Police have arrested a Georgia pastor along with his wife after a group of people were discovered locked in their basement, Fox Atlanta reports.

According to the report, Curtis Keith Bankston and Sophia Simms-Bankston were leasing a home for almost a year and a half and allegedly had been running an unlicensed group home under the guise of a church called the One Step of Faith 2nd Chance.

The location came to the attention of the Griffin Fire Department when they received a report of a person having a seizure at their address.

When the authorities arrived on the scene, emergency medical services and fire crews found the entrance to the basement locked with a deadbolt, forcing them to climb through a window to reach the person in distress.

Upon reaching the basement, authorities discovered as many as eight people who were physically or  mentally disabled and had been "locked-in" at times by their so-called "caretakers."

The officials claimed that the Bankstons controlled “the individuals' finances, benefits, and medications.” They also claim the the couple would refuse to give the individuals their medication and deny them proper medical care. 

"It is both frightening and disgusting to see the degree to which these individuals have been taken advantage of by people who were in a position of trust," the City of Griffin Police Department said in a statement.

All the individuals affected were removed from the location and have been placed in the care of the Georgia Department of Human Services which will assist them in finding adequate housing.

The Bankstons are currently held in custody in the Spalding County Jail and are charged with false imprisonment.