Florida Family Accused of Abusing Adopted and Foster Kids Freed Due to 'Salacious Gossip': Prosecutors

Brian Griffeth, 47, Jill Griffeth, 41, and their two oldest biological children, Dallin Griffeth, 21, and Liberty Griffeth, 19, were all facing individual charges for child abuse, with Jill facing three total. The Griffeths reportedly had five biological children, three adopted, and one foster at the time of their arrest.

In court filings reviewed by multiple media outlets, including WCJB, First Coast News,  Law&Crime, and CourtTV  Law&Crime, all of the cases against the Griffeths had a notice of nolle prosequi ("unwilling to prosecute") filed for them by Third Judicial Circuit State Attorney John F. Durrett.

As explained in the notice, Durrett said that prosecutors with the state conducted interviews with past and present employees of DCF concerning this case, as well as the reports filed on it. Their findings, per the notice, were described as "a series of blame shifting, finger pointing, and outright denials of matters contained within the initial reports and response."

Durrett called some of the initial allegations from DCF personnel, which included claims from the family's children, "incredulous statements." Durrett's notice said they must be taken out of the equation to address the case "independently." And when prosecutors did that, the case just wasn't there for his office to feel confident moving forward with it.

"All initial salacious gossip concerning children being treated as slaves or incidents of sexual abuse were determined to be unfounded in this investigation," the notice stated bluntly, before breaking down some of the specific allegations and why prosecutors are declining to move forward with the cases.

"Today is a beautiful day," the Griffeth's attorney, Bobi Frank, told WCJB. "Nine children were ripped from their family, spread across the state of Florida still remain in foster care. What we found is, this has been based on ill intentions, bad motives, and bias from DCF."

The investigation into the Griffeths began after one of the children allegedly brought a Taser to a Mormon church camp in Branford, Florida. When questioned, the parents reportedly told authorities the device "was fake and a toy," but an arrest warrant reviewed by Law&Crime at the time stated, "law enforcement determined the device was an actual weapon."

Following the incident, a church employee raised red flags with child welfare authorities. According to the arrest affidavit, the employee told investigators the Griffeths had recently moved from Arizona to Florida with several foster children and that they "primarily foster or adopt African American children."

The employee expressed concern the children "are being treated unfairly," and noted they were "not receiving proper education, as none of the foster or adopted children are familiar with their last names or basic personal information." The affidavit added: "The children act as worker[s], not family members."

When DCF showed up at the Griffeths' home in rural Columbia County, Jill Griffeth allegedly refused to let investigators inside or allow interviews with the children. She eventually allowed them in, but only under supervision, according to the warrant before ultimately cutting it off early, telling officials she wanted to "consult with her attorney."

During a therapy session amid the investigation, a 14-year-old boy alleged he was "caged in his bunk bed at home as punishment." According to the warrant, he said the adults would use a piece of plywood to cover the opening to his bottom-tier bed -- even at night -- and he often had to wait until morning to use the bathroom.

"It is alleged that the victim was confined within a modified bunk bed with limited space and that his mother would at times secure a piece of particle board over the opening preventing the child from exiting his bed," the non-prosecution notice read explaining the allegation. "Wooden boards run the length of the bunk allowing the child to be seen but not exit if secured or 'caged' by his mother."

In the heavily-redacted report, prosecutors state that the state did not consider "information on the history of the child," per Law&Crime, going on to make the claim that the teen has a form of autism that resulted in a long history of "violence against other children, adults, and animals."

WJCB notes that twice after the child was removed from the family, Baker Act proceedings were instituted against him. The Baker Act is a Florida law that provides for voluntary or involuntary treatment and temporary detention for mental health in an immediate crisis, according to the University of Florida.

The prosecutors' notice says that in this case, it appeared as if the Griffeths were doing the best the could in a difficult situation with limited resources, stating that prosecutors believed it would be very hard to convince a jury to convict.

"A jury would be asked to consider: a poor family, devout in their faith, and raising 9 minor children in a small home, addressing the situation in a manner they deem appropriate to ensure the safety and security of the alleged victim and to also ensure no acts of violence were perpetrated upon the other children," the report stated.

"The State cannot refute such an argument, and this matter cannot be presented to a jury with liberty at stake."

Additional claims were not specifically addressed, or may have been obscured under redaction. From the arrest affidavit, "[The boy who claimed he was caged in his] also reported that his mother occasionally asks him to scooch out of his bed and lie on the floor, during which she presses the plywood sheet onto his chest and back as a form of punishment, resulting in splinters that cause injury. [The boy] lifted his shirt and pointed to several scars from this punishment."

On one occasion, the boy claimed that when he banged on the plywood to be let out, "his mother unscrewed the plywood, leading him to believe he would be freed. However, she then instructed him to lie back down and pressed the plywood onto his chest," before fastening it again.

The 14-year-old, they said, was "confined to his bed most of the day and night," only let out "for lunch, dinner, whenever he wants to play, and sometimes on his brothers' request." A green drill was reportedly used to secure the plywood in place.

The parents allegedly told investigators this was done because the boy "has a tendency to steal." Another sibling said her caged brother "likes it in his bed and sleeps a lot."

The same 14-year-old boy also told officials that he'd been "prayed in the face with vinegar" as punishment, per the arrest affidavit secured over the summer. Two younger children -- ages 9 and 7 -- shared nearly identical accounts.

A 14-year-old girl also claimed that her mother one "sprayed [her] before bed with vinegar," saying the vinegar "burned her eyes making her cry herself to sleep."

State prosecutors in their notice called the homemade remedy used by the family a "diluted solution" made to mimic a product available for purchase called "Sassy Spray" that is a combination of vinegar and vegetable juice used as an alternative to "soap in the mouth."

Stating that the product is widely-available, the notice read, "In lieu of soap, apple cider vinegar is sprayed into the child's mouth. Said action does not constitute child abuse."

While not all allegations were addressed specifically in the notice cited by multiple media outlets.

DCF investigators reported that during their initial visit to interview the family, they witnessed the Griffeth's biological children playing or watching television, while the family's adopted children were all working on chores, according to First Coast News.

Additional claims from the initial report including the allegation that Brian Griffeth "beats the foster and adopted children with a cane but is careful not to leave a mark." One witness reportedly told investigators that "if there wasn't enough food, the foster and adopted children in the home would not get any food."

The 14-year-old girl who told DCF she cried herself to sleep after her mother allegedly sprayed her also said she had "not attended school for six or seven years," was "uncertain of her current grade level," and "mentioned that she is illiterate," per the affidavit.

A 15-year-old girl shared another alleged disparity in how the Griffeths treated their biological kids compared to the adopted and foster children: cell phones. "[She] explained that she's asked for a phone but her mother said she has to learn to read before she can get a phone," the initial arrest warrant noted.