The defense lawyer for the fourth suspect charged in the Tacony basement abuse case appeared in court on Wednesday for a formal arraignment.
Jean Mcintosh, 32, was arrested last Wednesday and charged with kidnapping, conspiracy, assault and other related charges. She is currently in jail after failing to post $1 million bail.
Mcintosh is an alleged co-conspirator in a horrific case in which four mentally disabled adults were held captive in a filthy basement in order to collect their social security checks.
Mcintosh was booked for a pretrial on December 19. She did not appear on Wednesday for a scheduled court hearing. Her defense attorney Michael Graves attended and spoke with NBC 10 about his client's reaction to the charges against her.
"She appears more than anything else to be shocked and surprised that she has been charged in this case," said Graves. "We're really looking forward to finding out the factual basis of what these charges are."
Mcintosh is the fourth person arrested in the case, along with her mother, Linda Ann Weston, 51, Gregory Thomas, 47, and Eddie Wright, 50.
A landlord discovered four disabled adults in a dank boiler room of his Philadelphia apartment building Oct. 15. Police said the victims, who have the mental capacity of 10-year-olds, were malnourished; one was chained to a boiler.
Weston, Thomas and Wright had recently moved into the building in the city's Tacony section with McIntosh, police said.
Authorities characterized Weston as the ringleader in a plot to lock people up and cash their Social Security checks.
Investigators are working to discover the extent of the scheme after finding more than 50 Social Security cards, power of attorney documents and other such forms in McIntosh's apartment..
Eight children and four young adults linked to the defendants are in protective custody.
During a court appearance on Monday, Weston's lawyer said his client may not completely understand the seriousness of the charges against her. The lawyer says he plans to do a more comprehensive interview to evaluate her mental state.
Municipal Judge Felice Rowley Stack scheduled a preliminary hearing for Weston, Thomas and Wright for December 19.
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