Florida 'doomsday prepper' couple allegedly sexually abused two women in getaway farm for years
A "doomsday prepper" couple has been arrested after Florida authorities raided a farm. They were charged with physical and sexual abuse. Two women have reportedly alleged that they were abused for years while they were under the care of 58-year-old Mirko Ceska and his 55-year-old wife, Regina. The Wakulla County Sheriff's Office revealed the incident on Friday, July 12, in a statement.
"The females described Mr. and Mrs. Ceska as doomsday preppers who had getaway properties located throughout the United States and food rations and weapons stored in the event of a major calamity," the news release read. "The females stated they had been trained to raise pigs, raise sheep, grow various fruits and vegetables, sheer sheep, utilize a loom, and sew." The statement also said that if the two women did something as little as not smile, they would be punished by the couple.
Three days before the investigation began on July 1, the two women had escaped the Ceskas' custody, revealed the news release. However, their identities, ages, and relationship to the Ceskas have still not been disclosed. The search of the farm that happened on Friday also led to the discovery of massive quantities of food rations and other survivalist items, stated the press release. Dozens of high-quality firearms and many cases of ammunition, including some that were hidden behind fake walls or a staircase were also seized by detectives.
According to the women, they went through various punishments that would include having their food getting withheld, and also physical abuse when Mirko would hit them with a metal rod. The harrowing experience also included incidents of sexual assault where Mirko would force sex acts upon them, "some with the support of Regina Ceska," according to the sheriff's office.
The Tallahassee Democrat also reported that the Ceskas were quoted in a 2009 Associated Press article about the over-medication of children in the Florida foster care system. The Ceskas had then talked about adopting 12-year-old twin girls the previous year. The Ceskas had also met the then-Governor Charlie Crist, and expressed criticism against the foster care system for medication children in transitional care, reported the paper.
"The foster people that are taking care of these kids, many of them that we have seen don't want these kids to have too much to do," Mirko had shared with AP, according to the paper. "So they really put them asleep. They really do." And now, Mirko has been charged with sexual battery, sexual assault, abuse, and neglect. His wife, Regina, was charged with two counts of neglect and two counts of failure to report abuse.