-Tamara’Shanay-
A Georgia pastor and his wife are currently being accused of locking away numerous disabled people inside of an unlicensed “group home,” that the couple claims to have been their church.
Griffin, Georgia officials arrested and charged Curtis Keith Bankston, 55, on January 14th and his wife Sophia Simm Bankston, 56, on January 20th upon allegations of false imprisonment, reports The Grio.
“It is both frightening and disgusting to see the degree to which these individuals have been taken advantage of by people who were in a position of trust,” says Griffin Police within a forwarded statement.
Curtis alongside his legal team are currently maintaining his innocence as they argue that the couple were only trying to help those in need. Together they claim that the accusations brought against them are lies.
“There was absolutely no false imprisonment, no kidnapping,” says the couple’s attorney Dexter Wimbish. “You’re talking about somebody who is actually doing what God commanded us to do.”
It has been indicated that early in the morning around 6:50 AM of January 13th local emergency health officials were alerted of a patient undergoing a seizure while on the premises of the Bankston’s reported Group home-church.
“Preliminary information indicated that as many as eight individuals resided in the basement of this residence and that they were ‘locked in’ at certain times by the ‘caretakers. The ‘caretakers’ have been leasing this property for approximately fourteen months, using the basement as a personal care home for the individuals, which essentially imprisoned them against their will.”
After further investigation, officials discovered a total of eight people, between the ages of 25 and 65, living inside of the Bankston’s basement. It has been said that they acted as the individuals caretakers and “periodically “locked them away.
The Bankstons unlicensed group home inside this rented residence, located at 102 Valley Road in Griffin. (📸: Google Maps)
According to People Magazine, the Bankston’s church website describes their group home /church faculty under the name of 2nd Chance as being, “a program designed to promote the mental, physical and spiritual development of each participant and empowers them with love, respect, forgiveness and faith through the meaning and significance of Christian values.”
The program reportedly serves as a non profit that, nonprofit that employment or training to both male and female and ex-felons as they gradually.
Griffin Police have stated that majority of the individuals that were locked away were either mentally, physically or emotionally disabled. They believe the group of individuals were being kept hostage and overall imprisoned by the Bankston’s against their will after discovering they would’ve been unable to escape if there were a potential emergency.
The Bankstons were in control of the disabled individuals’ finances, medications, and public benefits. The investigation also revealed that these individuals had been denied their medications and, in some instances, medical care as well, concludes a statement from the police.