Pair Charged After 4 Children Found in Semi Cab

Two Adults Face Child-Neglect Charges

Two Florida adults face multiple child-neglect charges after investigators alleged four children spent years living largely inside the cab of a semi-truck without regular schooling, medical care or normal freedom to leave the cramped space.

Keisha Epps, 51, and her fiancé, Tamra Stewart, 37, were arrested in August after Jacksonville investigators examined allegations concerning the children. People reported that each defendant faces four counts of child neglect.

Police records say the children had been living in the truck cab since December 2019. Their names have not been released, and NewsCommand is withholding unnecessary details involving alleged abuse because all four are minors.

Years Inside a Truck Cab

The most striking allegation is the living arrangement itself.

According to an arrest report obtained by WOKV and Action News Jax, all four children shared one sleeping area in the semi cab and were rarely allowed outside, even for ordinary daily needs. Investigators also alleged that they did not regularly attend school or receive appropriate medical care.

People reported that investigators said the children had little opportunity for exercise and lacked adequate access to hygiene and restroom facilities.

For children, years are not simply a measure of time. School, medical visits, space to move around and ordinary contact with the outside world are basic pieces of childhood, making the duration of the allegations a central part of the case.

Authorities have not clearly established in the reporting reviewed here exactly how the children were related to Epps or Stewart.

Investigation Included More Serious Allegations

The neglect investigation also contains allegations of abuse that require especially careful handling.

Police affidavits cited by People and WOKV accuse Stewart of abusing one of the children and assaulting children who confronted him. Investigators further alleged that Epps failed to protect the children after they reported what had happened.

Because the alleged victims are minors, details that are not necessary to understand the charges are being omitted here.

People reported that Stewart had not, at the time of its Aug. 26 report, been formally charged with a sex crime in the case discussed in its article, though the affidavit indicated prosecutors intended to pursue a capital sexual battery charge in Florida’s 9th Judicial District.

WOKV separately reported earlier that Stewart was facing sexual battery charges in central Florida. The precise relationship between those proceedings and the Jacksonville neglect case is not fully established by the available reporting, so they should not be treated as identical charges without further court documentation.

Medical Care and Schooling Were Allegedly Missing

Investigators say the children also went without consistent medical attention.

People reported allegations that significant health problems were not properly treated. The outlet also said at least one child eventually received care through a Child Protection Team medical examination.

WOKV’s account of the arrest report states more broadly that the children were poorly fed, did not attend school and did not receive medical care while living in the truck.

Those allegations help explain why authorities are treating the case as more than an unconventional housing situation. The accusations concern whether adults responsible for children provided basic care, safety, education and access to treatment over an extended period.

Company Removes Epps From Service

WOKV reported that Epps had worked as an independent subcontractor connected with Forward Air.

The company told the station that Epps was not an employee and had been removed from service and made ineligible for dispatch while the criminal proceedings continue. Forward Air also said it was cooperating with investigators.

Both Epps and Stewart remain entitled to the presumption of innocence. People reported that plea information was not available for the defendants in the court records it reviewed.

The Children Remain the Center of the Case

The available reporting does not clearly explain the exact circumstances that finally brought the children to authorities’ attention or how they were removed from the truck.

What is clear from the arrest records is the scope of what investigators allege: four children spent much of their childhood in an extraordinarily confined environment while missing basic parts of ordinary life.

The criminal cases will determine the responsibility of the adults charged. For the children, the more immediate concern is quieter and more difficult - receiving the safety, medical attention, education and stability that investigators say were absent for years.

References: Siblings Held Captive in Truck, 1 Child Infected With STI: Police | Couple accused of keeping kids in semi for 7 years, charged with neglect