Two Venezuelans Face Decades Behind Bars for Exploiting Minor

Jose Nino
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Two Venezuelans Face Decades Behind Bars for Exploiting Minor

(José Niño, Headline USA) Two Venezuelan nationals who unlawfully entered the United States received prison terms totaling 32 years after their convictions for sexually trafficking a child in Texas, Breitbart News reported Monday.

Giannys Alexandra Ramirez-Fernandez and Nelson Adrian Perez-Martinez stood before a judge in the Western District of Texas following guilty verdicts on charges of conspiracy to traffic a child and transportation of a child with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

The jury also found Perez-Martinez guilty on separate counts of benefiting from child sex trafficking and aiding and abetting coercion and enticement.

Ramirez-Fernandez will serve 12.5 years in federal prison. Perez-Martinez drew a 20 year sentence for his role in the crimes.

Lauren Bis, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, commented on the outcome. “These depraved illegal aliens were convicted for child sex trafficking,” Bis declared.

“One of them was released into the country by the Biden Administration. Now, thanks to the hard work of the brave men and women of ICE law enforcement, partner agencies, and our state and local partners, these child traffickers will be behind bars for years. Under the Biden Administration, unaccompanied minors were placed with unvetted sponsors who were actually smugglers and sex traffickers. President Trump and Secretary Mullin are committing to locating these children and holding child sex traffickers accountable.”

The two defendants reached American soil through distinct routes. Ramirez-Fernandez slipped across the southern border undetected as a “got-away” who never encountered federal agents. Perez-Martinez took a different journey. Border Patrol caught him entering Texas in 2023 yet the Biden administration processed and freed him into the country’s interior. He subsequently committed the trafficking offenses that earned him a 20 year prison term.

Trump administration officials pointed to this prosecution as demonstrating the dangers created by inadequate migrant screening under their predecessors. DHS leadership vowed to continue efforts to locate vulnerable children placed with poorly vetted sponsors and to bring those who harmed them to justice.

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino 

Mitch McConnell, 84, Found Unconscious, According to EMS Call

Luis Cornelio
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Mitch McConnell, 84, Found Unconscious, According to EMS Call

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., may have suffered a heart attack before he was found unconscious inside his Washington, D.C., home on June 14, according to an EMS dispatch recording.

The 84-year-old senator’s condition and his return to the Senate remain unknown.

According to the emergency dispatch, the District of Columbia Fire and EMS responded to an address associated with McConnell at approximately 8:36 a.m.

The audio, first shared online Tuesday by journalist Desirée Townsend, shows dispatchers requesting an Advanced Life Support response for a “cardiac arrest” with “CPR in progress” after an unconscious individual was found.

While the dispatch does not confirm that McConnell was the patient, several outlets have reported that the details indicate the emergency call involved him.

At the time of the incident, McConnell’s office only acknowledged that he had been hospitalized without providing further details.

“Senator McConnell was admitted to the hospital this morning. He is receiving excellent care,” spokesperson David Popp said.

The June 14 health episode is the latest in a growing series of health incidents involving the octogenarian Republican.

In December 2024, McConnell sprained his wrist after falling at a Senate Republican luncheon.

In 2023, he suffered a concussion after a fall at a Washington hotel. He also drew widespread attention after appearing to freeze during multiple press conferences.

He was twice seen on video freezing during press conferences, pausing mid-answer and staring ahead.

Most recently, McConnell has been seen struggling to walk even with assistance and at times being transported in a wheelchair inside the U.S. Capitol.

The latest medical emergency comes amid growing questions about McConnell’s health and ability to complete his last term in the Senate.

He stepped down as Senate GOP leader in January 2025 but chose to serve out the remainder of his term, which runs through 2026. He was first elected to the Senate in 1984. Before that, he served as a judge and executive of Kentucky’s Jefferson County.

Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros Defeats Longtime US House Incumbent in Colorado

Headline USA Editor
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Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros Defeats Longtime US House Incumbent in Colorado

(Headline USA) Democratic socialist Melat Kiros beat U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in a Colorado House primary Tuesday, a stunning victory for the first-time candidate against a nearly 30-year incumbent and another win for progressive challengers across the country.

