Nine children have been found living in what has been described as 'appalling conditions' as they were 'locked behind cages or barriers'. Two adults have been arrested after police found the youngsters in the 'deplorable living conditions'.
Search Warrant Execution
A search warrant was issued for the Etna Township home in Ohio on Tuesday by the Licking County Sheriff's Office after being referred to the residence by child services. The referral detailed the horrific conditions and "outlined physical abuse, including failure to provide food and water, insufficient living space, and juveniles being forced to stand for hours with nails between their toes and locked behind cages or barriers".
The officers who searched the home discovered a bug infestation, "deplorable living conditions," and "inadequate sleeping arrangements and bedding" for the children.
Arrests and Details
Captain Jay Cook said: "Some of the things I can tell you is that the living conditions were horrific, disgusting, and there was nine children living in the house with three adults." The children range from ages one to 13 and have now been placed in CPS custody. At least four of the children live inside a shed on the property which was described as "not very big".
Two of the adults, Jonathan Parr, 37, and Jacqueline Coleman, 32, have been arrested on child endangerment charges. The pair are not married, but are parents to four of the children. Cook said that Coleman has two children of her own and Parr has three. Parr was found inside the shed at the time the search warrant was carried out, whilst Coleman had taken two of the children out shortly before but was held at traffic lights. The third adult living at the home is a 64-year-old grandmother.
Official Statements and Court Proceedings
The sheriffs office said in a statement: "Upon executing the search warrant, detectives encountered appalling and unsafe living conditions that raised serious concerns for the health, safety, and well-being of the children residing in the home." Officials believe the other children were living inside a trailer. Cook said: "It was disclosed that maybe some of the kids were placed in cages. The way it was explained and what we saw was not necessarily a cage like an actual big size dog cage, but there was like a cage that kind of folds. There was no door onto the room, and they used that cage to cover the doorway."
The children explained to officers the abuse they allegedly faced inside the home. Cook added: "Sometimes it was punishment. Sometimes it was – for no good reason at all – where they would have to stand with their back against the wall, like a wall-squat type situation. It was reported that they would sometimes stand there all day." Cook added that there were nails in the floor, which were allegedly put there "like a marker to put their feet."
The police did not comment on whether the grandmother would also face charges. Coleman and Parr are being held on a $150,000 bond and were arraigned in court on Wednesday. Parr is due back in court on October 23, and has been told to not have any contact with Coleman or the alleged victims. He is also not allowed to have unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18 and will be subject to a GPS monitoring device.
