LA Couple accused of locking up young children, not feeding them

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A Washington Parish couple is under arrest, accused of locking four young children in a bedroom so the parents could sleep undisturbed. Jessie R. Hoyt, 28, and Kayla Hoyt, 26, were each booked into the parish jail on four counts of cruelty to juveniles.

In addition, Kayla Hoyt was booked with resisting arrest. She's being held under $11,000 bond. Jessie Hoyt's bond was set at $10,000, he Sheriff's Office said.

The Sheriff's Office also is looking into allegations that the couple sold food stamps to generate cash. Charges have not yet been filed on that.

The Hoyts were arrested after the Sheriff's Office received a complaint from a concerned citizen and sent deputies to a rural residence on the west side of the parish to check on the welfare of young children who were suspected of being mistreated. They found the home in disarray, with food items scattered throughout the kitchen, dirty clothes strewn about and access to the bathroom toilet partially blocked, the Sheriff's Office said.

The children -- ages 9, 6 and 4-year-old twins -- were not being bathed or fed regularly and were locked in a bedroom during the day so the parents could sleep undisturbed, authorities said.

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