Couple Who Ran Boarding School For Boys Arrested For Human Trafficking

A couple who ran religious boarding schools for boys in three states was arrested and charged with human trafficking. Gary Dwayne Wiggins, 49 and Meghann Shereen Wiggins, 34, opened their first boarding school in Alabama in 2013.

Three years later, authorities raided that school, Blessed Hope Boys Academy, after some of the boys escaped and told neighbors that the couple was abusing them. The boys claimed the couple would withhold food, force them spend hours exercising and lock them in a closet if they misbehaved.

Authorities removed 22 kids, who were all under the age of 18, from their care. The boys were all from out of state and were reunited with their families. The couple did not face any charges following the raid, and they packed up and moved their boarding school to Missouri.

They opened a new school in May 2018 and were under immediate scrutiny by local officials. Just a few weeks after they opened their doors, the McDonald County Sheriff's Department began receiving calls from parents who were concerned with how their children were being treated.

A deputy showed up to perform a welfare check on the children, and the Wiggins' got spooked, so they moved their operation to Texas. The move didn't keep law enforcement from looking into how the couple was running their religious school.

Officials were concerned that the couple was using the kids to illegally staff moving and lawn care companies which the Wiggins also operated. In July 2018, Texas officials raided the school and removed eight boys from their care.

Thirteen months later, a grand jury indicted the couple on charges of human trafficking. They were arrested without incident in Alabama and extradited to Texas where they plan to fight the allegations.

Photo: Burnet County Sheriff's Office