Left: Jason Hoffer. Right: Amber Hoffer (Knox County Sheriff”s Office).

A mom and dad were arrested after they allegedly forced their seven kids to live in “very deplorable and uninhabitable conditions” inside their Tennessee home.

Jason Hoffer, 27, stands accused of child endangerment and aggravated child abuse while 28-year-old Amber Hoffer also faces a child endangerment charge, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.

The investigation began shortly before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday when the sheriff’s office received a call about two small children standing alone in a wooded area in the 3000 block of Clear Springs Road in Mascot, which is outside of Knoxville. Deputies determined the two kids lived nearby. They took the children back to their home and met with their parents, the Hoffer’s.

Cops learned seven kids ranging from ages one month to 7 years old lived at the home. Local CBS affiliate WVLT obtained arrest warrants that stated one of the two children out in the woods had severe bruising on his leg while both said they were hungry and had not eaten in a while. Investigators discovered “very deplorable and uninhabitable conditions” inside the home, cops reportedly said. Trash covered the floor and feces were smeared all over the walls and sink, per the complaint.

All the children were taken to a local hospital to be evaluated. During an interview, one of the boys reportedly said his father would make him stay inside a dog cage in the middle of the living room. When the boy misbehaved, Jason Hoffer would allegedly lock the crate and beat him with a metal pole through the cage. The boy reportedly suffered “severe welts.”

Cops say the child escaped and ran out of the home, which is what sparked the investigation and arrests.

Police allegedly found the kennel in the home and noted the family had no pets.

As of Sunday, Jason Hoffer remained in the Knox County Jail on a $55,000 bond. It appears Amber Hoffer has since posted bond.

The Department of Children’s Services removed the seven kids from the home.