TEN children were reportedly kept captive in an underground storm bunker, where they were subjected to sexual abuse over a suspected three-year period.
According to court records, the victims, including some as young as two years old, were tied to chairs, raped, and tortured with animal shock collars.
And, the alleged sex trafficking ring was created by some of the children’s parents, cops said.
It is claimed that six of these children were drugged and then transported to the bunker in Brent, Alabama—about 55 miles from Birmingham—as reported by the Fox affiliate WBRC-TV.
Bibb County cops released pictures of the bunker, which looked like an unassuming storm shelter, but it was a home to a sinister operation.
But the bunker was sparse. One room had a grubby-looking mattress, a chair, fan, and a chest of drawers.
Children were tied down to the bed before being sexually assaulted, Bryan Jones, a Bibb County Assistant District Attorney said.
The perpetrators of the crime ring could bring as much as $1,000 a night.
Suspects would pay money for “appointments” where they would sexually assault the children, according to cops.
Alabama cops launched an investigation in February after receiving reports of alleged child abuse, as reported by the ABC affiliate WBMA-LD.
Their probe has seen seven people arrested – and one person has alleged ties to a gang that has profited from child sex crimes.
The charges they face, include allegations of human trafficking, rape, sodomy, and kidnapping.
One man, Timothy St. John, faces four charges of sodomy and human trafficking, and is also accused of bestiality, and cruelty to animals.
William McElroy has been charged with four counts of first-degree rape, as well as six counts of human trafficking, and sodomy.
McElroy admitted raping at least one girl, according to court docs seen by Al.com.
Dalton Terrell was arrested in April and he has been charged with six counts of first-degree rape and 12 counts of sodomy, according to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Department.
The 21-year-old has been accused of having sexual relations with children aged three to 16 over the past year.
He admitted to cops that he had sex with a child.
Suspects arrested in the Alabama child sex abuse investigation
SEVEN people have been arrested in connection with a sex abuse investigation in Alabama. Cops in Bibb County have announced a series of charges that each suspect faces.
William McElroy
- Four counts of first-degree rape
- Six counts of first-degree human trafficking
- Six counts of first-degree sodomy
- Four counts of first-degree kidnapping
Dalton Terrell
- Six counts of first-degree rape
- 12 counts of first-degree sodomy
- Five counts of first-degree human trafficking
Andres Trejo-Velazquez
- Six counts of first-degree human trafficking
Timothy St. John
- Two counts of first-degree rape
- Four counts of first-degree sodomy
- Four counts of first-degree human trafficking
- Three counts of first-degree kidnapping
- One count of bestiality
- One count of aggravated cruelty to animals
Sarah Terrell
- Charge of sexual torture and abuse
- Sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old
Ricky Terrell
Rebecca Brewer
- Eight counts of first-degree human trafficking
- Eight counts of first-degree kidnapping
- Three counts of sexual torture
But, it’s not known if the alleged sexual assaults happened inside the bunker or at another location, according to WBRC-TV.
Andres Trejo-Velazquez, 29, has been accused of drugging the children and selling explicit photos.
Cops claimed Trejo-Velazquez would tie children to the bed and support poles inside the bunker.
His status as a citizen is currently being probed.
He was slapped with six counts of first-degree human trafficking.
Terrell, Trejo-Velazquez, and McElroy all lived a mile from each other in mobile homes.
Earlier this week, it emerged three more people had been arrested as part of the probe.
Rebecca Brewer faces eight human trafficking charges and three sexual torture counts.
She has also been accused of kidnapping in the first-degree.
Sarah Terrell is accused of sexual torture and abuse, while Ricky Terrell has been charged with rape in the first-degree.
Cops believe there are more suspects and more victims.
“I have a feeling as this story gets out, I feel like there are going to be more victims,” Jones said.
Anyone convicted of committing a crime involving a child under the age of six faces a minimum life sentence in prison under state law.
“Offenders will face prosecution to the fullest extent of the law,” Jody Wade, the Bibb County Sheriff, warned.
Meanwhile, the victims have been put under the care of the Alabama Department of Human Resources.
Jones described the abuse as “unimaginable.”
“It’s just unimaginable that someone could do this to a child,” he said.
“Children are defenseless, and they depend on adults to take care of them and protect them.”
