Logan couple locked woman in crawl space ‘off and on’ for a decade, charges say

Collin Leonard, KSL.com

LOGAN, Utah (KSL.com) — A Logan mates is facing criminal charges accusing them of subjecting their daughters to beingness and affectional maltreatment for complete a decade.

Jimmy Dean Stewart, 49, and Jean Elizabeth Stewart, 48, were charged past week pinch 2 counts of aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony, and 2 counts of stalking, a third-degree felony. Jean Stewart is besides charged pinch usurpation of a protective order, a people A misdemeanor.

An investigation began successful earnest successful May erstwhile Logan constabulary interviewed nan Stewarts’ 28-year-old daughter, who said nan mates had been subjecting her and her 30-year-old sister to maltreatment since earlier they moved to Logan successful 2011, forcing her to fly nan location past year.

The younger female said her parents had withheld her phone, medications and clothing, hit her, and astatine 1 constituent locked nan windows and doors to nan family location to forestall her from leaving, holding her hostage for complete 48 hours, constabulary booking affidavits state.

When constabulary said to nan older sister, they observed “bruises astir nan cervix and scratch marks,” nan affidavits say. She “described being tied to chairs aft her parents thought she was possessed,” and said they “would often fastener her successful nan basement pinch nary food,” and her mother stabbed her pinch knives and forks.

An interrogator wrote that nan female “was capable to constituent to each scar and show maine whether it was from a fork, knife, spoon, etc.”

The older sister said her parents kept nan money she made from moving and charged her $500 a period to unrecorded successful a hallway of nan home, nan affidavits state. The mates only homeschooled her to nan level of a seventh grader, according to charging documents.

Investigators went to nan location wherever nan older sister was allegedly locked successful nan basement frequently. They reported uncovering a hatch successful nan level of nan pantry, “a dilapidated staircase starring to nan crawl abstraction nether nan house” pinch a fastener connected nan extracurricular of nan door. The area was damp, pinch a azygous ray bulb hanging from rafters covered successful spiderwebs, “dirt level pinch exposed rock, world and insulation,” “an aerial freshener, and 2 folding chairs,” nan affidavits state.

The older sister told constabulary that for astir 10 years, “she spent astir of her clip successful nan basement,” nan charges allege.

Protective orders against some parents were granted for nan daughters successful August. Police assisted nan younger girl successful gathering her individual spot from nan couple’s house, but constabulary opportunity Jean Stewart began screaming astatine nan woman, successful usurpation of nan nary interaction information of nan protective order.

In an interview, Jimmy Stewart admitted to putting nan older girl successful nan basement and taking her money pinch her support to make car payments, but said “everyone was lying astir nan maltreatment to get backmost astatine Jean and him,” nan tribunal documents state. “Jean besides stated everyone was lying,” and neither genitor knew why nan younger girl did not want a narration pinch them, aliases why nan older girl fled.