MORGAN COUNTY, Ind. (WXIN) Details have been released on how 33 children were treated in the Indiana home of reported abusers Sonja and Brian Stafford for approximately 13 years. The court documents describe how Sonja created a punishment structure that led the victims straight into the arms of their alleged molester, Brian.

Sonja Stafford, 60, is charged with 62 criminal counts including neglect of a dependent, human labor trafficking, strangulation and more.

Brian Stafford, 60, is charged with 59 criminal counts including child molestation, promotion of human trafficking and neglect of a dependent.

“We’re not trying to throw the book at them,” said a detective with the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office. “We’re just trying to do justice for the harm they’ve caused over the years to all of these kids.”

According to court documents from a hearing held on Dec. 18-19, there were a total of 33 children in the Stafford home during the past 13 years.

The children reportedly were forced to operate under a punishment structure. The system, devised by Sonja, would withhold food from the children, beat them with a paddle, make them run laps, perform pushups, spend entire evenings in their room with no pillow or mattress and write Bible verses. Some of the children report writing up to 25,000 sentences or verses all through the night.

Sonja wouldn’t let the kids eat food because “she didn’t like wasting money on them,” she allegedly said. Although court documents estimate that the couple received approximately $300-$417 per child every month, earning at least $271,000 from the state of Florida and from the state of Indiana.

When the children did eat, they would be forced to have a piece of bread with ketchup, a half-eaten peanut butter sandwich or a can of sardines to survive on for days while the couple ate T-bone steak, burgers and dessert.

The emotional distress would cause some victims to turn to Brian for help. He allegedly told a victim, “I have something to show you that will make you feel better,” and this is when he began sexually assaulting this particular victim. He reportedly told the victim that this is what “normal” dads do. He began assaulting several of the children at very young ages, such as 7.

The children then reported the molestation to Sonja, who allegedly threatened them if they told anyone else. Sonja, according to court documents, held a meeting that everyone should lie to the Department of Child Services, and if they did not they would be separated from their siblings and further punished.

Some of the punishments included being thrown down a hill into cow manure, forced to dress in only underwear in the winter to the point of getting frostbitten, made to eat off of the floor, withholding bath products, and being dragged by the hair.

Further, if the children did try to escape, there were alarms in every room of the 23-acre farm in Morgan County. If an alarm went off, the kids were subjected to more cruelty. The children were also not allowed to read, unless for a “special occasion.”

Most of the children were also forced to miss out on family events like Christmas and Thanksgiving, but the couple’s two biological children were able to attend. Sonja would also reportedly taunt the children by showing them a gift, but then never actually giving it to them.

One witness described that the children were treated like slaves. The two biological children deny all allegations against their parents.

This is an active investigation. Information will be updated as it becomes available.