Ex-sheriff’s deputy in northwest Minnesota and wife charged with trafficking, animal cruelty in Tennessee

A former Kittson County sheriff’s deputy and his wife are charged with animal cruelty and human trafficking in Tennessee.

James and Kelli Hewitt remain in custody since their arrests July 2 following “a significant investigation” related to trafficking for forced labor, the Giles County (Tennessee) Sheriff’s Office announced.

The agency said in a statement that eight people “were rescued and placed in a safer environment.” Giles County Sheriff Joe Purvis told the local newspaper that they ranged in age from 5 to 29 and said more charges and victims are expected.

James Hewitt, 65, served as a deputy in the northwest corner of Minnesota for 15 years and over 11 years as an inspector with U.S. Customs. Kelli Hewitt, 63, was a dog breeder on their former farm in Lancaster, Minn., where they graduated from high school and raised a large family made up of biological and adopted children from around the world. They moved to the Nashville area in recent years, where they are active in church and supporting orphanages.

At least one girl from a Haiti orphanage is listed as a victim in court records obtained by the Minnesota Star Tribune. The Hewitts have each been charged with felony trafficking for forced labor and involuntary servitude.

The Hewitts concealed the girl’s Haitian birth certificate “while forcing the victim to perform manual labor” and “harboring the victim from a Haiti orphanage knowing that the victim will be subjected to involuntary servitude or manual labor,” charges say.

The couple also faces three counts of animal cruelty and one count of aggravated cruelty to animals.

During a search on July 2, agents found 44 dogs confined without water and 31 dogs outside without doghouses. Eight chickens, a duck and a turkey were “all in a state of starvation.” Charges noted one turkey had already died.

A Tibetan mastiff dog was also found “severely infested with fleas causing it to be anemic and at a substantial risk of death,” charges say.

The sheriff’s office said that 15 agencies assisted with the investigation and execution of the search warrant, including the Department of Children’s Services, Child Advocacy Centers, victim services, an animal shelter and veterinarians.

General Session Judge Robert Richardson Jr. on July 7 set their bond at $10,000, or $2,000 with conditions of house arrest, GPS tracking, “no contact with minors or witnesses to cases” and surrender of passports and firearms.

The Hewitts, who don’t have a criminal record in Minnesota, are set to make an initial court appearance July 15.

Their listed attorney, Ashley Abraham, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

James Hewitt served as a deputy for Kittson County Sheriff’s Office from 2002 to 2017.

A 2016 article about Kelli Hewitt in the Grand Forks Herald stated she was a dog breeder. The article said she and her husband have 10 biological children and, at the time, 18 adopted children: 15 from Haiti, one from Ethiopia, one from China and another from Ukraine.

“The reason that I [started breeding dogs] is it just went really well with our family,” Kelli Hewitt told the Herald.

The Hewitt’s dog breeding business, RockaDoodles, says “our puppies are socialized very well by our 13 children at home.” They moved the business from Minnesota to Tennessee and had dogs for sale as recently as July 2.

Calls and texts were left with the Hewitt children. Those that responded declined to comment.

The Kittson County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to requests for comment.