Kanawha County couple sentenced to several decades in human trafficking case seeking appeal

Kanawha County, WV (WOAY)- A West Virginia couple that received the maximum sentences for abusing their adopted children are seeking to appeal their case before time runs out.  

Jeanne Kay Whitefeather received a term of up to 215 years in prison. 

Her husband, Donald Ray Lantz, got a term of up to 160 years.  

A jury found them guilty of forced labor, human trafficking, and child abuse and neglect. 

Whitefeather also received charges for civil rights violations. 

The deadline to appeal is at the end of the month. 

Lantz and Whitefeather appeared at a court hearing on Friday to dismiss two remaining misdemeanor false swearing charges.

The charges are tied to allegations that they initially lied about their finances on bond and court-appointed attorney paperwork. 

The couple was arrested after neighbors saw Lantz locking two of the children in a shed and leaving the property.  

According to testimony, some children were forced to perform difficult chores and had to stand for hours with their hands on their heads.  

The couple adopted the five black siblings while living in Minnesota and moved to a farm in Washington state in 2018.

The couple then brought the family to West Virginia in May 2023, with the children ranging in age from 5 to 16.