Court records filed in the case against Jenise Rae Spurgeon show a long history of alleged abuse committed against their 10 foster children. Jenise was brought back to Florence last week to face the hundreds of abuse charges.
Jenise Spurgeon and her husband, Daniel Spurgeon were arrested in Fort Myers, Florida in July, 2016. Daniel Spurgeon remains jailed in Fort Myers.
The ten children involved told investigators that they were subjected to everything from sexual abuse to human trafficking.
One of the children was asked by investigators, “What age were you when this began happening?” She said, “12”. She disclosed to investigators a wide range of violence and sexual abuse, all of which she said occurred in Florence.
One child, talking about Daniel Spurgeon’s actions, said, “He’s hit me before and it’s just, when he gets a hold of a belt he doesn’t stop, so it’s terrifying when your twelve years old and this man is holding this power over you and there’s nothing you can do about it, it’s like being in prison.”
The Human Trafficking charge is from the Spurgeon’s receiving money for being a foster care family and causing or threatening to cause physical injury or mental suffering to any person, physically restraining or confining any person, or otherwise causing the person performing or providing labor or services to believe that the person or another person will suffer physical injury or mental suffering.
One of the children told investigators, “We were duct taped for an hour or two.” When asked what Daniel Spurgeon was doing, the child said, “First he was hitting us and stuff like that, then he left us in the bathroom duct taped, then Jenise came in and took the duct tape off.”
When asked what Jenise said about the duct tape….., she said, “She doesn’t care.”
Jenise Spurgeon is scheduled to appear in court Thursday afternoon for a bond hearing.
