JACKSON CHILDREN - Redford MI

The Redford couple accused of child abuse — after three brothers
attracted attention by devouring candy from store shelves on a cold
winter morning — has waived rights to preliminary examination and will
face charges in Wayne Circuit Court. Albert
H. Jackson, 35, and Jahna G. Bemby, 36, are each charged with three
counts of first-degree child abuse for allegedly maltreating the three
brothers, then ages 17, 15 and 13, and forcing them to stay in a small
room in the basement of their house in the 13000 block of Marion.Jackson and Bemby remain free on bond pending their arraignment Tuesday in circuit court.The
youngsters came to the attention of Detroit police in the early morning
hours of Jan. 10 — a cold, blustery day — when employees of a Kmart
outlet on Eight Mile in Detroit said the youngsters were ravenously
eating candy off a shelf. The poorly-clad teens claimed they were
starving and had been badly treated at the Redford home where they had
lived for several years.Among
other things, the youngsters said they had been beaten, given
insufficient food and forced to stay in a makeshift storage room
beneath the stairs leading to the basement.When
notified, Redford police took the youngsters to headquarters and gave
them food — which officers said they ate ravenously and voiced repeated
thanks.Officer
Kevin Drielts, Redford's lead investigator, said the brothers had
scars, apparently from injuries inflicted months earlier, and they told
of being locked in the basement room where they had been forced to
sleep despite the lack of mattresses, bedding or toilet facilities.
Additional records subsequently indicated they did not attend school in
the 2008-09 year, the officer said.Several
hours after the youngsters were taken to Redford, Bemby came into the
station to report the boys missing, Drielts said. When confronted with
the boy's allegations, she denied withholding food as well as any other
claims of abuse or maltreatment, the officer said. She also claimed the
older boy had previously run away in search of his biological mother,
police said.The
brothers were turned over to Wayne County child protective services.
Seven other children, including a 2-year-old, were taken away from the
couple and placed with relatives.Drielts
said county and state officials are attempting to permanently revoke
any parental rights the couple has for the three brothers. “I don't
know if the couple (Jackson and Bemby) are married,” Drielts said, “and
I don't know if they were foster parents (or adoptive parents) of the
three brothers. I just know they did not treat these youngsters well.”Bemby's
attorney, Charlotte Steffen-Ramierz, declined to comment on the case.
The attorney for Jackson could not be reached by phone and did not
return phone calls.