Parents of bound children will be tried separately

LAWRENCE, Kan. — A Kansas judge has ordered separate trials for a Northlake couple accused of tying up and blindfolding two of their children outside a Walmart in Lawrence.

Fifty-two-year-old Adolfo Gomez and his 44-year-old wife, Deborah Gomez, both pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony child abuse and misdemeanor child endangerment.

The Lawrence Journal-World reported Douglas County District Judge Paula Martin scheduled trials Oct. 22 for Deborah Gomez and Nov. 5 for her husband.

A Walmart shopper called police June 13 after seeing a child blindfolded and bound near a vehicle in the store parking lot. Police have said Adolfo Gomez told them he believed the children were possessed by demons.

The family was driving from Northlake to Arizona when their vehicle broke down in Kansas.