A man and woman were arrested in Illinois after four kids and two dogs were found in the “enclosed” area of a U-Haul truck.
The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office announced in a press release that Roy Hamel II and Sabrina McKinney were taken into custody on Thursday, August 27, and were charged with six counts each of endangering the life or health of a child.
A vehicle driven by Hamel was stopped by deputies at 6:07 p.m. on Thursday on Interstate 55’s northbound on-ramp in Pontiac, Illinois.
Hamel told deputies that he was driving the U-Haul because he and the others in the vehicle were moving from Louisiana to Michigan. Deputies then began to search the truck, and they found four children and two dogs “traveling inside the enclosed bed of the U-Haul.”
“The children were taken to a hospital to be evaluated for possible heat-related injuries,” the sheriff’s office said in the press release. “The driver and passenger of the U-Haul were transported and released to the Livingston County Jail.”
In addition to sharing news of the arrests, the sheriff’s office posted a photo taken from a deputy’s body camera that showed the inside of the vehicle. The U-Haul was packed with large plastic storage bins, laundry baskets and garbage bags. Meanwhile, clothes were spread out throughout the vehicle and several children were seen not securely placed in the car while lying on top of various objects in the truck.
Police censored the children’s faces in the photo so they were not able to be identified.
Hamel is not only facing the endangering the life or health of a child charge, but he was also charged with one count of driving with a suspended license.
Despite confirming the adults’ arrests, authorities did not share additional information about the group, including the children’s ages, details about their conditions or how everyone in the vehicle was related.
Hamel and McKinney were arrested at the scene and were taken into custody at Livingston County Jail. Police did not say whether the children have been released from the hospital or whose custody they are in following the arrests.
It’s not currently clear if Hamel or McKinney have entered pleas or retained legal counsel following their arrests. The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding updates in the case.
The investigation into the case remains ongoing.