Kiros, a 29-year-old lawyer turned doctoral student, is the latest candidate to rise from the party’s left flank and boot establishment-backed candidates. That includes two self-described democratic socialists and a progressive who won their Democratic primaries in New York last week.

Kiros’ victory adds to a nascent but clear uprising, stirred by frustration among some voters, that has vexed party leadership. Colorado’s 1st Congressional District covers the dark blue city of Denver, and Kiros is expected to win in November and reach Congress in January.

“We are winning from coast to coast,” Kiros said to an ecstatic audience and the blast of air horns. “We are taking back our party and our country!”

There were mixed results for progressives in Tuesday’s other races.

Sen. John Hickenlooper fended off a primary challenge from self-fashioned “insurgent progressive” state Sen. Julie Gonzales. And a smaller divide separated the two Democrats competing for U.S. House in the state’s lone swing district, where the candidate considered more progressive, state Rep. Manny Rutinel, won.

Taking to a stage under a sign that read “Power to the People,” Kiros told her supporters that her win belonged to every one of them.

“This is a movement,” Kiros said. “We are just getting started.”

To an excited crowd, which had been singing and dancing moments before she got on stage, she laid out her plans: taking the fight to “Donald Trump and the oligarchy,” abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, passing “Medicare for all” and ending the “genocide in Palestine.”

Those she thanked included DeGette, for standing up for women’s rights, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, who endorsed her.

DeGette — a more progressive lawmaker herself — had comfortably controlled her House seat in Denver for nearly 30 years and was backed by Colorado’s established Democratic House delegation.

The incumbent had argued that experience in Congress is needed right now to combat Trump, while Kiros, a former attorney, accused DeGette of ineffectiveness.

DeGette did not speak or release a statement after the race was called Tuesday night.

His victory didn’t come as a surprise to the political world, though it dampened a broader wave of progressive candidates beating establish-backed Democrats across the country.

Gonzales, the state senator who challenged the more centrist Hickenlooper, had attacked him for being an “incrementalist” and had said she previously joined the Democratic Socialists of America but that her membership had lapsed.

After his victory, Hickenlooper quickly turned his attention to Trump and said he’d never lost an election and didn’t intend to in November.

“Coloradoans have once again made their voices clear. We are not going to accept Trump’s broken promises and cost of living emergency, or his constant corruption,” he said in a video posted to YouTube.

Rutinel to face GOP Rep. Gabe Evans in race key to House control

Colorado’s 8th Congressional District is relatively new, stretching from the northern suburbs of Denver up through farming country, and has flipped party control in recent elections.

Evans now holds the seat, after beating the Democratic incumbent in 2024.

Party leaders thought the more moderate Shannon Bird, a former state representative, was best equipped to challenge Evans. But Rutinel, who had the more progressive record, beat Bird Tuesday night.

The district is heavily Hispanic and poorer than much of the rest of the state, and that’s where Rutinel, who is Latino, planted a flag, arguing his personal story and more aggressive economic agenda would be more potent against Evans.

“This is the moment for all the kids out there who had the deck stacked against them,” Rutinel said in his victory speech. “I’m going to work with everything I have so that those kids have the same opportunities to live out the American Dream that I did.”

Phil Weiser, the state attorney general, won the Democratic primary Tuesday and will be favored to win come November. Term-limited Democratic Gov. Jared Polis will depart after two-terms governing with a more moderate touch, at times stymieing progressive state lawmakers.

Weiser, who formerly served in the presidential administrations of Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, is considered to be more sympathetic to the party’s left. Michael Bennet, the U.S. senator who Weiser beat Tuesday, would likely have brought a similar change.

On the campaign trail, Weiser and Bennet struggled to show major differences in their political agendas, and instead often attacked each other over who could better stand up to Trump.

Weiser hammered his point home in a victory speech to ecstatic, sign-waving supporters who crowded around the candidate.

“In the face of a lawless bullying Trump administration trying to intimidate us, rip away our rights and freedoms,” Weiser said, “you made it clear that we need a leader who will fight back and never bend the knee.”

