Law enforcement officials have cracked down on a chilling human trafficking ring in Ashland, Ohio. Jordie L. Callahan, 26; Jessica L. Hunt, 31, and Daniel J. Brown, AKA D.J. Brown, 33, were all arrested today for holding a cognitively disabled woman and her child against their will for more than two years.
The trio is accused of forcing the woman to perform manual labor while subjecting both her and her child to an array of abuses, including beatings, threats with firearms, and threats involving large snakes. According to charges filed in U.S. District Court, the victims were also held captive in a padlocked room with a large iguana and other reptiles.
Callahan, Hunt, and Brown face multiple charges, including forced labor. Callahan has an additional count of tampering with a witness. United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, Steven M. Dettelbach, emphasized the gravity of the crime: “One of our nation’s core values is freedom, yet this woman and her child were denied it for two years.”
Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Cleveland Office, highlighted the cruelty inflicted on the victims: “These defendants violated the victim’s most basic civil right, freedom, by exploiting her most basic instinct, the protection of her child.” Ashland Police Chief David Marcelli echoed these sentiments, noting that the streets are safer with the suspects in custody.
Ashland County Prosecutor Ramona Rogers expressed satisfaction with federal authorities’ cooperation in ensuring severe punishment for the defendants. The victims, identified only as S.E. and her juvenile child, were subjected to deplorable living conditions and a campaign of terror, according to an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Michael Sirohman.
Callahan and Hunt, who had previously recruited S.E. and her child into their home, forced the woman to perform chores while monitoring her movements with a baby monitor. They denied the victims proper nutrition and threatened them with pit bulls and reptiles. The women and children were confined to a room with no bedding and were forbidden from leaving it without permission.
Related Federal Cases
- Ashland Man Admits Role in Brutal Labor Trafficking · Ohio
- Amber Ginter Faces Human Trafficking Charges · Michigan
- Silk Road Vendor Handel Admits to Nationwide Drug Trafficking · Maryland
- Cleveland Trio Indicted for $1.4M Property Fraud · North Carolina
- Brook Park Trio Accused of $2M Food Stamp Heist · Ohio
Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Human Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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