Left to right: Steven Griffin and Anissa Griffin (Cobb County Sheriff’s Office).
A Georgia teacher and his wife were arrested last month for allegedly keeping their children locked up in their bedrooms for days and “sometimes” denying them food, according to Peach State police.
Steven Griffin, 53, and Anissa Griffin, 53, each stand accused of one count of eavesdropping–surveillance and four counts each of child cruelty in the second degree, both of which are felonies, according to arrest warrants filed in Cobb County Magistrate Court.
The husband previously worked as an English teacher at North Cobb High School but resigned in the aftermath of his arrest on April 30.
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Investigators say the couple “constantly recorded” the goings-on within the bedrooms of their four teenage children for at least a 17-month time period spanning January 2024 until the end of April this year, according to copies of the warrants obtained by the Marietta Daily Journal and Atlanta-based Fox affiliate WAGA.
The couple’s 18-year-old daughter said she was locked inside her room “for a month or two” and had to request permission to leave — even to use the bathroom, according to the charging documents. The 18-year-old, as well as her 14-year-old and 15-year-old siblings, allegedly said the cameras in their bedrooms made them feel uncomfortable, particularly when they were changing clothes.
Another child allegedly said he was forced to live in the unfinished basement of the family’s house on Owens Landing Trail in Kennesaw — a medium-sized suburb of Atlanta located in the far northwestern reaches of the broader metro area. The boy said the basement lacked heat and air conditioning.
The boy also said he had to request permission to use the bathroom, and was sometimes denied such permission to the point of physical pain, according to the warrants. This child allegedly told investigators his parents confined him for up to five days at a time, and sometimes denied him food.
The Griffins are alleged to have kept track of their children — and to have enforced discipline — by way of alarms on each bedroom door that alerted when they were opened, authorities claim.
The parents, for their part, strongly dispute the claims.
A statement by Noah Pines, who represents Anissa Griffin, and Lawrence Zimmerman, who represents Steven Griffin, was provided to Atlanta-based ABC affiliate WSB-TV.
That defense statement reads:
Both Steven and Anissa Griffin deny the allegations contained in the warrants that were issued for their arrest. In addition to the warrants painting an inaccurate and incomplete picture of the allegations against them, the warrants are factually and legally deficient. The Griffins’ have raised four biological children, who are all adults, and have five adopted children. They are also upstanding members of the community who are dedicated to serving others. This has been a devastating time not only for them, but for their entire family that they love and cherish. They look forward to fighting these charges and clearing their names.
Authorities, on the other hand, say both defendants admitted to investigators that their children had to request an adult’s permission to leave their bedrooms, access food, or go to the bathroom.
The school district, which previously employed the father, also released a statement to multiple media outlets in response to the allegations.
“This individual no longer works for the district and has not been at the school since his arrest and has resigned,” Cobb County Schools said. “We expect all our staff members to uphold the highest professional and personal standards inside and outside of school. Our thoughts are with his family as legal proceedings take their course.”
The Griffins were both released on $9,020 bond in early May after some 48 hours in custody, Cobb County court records show.
