Troopers stopped the U-Haul box truck going east on I-44 near Marshfield on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. because it was moving too slowly. Troopers found seven kids in the U-Haul’s luggage area. Their ages ranged from 2 to 13.
Court records show that Shaikiem Bristol, 31, and Musa Omar, 22, are each charged with seven counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child by causing a substantial risk.
Court records show that when a policeman from the Missouri State Highway Patrol stopped the U-Haul, he asked Shaikiem where they were from.
This is what Shaikiem told the trooper: “We are on our way to Buffalo, New York. We picked up a girl in Glendale, Arizona, whose mum had kicked her out. The adults are all from Buffalo, except for one who is from Glendale.
While Shaikiem was answering, the policeman saw that his breathing was short and fast. The officer asked Shaikiem about his friend Omar renting the U-Haul. They had left New York on the 24th to drive to Arizona.
The policeman saw two women sitting in the passenger seat. Shaikiem said they were his sister and her fiancé. The women told the officer that they went to Arizona to get some things and see family. The soldier also saw that they were breathing quickly and short.
Court papers say that the trooper heard different stories about the trip and thought that the people who were telling them were up to no good. Shaikiem told the policeman that he could search the U-Haul box truck. He did say, though, that there were beds, clothes, and five people and seven kids in the back.
This is when the soldier called for help. When they got there, they put Shaikiem and the two women in jail. The women were checked by the police, but nothing illegal was found.
The U-Haul was then taken to the Webster County Jail so that the police could look into it further and keep people from running out into I-44 traffic.
When the police opened the back of the U-Haul, they saw that it was much warmer inside and that there was no power or air conditioning. Also, trash, clothes, and food items made the U-Haul dirty.
The police say that when they took the kids out of the U-Haul, they saw that most of them had dirty diapers that had not been changed in hours. Police said that everyone in the back of the U-Haul was sweating because it was so hot there.
When Shaikeim was caught, the police asked him more questions. Police asked them why they had the kids with them. “I do not know why we took the kids,” Shaikiem said. It was hot, that much I knew. That is why we tried to stop a lot.
Shaikiem told the police that they tried to take breaks every 1.5 to 2 hours so they would not get too hot. Police said that Shaikiem and Omar were the only ones who drove.
They took turns driving during the trip, and Shaikiem told police that he thought the back of the U-Haul was pretty hot.
There were also investigators from ICE, DHS, and DFS who came.
So far, only Shaikiem and Omar have been charged with this crime.
Shaikiem and Omar are being held in the Webster County Jail without bond. They are due in court on October 1.