‘Constantly recorded’: Teacher and wife allegedly kept their children under surveillance and locked up for days at a time while ‘sometimes’ denying them food and bathroom access

A Georgia teacher and his woman were arrested past period for allegedly keeping their children locked up successful their bedrooms for days and “sometimes” denying them food, according to Peach State police.

Steven Griffin, 53, and Anissa Griffin, 53, each basal accused of 1 number of eavesdropping–surveillance and 4 counts each of kid cruelty successful the 2nd degree, some of which are felonies, according to apprehension warrants filed successful Cobb County Magistrate Court.

The hubby antecedently worked arsenic an English teacher astatine North Cobb High School but resigned successful the aftermath of his apprehension connected April 30.

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Investigators accidental the mates “constantly recorded” the goings-on wrong the bedrooms of their 4 teenage children for astatine slightest a 17-month clip play spanning January 2024 until the extremity of April this year, according to copies of the warrants obtained by the Marietta Daily Journal and Atlanta-based Fox affiliate WAGA.

The couple’s 18-year-old girl said she was locked wrong her country “for a period oregon two” and had to petition support to permission — adjacent to usage the bathroom, according to the charging documents. The 18-year-old, arsenic good arsenic her 14-year-old and 15-year-old siblings, allegedly said the cameras successful their bedrooms made them consciousness uncomfortable, peculiarly erstwhile they were changing clothes.

Another kid allegedly said helium was forced to unrecorded successful the unfinished basement of the family’s location connected Owens Landing Trail successful Kennesaw — a medium-sized suburb of Atlanta located successful the acold northwestern reaches of the broader metro area. The lad said the basement lacked vigor and aerial conditioning.

The lad besides said helium had to petition support to usage the bathroom, and was sometimes denied specified support to the constituent of carnal pain, according to the warrants. This kid allegedly told investigators his parents confined him for up to 5 days astatine a time, and sometimes denied him food.

The Griffins are alleged to person kept way of their children — and to person enforced subject — by mode of alarms connected each chamber doorway that alerted erstwhile they were opened, authorities claim.

The parents, for their part, powerfully quality the claims.

A connection by Noah Pines, who represents Anissa Griffin, and Lawrence Zimmerman, who represents Steven Griffin, was provided to Atlanta-based ABC affiliate WSB-TV.

That defence connection reads:

Both Steven and Anissa Griffin contradict the allegations contained successful the warrants that were issued for their arrest. In summation to the warrants coating an inaccurate and incomplete representation of the allegations against them, the warrants are factually and legally deficient. The Griffins’ person raised 4 biologic children, who are each adults, and person 5 adopted children. They are besides upstanding members of the assemblage who are dedicated to serving others. This has been a devastating clip not lone for them, but for their full household that they emotion and cherish. They look guardant to warring these charges and clearing their names.

Authorities, connected the different hand, accidental some defendants admitted to investigators that their children had to petition an adult’s support to permission their bedrooms, entree food, oregon spell to the bathroom.

The schoolhouse district, which antecedently employed the father, besides released a connection to aggregate media outlets successful effect to the allegations.

“This idiosyncratic nary longer works for the territory and has not been astatine the schoolhouse since his apprehension and has resigned,” Cobb County Schools said. “We expect each our unit members to uphold the highest nonrecreational and idiosyncratic standards wrong and extracurricular of school. Our thoughts are with his household arsenic ineligible proceedings instrumentality their course.”

The Griffins were some released connected $9,020 enslaved successful aboriginal May aft immoderate 48 hours successful custody, Cobb County tribunal records show.