Two escape farm of ‘doomsday preppers,’ tell Wakulla detectives they were abused for years

Tallahassee Democrat

A Crawfordville couple preparing for Armageddon faces multiple serious charges after two women, who worked on their farm, escaped and told investigators they were prevented from leaving and were physically and sexually abused for years.

Wakulla County Sheriff’s office detectives raided their residence at 251 Lonnie Raker Lane Friday and arrested Mirko Ceska, 58, and Regina Ceska, 55. 

The investigation began on July 1 when the two escaped from the farm and alerted investigators.

“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,” a Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office update on Facebook says. “The females stated they had been trained to raise pigs, raise sheep, grow various fruits and vegetables, sheer sheep, utilize a loom, and sew.”

According to Wakulla County Court records, they both flied for domestic violence protection orders against Regina Ceska on Thursday and the Sheriff’s Office and Refuge House were contacted.

The victims, who were under the “custodial responsibility” of the Ceskas, recounted to deputies how they began working each day at 5:30 a.m. Their ages were not clear and were not specified in the Facebook post.

In a 2009 Associated Press article about the over-medication of children in the foster care system, the Ceskas said they had adopted 12-year-old twin girls a year earlier.

“The females reported they were not allowed to go anywhere, couldn’t have friends, couldn’t have cell phones, nor talk to people in public places,” the sheriff’s office said. “They stated they were not allowed to agree, talk or shake hands with anyone in public; rather, they were instructed to always look happy.”

If they didn’t smile, they would face a variety of punishments ranging from verbal abuse, beatings or being deprived of food.

“The most recent beating was reportedly done to by Mirko Ceska with a metal rod,” lawmen said. “Detectives noted marks and bruises on the female’s back and arm.”

Both females also described times that Mirko Ceska would force sex acts upon them, “some with the support of Regina Ceska,” according to deputies.

Members of the North Star Multijurisdictional Drug Task Force and special agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence Friday.

“During the search, large quantities of food rations and survivalist items were located. Detectives seized dozens of high quality firearms and many cases of ammunition from throughout the house,” officials said. “Some of the firearms were hidden behind false walls or a staircase.”

A homemade video was also seized in which Mirko Ceska screamed at the females inches from their faces that they had stolen food.

Detectives also searched Mirko Ceska’s cell phone and reportedly found a file containing an internet search history for an incestuous video.

Mirko Ceska was charged sexual battery, sexual assault, abuse, and neglect. Regina Ceska was arrested and charged with two counts of neglect and two counts of failure to report abuse. State records show she is a licensed practical nurse at Consulate Health Care in Tallahassee with no history of complaints.

State corporate records show Ceska is vice president of Strauss Galliers, a frame shop on Thomasville Road in Tallahassee.

The owner, Richard Young, said he’s been associated with Ceska for 35 years but never socialized with him.

“We had very little contact with him,” Young said.

Ceska spent his time in the back of the shop building frames and had little to no interaction with customers.

“He was not what you’d call customer friendly,” Young said.

Both were booked into the Wakulla County Jail. The investigation is ongoing.

In the 2009 article, the Ceskas, who met with then-Gov. Charlie Crist at the Governor’s Mansion, were critical of the foster care system for medicating children while in transitional care.

“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 Ceska told the AP. “So they really put them asleep. They really do.”

Regina Ceska said the girls were on 11 different kinds of psychiatric drugs when they adopted them.

“When we saw them the first time and they were on all those medications,” she said. “Their behavior was absolutely terrible and you could almost not control them.”

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2019/07/12/women-escape-doomsday-preppers-farm-florida-tell-detectives-they-were-abused-years/1721093001/

3 thoughts on “Two escape farm of ‘doomsday preppers,’ tell Wakulla detectives they were abused for years

  1. “Regina Ceska said the girls were on 11 different kinds of psychiatric drugs when they adopted them.”

    IF true, that is TOTALLY OBSCENE.

    Children these days have almost no chance of any kind of normal childhood… and definitely ZERO in CPS’s hands.

Join the Conversation

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


*