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Editor’s Note: This article contains potentially distressing allegations of abuse; reader discretion is advised.
JONESBORO, Ind. (WXIN) — A group of children have come forward with harrowing claims of being subjected to torture and sexual abuse in an Indiana basement by a man who was recently apprehended in Florida.
The appalling allegations, made by four boys all younger than 12, describe being given only scraps of food until they lost consciousness from starvation and witnessing the brutal killing of their pets, whose necks were broken in front of them.
Joshua Chasteen, 28, who has recently resided in Fort McCoy, Florida, faces 20 felony charges stemming from an investigation that began in January when the alleged victims reported the incidents to authorities, as indicated by court records.
At the time of the alleged offenses, Chasteen was living in Jonesboro, Indiana, but has since relocated to his mother’s residence in Florida.
What the children said
The children said Chasteen, who lived in Jonesboro at the time, kept them locked in a basement and subjected them to brutal whippings and physical, psychological and sexual torture.
Police said one of the children was crying so hard and so hysterically while giving a statement that it made their account difficult to understand.
The oldest child recalled being sent to buy concealer to help cover the bruises on a younger alleged victim, according to the documents. Several of the children told police Chasteen threatened to kill them if they spoke out about the abuse, forcing them to lie about how they’d got blemishes and marks.
One child told police that Chasteen once snapped a kitten’s neck in front of them due to the animal getting in his way. In a similar account, Chasteen was also accused of killing another of the children’s cats after it jumped up on his lap for some “lovin’,” the child told police.
The children said Chasteen also fed other cats rat poison and even made at least one of the children watch. He also would viciously kick one of their dogs that tried to protect the children, they said.
What the adults said
Chasteen was not the only adult in the Jonesboro home where the allegedly horrid crimes occurred. Chasteen’s wife later told police that some of the children reported the alleged abuse to her, but she trusted Chasteen when he told her the children were exaggerating.
Court documents reveal that Chasteen’s wife was often not home, but did see Chasteen “whipping” the children on occasion. She even told police she noted the bruises left after one of the whippings, but went on to claim she was “just too exhausted” from working 110 hours a week to look further into what was happening under her roof.
But court documents said other women did take closer note. A mother of one of the reported victims told investigators that she called child services “several times” to report Chasteen for alleged abuse.
By the time police spoke to these women, court documents reveal that Chasteen had already left the state of Indiana to live with his mother in Florida.
Police made contact with Chasteen over the phone in January. When confronted by the allegations, investigators said Chasteen angrily denied abusing and molesting the children. He told police that he believed someone was coercing the children into the accusations.
Chasteen reportedly became angrier and ended up making alleged threats toward the mother of at least one of the children.
“If I am charged for something I did not do, you best believe that I will be brought up on charges that I did do, and that will be for beating (the mother’s) f—ing ass,” he reportedly said.
When police informed Chasteen that the call was being recorded, he doubled down on the threats.
“I don’t care,” Chasteen allegedly said. “If I am going to go to jail for no reason, I am going to make sure it is for a reason.”
In addition to the 20 felony charges, the Grant County prosecutor also requested a higher-than-normal bond due to Chasteen’s threats of violence against one of the victims’ mothers.
Chasteen is currently being held in Grant County Jail. His initial hearing is set for Wednesday. His most serious charge, a Level 3 felony, carries a maximum sentence of 16 years in prison.
If you or anyone you know needs help, contact the ChildHelp National Child Abuse Hotline, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.