After his loss, Bennet spoke to supporters. “Sometimes the harder path is the right path, even when it doesn’t lead where you’d hoped,” he said.

The three candidates seeking the Republican nomination included state Rep. Scott Bottoms, a further right state lawmaker. State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer was considered the more conventional Republican, while Victor Marx was something of a wild card candidate with an eclectic past.

Kirkmeyer and Marx were locked in a tight race that was too early to call Tuesday night. 

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

2 People Arrested After Hanging Banner on Empire State Building Antenna

Headline USA Editor
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2 People Arrested After Hanging Banner on Empire State Building Antenna

(Headline USA) Two people got to the top of the Empire State Building’s antenna and unfurled a banner about “the power of love” at midday Wednesday, before starting to descend, embracing, taking selfies and ultimately being arrested.

Dressed in black and wearing masks — but not tethers, it appeared — the two balanced on a narrow ledge and appeared to kiss atop the New York skyscraper’s antenna, which rises 1,454 feet (443 meters) above midtown Manhattan, news helicopter video showed. The banner, reading “when the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace,” waved in the wind.

Just after 12:30 p.m., they began to climb down, efficiently picking their way along the latticework of metal to a wider ledge, where one seemed to set up a piece of electronic equipment and got down on one knee. After the two kissed again and hugged, the other person took selfies with an outstretched left hand, as if examining a ring.

Onlookers gaped from the sidewalks near the Art Deco office tower.

“It’s crazy — it’s like being in the movies,” said Jonathan Roman, a tourist visiting from the Scottish city of Glasgow. He and his 15-year-old son had tickets to go up to one of the observation platforms but arrived to find the building blocked off because of the antenna activity.

Still, the spectacle was “probably more exciting than going up to the viewing platform for the second time,” Roman reasoned.

Office workers wondered how the pair managed to get to the antenna of a high-profile building where visitors are screened and told not to bring large packages, sports equipment, costumes or masks, among other items.

“I just can’t believe they made it through security,” said Jessica Kaplan, who works at a company with offices in the building.

Police took the two climbers into custody after 1 p.m.; their names weren’t immediately released. No one was injured, police said.

It wasn’t clear how the pair gained access to the antenna, which rises well above public areas of the 102-story building.

There was no immediate reply to a message to the building’s management.

Daredevils have previously climbed the antenna and other parts of the Empire State Building. Those ascents have largely been unauthorized, but actor and musician Jared Leto was allowed to climb up to the base of the antenna from the 86th floor in 2023 to promote a tour.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

Federal Crackdown Targets Two Minneapolis Drug Trafficking Groups

Headline USA Editor
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Federal Crackdown Targets Two Minneapolis Drug Trafficking Groups

(Elyse S. Apel, The Center Square) Federal prosecutors have charged 25 members and associates of two group feds say are Minneapolis-based drug trafficking organizations.

The indictments, unsealed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, allege dozens of suspects fueled violence across south Minneapolis.

“Violent drug trafficking will not be tolerated in Minnesota,” said U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen. “When individuals flood our streets with dangerous narcotics and arm themselves to protect their illicit activity, they put everyone at risk.”

An early Tuesday morning operation resulted in 12 arrests and the seizure of firearms and illegal drugs, while the overall multi-agency investigation has led to charges for 25 members and associates of the two gangs. This is all according to the DOJ.

The defendants face charges ranging from conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, firearms offenses, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and murder in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

“Our message to every violent gang member and drug dealer is clear—our streets are not your ‘territory,’ they are a part of our communities,” said FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson. “These streets belong to the families and residents that make up our neighborhoods.”

Two different criminal operations were targeted by the investigations.

One was the Family Mob gang, which prosecutors say has operated in south Minneapolis since the late 1990s or early 2000s.

According to the indictment, members maintained an open-air drug market near Lake Street and Park Avenue, distributing large quantities of fentanyl each month along with crack cocaine, methamphetamine and other drugs. Prosecutors also allege the organization used violence to protect its territory, including a fatal shooting in September 2025.

Two defendants, Trevon Harris and Deangelo Davenport, are accused of murder during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. In total, there were 13 alleged members or associates charged from the Family Mob gang.

