A lieutenant with Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue in Florida and his wife are facing child abuse charges after police say they kept their 12-year-old adopted daughter locked inside her bedroom from the outside every night for about three years.
Joel Christopher Kohnert, 44, and Jennifer Renee Kohnert, 45, were arrested by Coral Springs police on March 31st. Police say the girl, who has been in the couple’s care since she was two months old, reported the situation to a school resource officer on February 11th. Officers interviewed her and her siblings, who backed up the claims, per the arrest affidavit.
The girl told investigators she wasn’t allowed to use the bathroom at night, so she sometimes urinated or defecated in the room. In the morning, she allegedly had to clean it up using her own clothes, then wash the clothes in a bucket outside. She was also made to bathe outdoors in a swimsuit, no matter the weather. Her room had little more than an air mattress and was sometimes used for family storage, unlike the furnished bedrooms of her six siblings.
The other six children in the home were not locked in or treated the same way, authorities say. The girl also described being called names, having her hair pulled, and being slapped hard enough to make her lip bleed. Other alleged punishments included forcing her to tread water in the family pool for up to 45 minutes and making her write out Bible verses repeatedly. She wasn’t allowed to make friends, get haircuts, or have normal social contact, neighbors told local outlets.
In court the day after the arrest, the couple’s lawyer described them as devout Christians. The judge pushed back, saying the allegations went beyond any religious issue.
Both posted $100,000 bond and were released, with no-contact orders in place regarding the children.
