash bond in February.

But a Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Krivonyak claims they used money from profits that were obtained from breaking human trafficking laws.

According to circuit court records, Lantz and Whitefeather sold a ranch they owned in Washington State for $725,000. The sale closed February 2. Three days later, the two posted bond.

On March 28, they sold their home in Sissonville, the same home where children were found locked in a barn, for $295,000.

Krivonyak’s filing says all of these funds are subject to possibly being seized by the state because Lantz and Whitefeather’s five adopted kids were at both properties during periods of alleged human trafficking.

The civil case was opened through a complaint of forfeiture on May 28. Lantz and Whitefeather have 30 days to file a counterclaim, at which point litigation and even a trial could take place.

While they would not face additional criminal charges, the profits from their two property sales could be seized by the state depending on the outcome of the civil case.

As for their ongoing criminal case, Lantz and Whiteweather are scheduled to reappear in Kanawha County Circuit Court on June 11.

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