“Over a span of five months, the individuals indicted today attempted to traffic no less than 333,000 deadly doses of fentanyl into our Minneapolis communities,” said DEA Omaha Field Division Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie. “There is no room for this type of behavior in Minnesota and today’s indictments are not the end of the story. Our agents and law enforcement partners will continue working to dismantle this organization, if necessary, one person at a time.”

Authorities also charged 12 people connected to a second drug trafficking organization they claim is led by Amani Xavier Hudson Sr.

Prosecutors allege the organization operated near 19th Street and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis, distributing large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine throughout the Twin Cities.

Investigators say this drug trafficking contributed to increased shootings and violence in the area.

The arrests were the culmination of a joint investigation by the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Minneapolis Police Department, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, and other local partners.

“Drug trafficking organizations and drug dealers bring violence, addiction, and fear into our communities,” said Dawanna Witt, Sheriff of Hennepin County. “By combining our resources and expertise, we are disrupting criminal networks and holding those responsible for causing harm to our community accountable.”

Justice Department Sues Virginia Over Firearm Law

Headline USA Editor
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Justice Department Sues Virginia Over Firearm Law

(Shirleen Guerra, The Center Square) The U.S. Department of Justice sued the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Virginia Department of State Police Wednesday, saying the state’s new law restricting the future sale and purchase of certain semiautomatic firearms violates the Second Amendment.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, asks the court to declare portions of Senate Bill 749 unconstitutional and issue preliminary and permanent injunctions blocking enforcement of those provisions.

“The Constitution is not a suggestion, and the Second Amendment is not a second-class right,” Todd Blanche, the interim attorney general, said in a statement. “This Justice Department has done more to protect the Second Amendment than any administration in our nation’s history, and we will continue to do so whenever necessary.”

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said she warned Gov. Abigail Spanberger before she signed the legislation that the department would challenge it in court.

“On April 10, I promised Governor Spanberger that we would sue Virginia if she signed this unconstitutional weapons ban into law. I keep my promises,” Dhillon said. “Law-abiding Americans should not have to live under threat of criminal sanction for simply exercising their Second Amendment right to possess arms owned by millions of their fellow citizens.”

The law prohibits the future manufacture, importation, sale, purchase and transfer of certain semiautomatic firearms defined under Virginia law as assault firearms, as well as large-capacity ammunition feeding devices capable of holding more than 15 rounds. Virginians who already legally own affected firearms and magazines generally may continue possessing them.

According to the complaint, the Justice Department argues the law restricts firearms that are commonly owned for lawful purposes and violates the constitutional standard established by the U.S. Supreme Court in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. The complaint also alleges enforcement of the law by the Virginia State Police deprives Virginians of rights protected by the Second Amendment.

The lawsuit follows several legal challenges filed in Virginia state courts before the law took effect. Two circuit court judges issued preliminary injunctions blocking enforcement of the law in separate cases, while another judge declined to issue similar relief in a third challenge.

“The OAG will review the complaint and defend Virginia’s assault weapons ban against the Trump DOJ’s misuse of the Civil Rights Division,” Rae Pickett, speaking for Blanche’s office, said in a statement to The Center Square. “This commonsense law keeps Virginians safe, protects law enforcement, and safeguards communities across the commonwealth.”

The Center Square was unsuccessful prior to publication getting comment from Spanberger. 

Renewed Call for Constitutional Amendment after SCOTUS Ruling

Headline USA Editor
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Renewed Call for Constitutional Amendment after SCOTUS Ruling

(Bethany Blankley, The Center Square) After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the 14th Amendment applies to children born in the U.S. to mothers who are in the country illegally, there is a renewed effort in Congress to support a constitutional amendment to provide clarity to the amendment’s Citizenship Clause. The Department of Justice also issued a directive to aggressively prosecute birth tourism.

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY, urged Americans to call their members of Congress to “tell them to support my Constitutional Amendment to end Birthright Citizenship. We must protect the integrity of American citizenship.”

“Under current interpretations of American law, anyone born on American soil automatically becomes a U.S. citizen, regardless of whether the parent was here legally or not,” Paul said. “This is wrong and not at all the intent of those who wrote the 14th Amendment.

