Georgia couple arrested for child neglect, sexual abuse after keeping kids in semi-truck cab since 2019

A Georgia couple has been arrested in Florida and charged after allegedly keeping four children locked inside a semi-truck cab since 2019.

51-year-old Keisha Monique Epps and 37-year-old Tamra Stewart were arrested in Duval County last week. Epps faces four counts of child neglect, while Stewart faces charges of capital sexual battery.

According to an arrest report, the four children had been living in the cab of a semi-truck driven by Epps, who worked as a truck driver for a company operating between Atlanta and Miami. The children had allegedly been living in the truck since 2019 and were forced to share a single bunk, sleeping side by side without enough room to lie flat.

The children were rarely permitted to leave the truck, including using the restroom. They were poorly fed, denied adequate opportunities for movement, and were not enrolled in school. The children also did not receive medical treatment even when they were injured. One child reportedly suffered a burn while cooking noodles and was left with a permanent scar.

Stewart is accused of sexually abusing the children while Epps was driving, sleeping, or showering. The children told Epps they were being abused, but she did not believe them.  

“The problem is when a caretaker allows a child to be abused or abuses a child, fundamentally their sense of safety and the world change,” explained Forensic Psychologist Dr. Justin D’Arienzo, according to Action News Jax. “Often when kids experience something like this, they get displaced and they go from home to home as their caretakers are being rehabilitated. So that can do other damage too.”

The couple was arrested last week. The company that Epps drove for, Forward Air, clarified in a statement to the outlet that she is an independent subcontractor.

“She has been removed from service and is ineligible for dispatch while criminal proceedings are ongoing. The alleged conduct is inconsistent with Forward Air’s values and commitment to the highest levels of safety. Forward Air is fully cooperating with local officials on their investigation into this matter,” the company said.