LAKE CITY, Fla. (Court TV) — Prosecutors have dropped charges against a Florida family accused of treating children like slaves after investigators determined the initial complaints were nothing more than “salacious gossip.”
(L to R): Brian Griffeth, Jill Griffeth, Dallin Griffeth and Liberty Griffeth. (Columbia County Sheriff’s Office)
Brian and Jill Griffeth, along with their adult children Dallin and Liberty Griffeth, had faced charges of aggravated child abuse after their arrest in July. Then, on Oct. 31, prosecutors in Columbia County stated that, in the interest of justice, they would not pursue prosecution.
Investigators interviewed nine children who lived in the home, who reported that some of them were caged under a bed with plywood screwed in place to prevent escape. In a statement announcing their decision to drop the charges, prosecutors said that the Griffeth family’s defense presented “copious evidence” that the child in question had a history of violence against other children, adults and animals and has since been removed from the family home.
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“A jury would be asked to consider: a poor family, devout in their faith, and raising nine minor children in a small home, addressing the situation in a manner they deem appropriate to ensure the safety and security of the alleged victim and also to ensure no acts of violence were perpetrated upon the other children,” Prosecutors said. “The State cannot refute such an argument.”
Addressing allegations that the adults had sprayed children in the face with vinegar, prosecutors said the discovery process revealed the solution used in the spray bottle was a diluted homemade version of “Sassy Spray,” which court documents describe as “a modern version of soap in the mouth.”
