Franklin County Children Services previously investigated the family involved in a Licking County case in which nine children were removed from alleged abusive conditions.
The agency said those earlier cases were resolved but declined to share details, citing state confidentiality and privacy laws, NBC4 reported. Franklin County Children Services covers families across Franklin County, including Gahanna and the Franklin County portion of New Albany.
Jonathan Parr, 37, and Jacqueline Coleman, 32, each face one count of child endangerment. Licking County sheriff's detectives searched their home on the 13600 block of National Road SW in Etna Township on Tuesday, Oct. 13, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
The investigation began after Licking County Child Protective Services contacted the sheriff's office around 1 p.m. that day. The referral came from an undisclosed Licking County school district, Licking County Sheriff's Office Capt. Jay Cook said during a Wednesday, Oct. 14 news conference.
"I can tell you from being out there that the living conditions were horrific, disgusting," Cook said.
Deputies found 12 people living at the residence, east of Reynoldsburg. Nine children, ages 1 through 13, were among them. Cook said at least four children had been living in a shed with the parents. The remaining children stayed in a mobile home with a 64-year-old grandmother.
Court documents allege the children were denied food and water, subjected to corporal punishment and physically restrained for prolonged periods. A felony complaint states the alleged abuse began in April 2023.
Children told investigators they were forced to squat against a wall with nails in the floor as markers for their feet, according to the Dispatch. Deputies also found bug infestations and inadequate sleeping arrangements.
Cook clarified that what the felony complaint described as "cages" were not large enclosures. A folding cage had been placed over a doorway to block children from leaving a room.
Parr denied the allegations during his Wednesday, Oct. 14 hearing in Licking County Common Pleas Court, at one point interrupting the proceedings.
"It's not true," Parr said. "I did not keep anyone in cages or any of the other charges."
Coleman reportedly told deputies she knew of the alleged abuse and allowed it to occur, according to NBC4. The felony complaint states she left the home with some of the children before detectives arrived but was detained nearby during a traffic stop.
Both were issued $150,000 bonds. The Licking County Sheriff's Office said additional charges could be added as the investigation continues.
The case is one of three recent Ohio child endangerment cases that Spectrum News 1 examined for gaps in the state's child protection system. Family law attorney John Cousins told Spectrum News that children become especially vulnerable when they disappear from public view after an earlier abuse report.
The sheriff's office said Parr and Coleman are not married but have four children together. Parr has three additional children and Coleman has two others. The grandmother has not been charged.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 23. Residents who suspect child abuse can call the Licking County Sheriff's Office at 740-670-8888 on weekdays at 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m or Franklin County Children Services at 614-229-7000.