“We are a country filled with immigrants, and legal immigration is valuable and should be protected. But we are also a country whose borders have been too open and our generosity exploited too often,” he said, adding that President Donald Trump has secured the U.S. southwest border more than any other president. “But we will have more to do,” he said. “We need to make sure that only children born to legal residents of the U.S. are automatically citizens.”

Paul’s proposed language would amend a key phrase in the Citizenship Clause, the first sentence of the amendment, as italicized: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

The amendment defines “a person considered subject to the jurisdiction of” a U.S. citizen if one of their parents is a U.S. citizen, is “an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States” or is an “alien with lawful status under the immigration laws performing active service in the Armed Forces.”

Republican U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah have made the same argument that the Citizenship Clause needs to be amended. However, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, argues a constitutional amendment isn’t needed, Congress can pass a law to make the change, The Center Square reported.

Amending the Constitution is difficult. One way is to pass the amendment by a two-thirds majority vote in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. The amendment would then need to be ratified by three-fourths of the states, 38 out of 50.

Another way is through a constitutional convention called by two-thirds of the state legislatures. This has never happened. All 27 amendments to the Constitution were passed by Congress and ratified by the states.

The Supreme Court’s ruling has raised concerns that it will worsen an already rampant crime of birth tourism fraud, The Center Square reported.

After the ruling, the DOJ issued a directive to aggressively prosecute the crime, which it argues is facilitated through false visa applications that exploit the immigration system.

Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald said the DOJ “will investigate and hold accountable those who engage in this unlawful conduct as well as those who solicit and sell these criminal services to others.” While many birth tourism cases are prosecuted as visa fraud, he’s urging U.S. attorneys, the DOJ Criminal Division and the Department of Homeland Security to also prosecute potential charges of wire fraud, money laundering, aggravated identity theft, healthcare fraud, among others as they apply. He also said the DOJ is providing additional resources to help with investigation and prosecution of birth tourism crimes.

The memo cites examples of birth tourism schemes facilitated by Chinese and Turkish groups whose leaders were sentenced to years in prison. The schemes involved facilitating the transport and housing of hundreds of women to California and New York to give birth. In return, they charged a combined millions of dollars in fees, provided fraudulent visas and guidance on how to hide pregnancies from immigration officials.

The DOJ has been prosecuting immigration fraud and birth tourism schemes nationwide, spanning from California to the Northern Mariana Islands.

The Office of Texas Attorney General also sued a Houston area “Chinese birth tourism” center alleging it’s “unlawfully facilitating the invasion of Chinese nationals into Texas for the sole purpose of giving birth,” The Center Square reported.

Israel-US Military Integration Bill Escapes Public Scrutiny

Jose Nino
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Israel-US Military Integration Bill Escapes Public Scrutiny

(José Niño, Headline USA) House leadership prevented members from casting votes on a provision that would forge an unprecedented merger between the American and Israeli defense industrial bases, Responsible Statecraft reported Monday.

The Rules Committee controlled which of over one thousand proposed NDAA amendments would advance to floor debate and voting. Following zero discussion Monday the committee killed a bipartisan amendment sponsored by Rep. Ro Khanna, (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie, (R-Ky.), seeking to eliminate the “United States–Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative” from the legislation. Monday night the committee published amendments deemed eligible for votes and theirs was absent.

The contested language establishes a dedicated executive agent within the Pentagon charged solely with deepening American and Israeli military technology fusion spanning nearly all defense functions from joint weapons manufacturing to “data fusion.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu characterized this evolution in bilateral ties as “my plan.”

Veteran national security professionals delivered blistering criticism and sounded alarms about threats to American interests. Joe Kent, who previously led the National Counterterrorism Center, stated that “The dangers of allowing any other nation to access our sensitive military technologies are obvious, including the fact that back doors and spyware can be installed that will most certainly be used by the Israelis to influence U.S. policy.”

