A Georgian pastor and his wife have been charged with false imprisonment after at least eight people were found in their basement

[ad_1]

Last week, a pastor from Georgia and his wife were arrested and charged with false imprisonment after eight people were found locked in their basement. Since then, their lawyer has spoken out on the issue and denied allegations against his clients.

According to NBC News, Griffin Police Department issued a statement claiming that Pastor Curtis Keith Bankston and his wife Sofia Sim-Bankston run an unlicensed “group home” from the basement of their home. Officials found out about the people in their basement after the fire department answered a call about someone who has a seizure at home. When they arrived, they recognized the bolt on the basement door and had to climb out the window to reach the patient in need.

The people found in the basement are between 25 and 65 years old. Investigators say the people found in the basement have either mental or physical disabilities and say they are “essentially imprisoned against their will, which is extremely dangerous because people cannot leave the residence if an emergency arises.”

Of the five found in the basement, they are wards of the state. Since then, all have been housed in state housing.

Pastor Bankston and his wife were also accused of controlling “the finances, medicines and public benefits” of those in their basement. Police say the “group home” was “under the guise of a church known as One Step of Faith 2nd Chance.”

Bankston’s lawyer, Dexter Wimbish, responded by saying: “First, One Step of Faith 2nd Chance Ministries does not run a group home, but a Christian ministry that provides room and food for people who have often been homeless or raised by the state. ”

He continued: “Everyone in this house was here of their own free will, they were free to come and go as they wished. No one has been detained or held hostage. “

Wimbish admitted that they did not have the proper documentation to run the “home group”, but said they would receive it.

“We will fight with everything we have. There is no intention to have pleadings. They have done nothing wrong. Behind them is their community. Their family is behind them, “Wimbish added.