Two adults are facing charges after authorities say nine kids were living in “horrific” conditions in a Licking County home.
The Licking County Sheriff’s Office said it searched the property on the 13600 block of National Road SW in Etna Township on Oct. 13 and found that nine children, the two arrested adults, a 64-year-old grandmother and three dogs were living in a mobile home and shed.
"The living conditions were horrific, disgusting," Sheriff's Capt. Jay Cook said during an Oct. 14 news conference. "The investigation is still ongoing. There's a lot of things we've still got to look into, more people that need [to be] interviewed."
Here’s what we know:
Who are the defendants in the Etna Township child endangerment case?
The sheriff’s office arrested Jonathan Parr, 37, and Jacquelyn Coleman, 32, on one count each
of child endangerment.
They each appeared for bond hearings Oct. 14 in the Licking County Common Pleas Court in Newark. Child endangerment is a third-degree felony and carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison.
"It's not true. I didn’t keep anybody in cages or [commit] any of the other charges," Parr said during his bond hearing. "I love my kids. I would die for my kids."
Why did police search the home on the 13600 block of National Road SW in Etna Township?
About 1 p.m. Oct. 13 the Licking County Sheriff’s Office searched the home, Licking County Child Protective Services contacted the sheriff's office about an ongoing investigation, Cook said at the press conference.
The CPS referral came from a report from an undisclosed school district just inside Licking County, Cook said.
What were the conditions inside the home?
Court documents say CPS suspected "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."
Cook said the children told investigators they were forced to squat against a wall as punishment, with nails in the floor as markers for their feet. He said investigators saw a large folding cage that adults in the home would use to cover a doorway to contain the children to a room.
Court records also described the home as bug-infested, with inadequate sleeping arrangements and bedding for the kids.
Coleman left the home with two children just before detectives arrived to search the home but was pulled over soon thereafter, Cook said, and detectives found Parr in a nearby shed, where Cook said at least four children lived with the parents.
The remaining five children lived in the mobile home, Cook said. Some of the children were at school when the home was searched. All nine are in the custody of CPS.
What’s next in the case?
A Licking County judge set bond for Parr and Coleman at $150,000 each, and they remained in the Licking County jail as of the morning of Oct. 15.
Authorities are determining whether the children’s grandmother will face charges, and additional charges for Parr and Coleman may come.
Prosecutors will present the case before a grand jury to secure an indictment on the charges.
Public safety and breaking news reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What we know after 2 arrested in Ohio child endangerment case
