WASHINGTON COUNTY. Mo. — A Missouri woman and her boyfriend are accused of severely abusing her children, allegedly locking them in a “chicken pen” and holding “fight nights” between the minors, authorities said.
According to a news release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, deputies on Jan. 13 arrested Chantel Spring Hayford, 38, of Potosi; and Jerry Allen Menees, of Potosi.
Washington County online court records state that Hayford was charged with two counts of kidnapping (first degree), one count of sexual abuse (first degree), three counts of endangering the welfare of a child (first degree), four counts of abuse or neglect of a child and two counts of domestic assault (first degree).
The same records noted that Menees was charged with two counts of kidnapping (first degree), two counts of endangering the welfare of a child (first degree), two counts of armed criminal action, two counts of abuse or neglect of a child, one count of unlawful use of a weapon and three counts of domestic assault (first degree).
The couple was taken into custody on Jan. 13 after their home was searched.
Prosecutors said that Hayford and Menees locked two boys, ages 13 and 14, in a chicken pen and used BB air rifles to shoot at them.
The defendants unlawfully confined both minors in the chicken pen “for the purpose of terrorizing” both boys, court documents state.
According to prosecutors, investigators suggested there was a pattern “of ongoing abuse” between Jan. 1, 2023, to Dec. 8, 2025.
That included an incident at a child’s birthday party and organized “fight nights” pitting one sibling against the other, KFVS reported. Prosecutors also alleged that Hayford had “inappropriate sexual contact involving one of the children.”
One of the minors said that Menees also pointed a “real” gun at them, which prosecutors described as a pistol. The child also claimed that Menees threatened to “blow his brains out” if he “said something again.”
The second boy told prosecutors that Menees allegedly used “methamphetamine, speed, weed,” and that his mother “forced him” to eat an edible. He also claimed that the couple gave him alcohol and made him eat a marijuana-laced brownie. This occurred when the child was 11 or 12 years old, court documents show.
The younger boy also stated that his mother grabbed the chest of his sister, and when asked about it, said that she “made it so she can grab it.”
Hayford and Menees are scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 20, online records show.
© 2025 Cox Media Group
