A North Carolina mother and her adult son were charged with incest in Asheville, North Carolina, according to multiple reports.
The Citizen-Times reported Friday, September 9, that Melissa Nell Kitchens, 45, and son Shaun Thomas Pfeiffer, 25, each face one felony incest charge after arrest warrants alleged they had sex.
Pfeiffer is also facing charges of indecent liberties with a child from a separate incident that allegedly took place August 13, according to ABC.
Incest laws differ from state to state in the United States. In North Carolina, there are three degrees of crime associated with incest. According to AgeOfConsent.net, a Class B1 felony could lead to a prison sentence of a minimum of 25 years; a Class C felony is punishable by 44 to 182 months; and a Class F felony ranges from a 10- to 41-month sentence.
In January 2015, Kitchens praised her son's good looks in a comment on one of his Facebook photos. "Can't get over How Handsome You Are and I'm about to Cry. … You've Got a Heart of Gold— Never Let Anyone Hurt You. … I miss you& wish I had more time w you," she wrote. (According to Pfeiffer's Facebook profile, he is married.)
Pfeiffer and Kitchens were taken to the Buncombe County Detention Facility. According to the Citizen-Times, he is being held on $70,500 bail while she is being held on $30,000 bail. Both are set to appear in Buncombe County District Court Friday, September 29.
This isn't the only incest case to make headlines recently. Oklahoma mom Patricia Ann Spann, 43, was arrested and charged with incest after marrying her daughter, Misty Velvet Dawn Spann. Patricia was previously married to her son in 2008.
