WEBSTER COUNTY, MO - Authorities with Missouri law enforcement have announced the arrest of two men after discovering seven children between the ages of two to 13 and several adults in the back of a U-Haul box truck during a traffic stop.
According to Fox News, KY3, a local NBC station out of Springfield, Missouri, reported that 31-year-old Shaikiem Bristol and 22-year-old Musa Omar have been charged with seven counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Both Bristol and Omar have been booked into the Webster County Jail and are being held without bond.
Court documents reportedly state that a trooper with the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) stopped a U-Haul truck at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 28th, on Interstate 44. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and the Department of Family Services also responded to the scene.
After being pulled over, Bristol allegedly told the trooper that he and Omar rented the U-Haul box truck in Buffalo, New York, and drove it down to Glendale, Arizona, to pick up a woman who had been kicked out of her house by her mother.
Bristol then explained that he and Omar were on their way back up to New York from Arizona. Two women were in the passenger seat, which Bristol told the trooper they were his sister and fiancé. The women, however, told the trooper a much different story. They told the trooper that they traveled to Arizona to pick up some things and visit family. In the court documents, the trooper noted that there were conflicting stories being told by the suspects about the trip, leading him to believe that they were involved in some type of criminal activity.
When the trooper then asked to search the U-Haul, Bristol gave him the permission to do so. Upon searching the box truck, the trooper found beds, clothing, and five adults and seven kids in the back. The trooper called for back-up and placed the two women and Bristol under arrest. Police transported the U-Haul to the Webster County Jail for further investigation.
During that investigation, troopers opened the back of the truck and noticed that the air was warm, indicating that there was no power or air conditioning. Troopers said that there were clothes and food containers in the back and that most of the children who were removed from the box truck had dirty diapers that had not been changed for several hours. The occupants in the back of the box truck were also sweaty due to the heat.
When questioned by troopers, Bristol allegedly said that he did not know why they took the kids on the trip, knowing it was going to be hot. He said, "That's why we tried to stop a lot." He allegedly explained that he and Omar tried to stop every hour and a half to two hours during the trip, so that the occupants in the back would not get hot. Police said that the two men also shared driving responsibilities.
According to Fox News, KY3, a local NBC station out of Springfield, Missouri, reported that 31-year-old Shaikiem Bristol and 22-year-old Musa Omar have been charged with seven counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Both Bristol and Omar have been booked into the Webster County Jail and are being held without bond.
Court documents reportedly state that a trooper with the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) stopped a U-Haul truck at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 28th, on Interstate 44. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and the Department of Family Services also responded to the scene.
After being pulled over, Bristol allegedly told the trooper that he and Omar rented the U-Haul box truck in Buffalo, New York, and drove it down to Glendale, Arizona, to pick up a woman who had been kicked out of her house by her mother.
Bristol then explained that he and Omar were on their way back up to New York from Arizona. Two women were in the passenger seat, which Bristol told the trooper they were his sister and fiancé. The women, however, told the trooper a much different story. They told the trooper that they traveled to Arizona to pick up some things and visit family. In the court documents, the trooper noted that there were conflicting stories being told by the suspects about the trip, leading him to believe that they were involved in some type of criminal activity.
When the trooper then asked to search the U-Haul, Bristol gave him the permission to do so. Upon searching the box truck, the trooper found beds, clothing, and five adults and seven kids in the back. The trooper called for back-up and placed the two women and Bristol under arrest. Police transported the U-Haul to the Webster County Jail for further investigation.
During that investigation, troopers opened the back of the truck and noticed that the air was warm, indicating that there was no power or air conditioning. Troopers said that there were clothes and food containers in the back and that most of the children who were removed from the box truck had dirty diapers that had not been changed for several hours. The occupants in the back of the box truck were also sweaty due to the heat.
When questioned by troopers, Bristol allegedly said that he did not know why they took the kids on the trip, knowing it was going to be hot. He said, "That's why we tried to stop a lot." He allegedly explained that he and Omar tried to stop every hour and a half to two hours during the trip, so that the occupants in the back would not get hot. Police said that the two men also shared driving responsibilities.
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