Ohio authorities rescued nine children from a “deplorable,” bug-infested property where investigators allege some of them were confined in cages.
The children, ranging in age from one to 13, were removed from the Etna Township home by the Licking County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday afternoon.
Authorities said the operation followed a report from Licking County Child Protective Services concerning alleged physical abuse and unsafe living conditions.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by the US Sun, the allegations included failing to provide adequate food and water, as well as forcing the children to live in insufficient space.
The warrant also alleged that the children were made to stand for hours with nails placed between their toes and were confined behind cages or other barriers.
Officers reportedly encountered “deplorable living conditions” and a serious bug infestation at the property near US Highway 40, roughly 20 miles east of Columbus.
Jonathan Parr, 37, and Jacqueline Coleman, 32, were arrested and charged with child endangerment.
Court records cited by WKYC identify Coleman as the mother of all nine children and Parr as the father of seven. Both were being held at the Licking County Justice Center.
Jonathan Parr, 37, faces a child-endangerment charge after nine children were rescued from a bug-infested property in Etna Township, Ohio
Jacqueline Coleman, 32, was also arrested and charged with child endangerment. She is alleged to be the mother of all nine children, while Parr is the father of seven
Following the rescue, all nine children were removed from the property and placed in the custody of Child Protective Services.
Authorities said 12 people, ranging in age from one to 64, had been living at the home.
The third adult was identified as the children’s grandmother. She has not been charged and continues to live at the property.
“The living conditions were horrific [and] disgusting,” Licking County Sheriff’s Department Captain Jay Cook said at a news conference on Wednesday.
Cook said Parr and Coleman were living in a shed on the property with at least four of the children. He described the structure as “not very big.”
The US Sun reported that officers executed the search warrant while Parr was inside the shed.
Coleman had reportedly left the property with two children and was later detained by officers during a traffic stop.
Investigators believe the remaining rescued children had been living inside a trailer.
The nine children, their grandmother and the two arrested adults had been living at a property near US Highway 40
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Cook said “maybe some of the kids were placed in cages,” noting that officers found a cage extending approximately halfway up a doorway.
‘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,’ Cook said.
He added that the cage was used to ‘cover the doorway’ for a room that was missing a door.
Still, Cook added that the children had allegedly revealed the abuse that would be inflicted on them.
‘Sometimes it was punishment,’ Cook said. ‘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,’ he added.
The children also allegedly had to deal with nails on the floor that acted ‘like a marker to put their feet,’ according to Cook.
The kids were taken away from the home after being rescued on Tuesday and placed in CPS custody
The alleged abuse of the children began in April 2023, according to a felony complaint report cited by WCMH.
Parr said the allegations were ‘not true’ when he appeared in the Licking County Court of Common Pleas for his arraignment hearing on Wednesday.
‘I did not keep anyone in cages or any of the other charges,’ Parr said, per the outlet.
Parr was previously charged with operating a firearm while intoxicated in Wisconsin but that was dismissed in 2016, according to the US Sun.
However, he was later found guilty due to a no contest plea over endangering safety with a weapon and carrying a concealed weapon, per the outlet.
Coleman allegedly knew about the abuse but allowed it to happen, according to deputies. She was also arraigned on Wednesday.
Both had their bond set at $150,000 and are next scheduled to appear in court on October 23 for a preliminary hearing.
Parr has been ordered to not contact Coleman or any of the alleged victims.
The discovery comes after 16 youths, ranging from 18 months to 18 years old, were rescued from a separate home in Hamden, Ohio, on June 30.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Licking County Prosecutor’s Office for comment. It was not immediately clear if Parr and Coleman had retained legal representation.