Paul Pillar, a CIA veteran of more than a quarter century, expressed deep reservations about the provision alongside companion measures that would essentially mandate American intelligence sharing with Israel. “In intelligence, Israel is more of an adversary than an ally. Being an adversary in intelligence means indulging in the hostile act of espionage. Israel has a long record of conducting that type of hostile act against the United States,” Pillar observed in Responsible Statecraft.

Reinforcing Pillar’s concerns, Defense Intelligence Agency officials recently disclosed that Israeli espionage activities targeting the United States carry a “critical” designation, the most severe threat classification in the DIA framework.

The Rules Committee action guaranteed that voters would never learn how their elected officials stood on this pivotal question. 

The Senate continues deliberating its parallel version and both NDAA drafts must ultimately be harmonized through a Conference Committee. Quincy Institute research fellow Steve Simon cautioned that “The measure risks tethering the US military to its Israeli counterpart technologically and making it difficult to uproot should conditions change.” 

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino 

 

6 Leftists Involved in ICE Shooting to be Sentenced Today

Headline USA Editor
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6 Leftists Involved in ICE Shooting to be Sentenced Today

(Headline USA) Six people who pleaded guilty to charges related to a demonstration and shooting outside a Texas immigrant detention center are set to be sentenced Wednesday. Other protesters have already been sentenced to decades behind bars, including a former Marine who was handed a 100-year prison term.

A police officer was shot and wounded in the neck during the protest against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown outside the Prairieland Detention Center near Dallas last July 4. The U.S. Justice Department alleges the shooting was carried out by members of the leftist militant group antifa — a claim attorneys for the protesters have denied.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor called the protest an “assault on democracy” before he and another judge handed down lengthy prison sentences to eight demonstrators who were convicted on terrorism charges.

On Wednesday, six more defendants could be sentenced to as much as 15 years in prison after they pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists. One of them testified at the earlier trial that he spray-painted a guard shack and vehicles in the parking lot.

The case has been closely watched by critics who say the prosecution could have serious implications for protesters nationwide and First Amendment free-speech rights.

The protesters’ attorneys have insisted there was no planned ambush and that protesters who took firearms with them to the demonstration did so for their own protection. They argue the gathering was planned as a late-night demonstration with fireworks to show support for immigrants detained inside the facility.

Prosecutors told jurors at trial that the group’s actions — including bringing firearms, first aid kits and wearing body armor — signaled nefarious intent.

Benjamin Song, a former U.S. Marine reservist who was convicted of attempted murder in the shooting, was sentenced to 100 years in prison, and seven others received prison terms ranging from 30 to 70 years.

Another person who will be sentenced Wednesday was convicted at trial. Ines Soto, whose wife was also convicted, could be sentenced to 60 years in prison after being convicted of providing material support to terrorists, riot and explosives. At trial, attorneys for the couple said they arrived late and left the protest when confronted by guards.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

16 Children Found in ‘Deplorable’ Conditions in Ohio Home

Headline USA Editor
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16 Children Found in ‘Deplorable’ Conditions in Ohio Home

(Headline USA) Authorities arrested four adults on felony child endangerment charges after discovering 16 children in dire need of medical treatment Tuesday in a rural southern Ohio home.

The Ohio Bureau of Investigation and local sheriff’s department searched a home in the small village of Hamden, where they found the kids in what officials called “deplorable” conditions.”

“Conditions you cannot even imagine people being in, let alone children being in,” Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said at a news conference.

Law enforcement arrested Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders. They have not yet been arraigned and assigned public defenders.

Vinton County prosecuting attorney William Archer said they were being charged with second-degree felony child endangering because it involves “serious physical harm.”

Officials did not confirm if the children were related but said it was not a human trafficking situation. They said the adults were not locals and appeared to have been traveling.

Hamden has a population of less than 1,000 people and is about 60 miles southeast of Columbus.

The children ranged from ages 1.5 to 18 and included both boys and girls, officials said. Several were in serious conditions when found, and two had to be flown to level one trauma centers because of their injuries.

Wilson said it was the worst scene he had ever encountered in his entire career, describing what he saw as “pure evil.”

Law enforcement were also executing a secondary search warrant at the home Tuesday, and the investigation is ongoing. The four adults will appear in court Wednesday morning.

“Justice will be served for these children,” Wilson said.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

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