Florida pastor charged after she let daughter eat fast food as foster kids went hungry

A Florida pastor has been charged with five felony counts of child neglect after authorities alleged that she starved five children in her care while giving preferential treatment to her biological daughter.

Gwendolyn Rolle, 59, was arrested in St. Lucie County after the Fort Pierce Police Department received an anonymous complaint alleging abuse in her home. Investigators said Rolle is not a licensed foster parent. The five children in her care are siblings ranging in age from 4 to 9.

According to an arrest warrant, the children told investigators they were frequently denied dinner and forced to go to bed hungry. The warrant states, “[The child] and her siblings do not get to eat dinner due to Gwendolyn not letting them eat and have to go to bed hungry.”

Authorities alleged that Rolle’s biological daughter was treated differently and was allowed to eat fast food from restaurants such as KFC and Popeyes in front of the other children.

One of the children told investigators, “[The daughter] gets special treatment, such as getting to use a toilet instead of a bucket to go to the bathroom in, she gets to shower, and get better food such as KFC or Popeyes.”

Pastor Accused of Hunger and Humiliation

Police said the children were forced to use a bucket as a toilet because the home’s only functioning bathroom was kept locked. According to investigators, the bathroom could only be accessed through Rolle’s bedroom.

The arrest warrant states, “Gwendolyn keeps her bedroom door, the only access to the working bathroom, locked even when she is home. [The child] said that they must get Gwendolyn’s permission to use that bathroom and that Gwendolyn primarily only unlocks it for [her biological daughter].”

Investigators said the children also reported bathing outside on the front patio using a garden hose and soap. They allegedly held up a sheet for privacy while taking turns showering.

“[The child] stated her siblings would rotate out of holding the sheet and showering with a garden hose and soap,” the warrant states.

School staff told investigators that the children were frequently bullied because they smelled bad and did not have clean clothes. According to the warrant, one child said she was sometimes given perfume or body spray at school “to mask the odor from not showering so other kids would not bully her.”

Police further alleged that the children were often fed leftovers from school meals or instant ramen noodles while at home.

Community Members Show Concern

The case came to light after an anonymous tipster contacted police on June 2. The person told officers they were afraid to speak out.

“Since Gwendolyn is a pastor and held to a higher standard within the community, [the tipster] has always been afraid to speak out on anything.”

A woman in the community told police she sometimes let the children stay at her home. “Her living room smelled horrible after the children slept there, due to the odor emanating from their bodies.” She said she tried to give the children food, clothes and toys. But she told police that Rolle would confiscate the items and either throw them away or give them to her own daughter.

According to investigators, the children also shared that Rolle often slapped them and called them “b—ards.” Rolle later admitted there was only one working restroom in the home, saying the other was out of order, denying the “neglect” allegations, and said she bathed the children regularly.

She has since bonded out of jail and has been assigned a public defender.

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Source: Front Page Detectives