CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. — A Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue lieutenant and his wife are accused of abusing their 12-year-old daughter and confining her to a room for years at a home in Coral Springs, authorities said.
Jennifer Kohnert, 45, and Joel Kohnert, 44, were arrested Tuesday and face one count of child abuse without great bodily harm, jail records show.
“They are devoutly religious. Their beliefs on various topics may not jibe with people in this courtroom, but this has been a lot of — I’m not going to say this case is predicated on, in my view — when you’ve allegedly got a 12-year-old child who is locked in a room for upwards of three years and is forced to urinate and defecate in the room and then clean it up with her clothes, that is not a religious issue, that is something else," said Judge Corey Friedman in Broward bond court on Wednesday.
Authorities said there were additional children in the home at the time of the couples’ arrest, and all of them are now in the custody of the Department of Children and Families.
They said Joel Kohnert was hired by BSFR on Nov. 15, 2010, and is currently on administrative investigative leave without pay.
A neighbor told Local 10’s Christian De La Rosa, through tears, that she believes the allegations are “a lie.”
Friedman found probable cause in both cases and set bond at $100,000 for each defendant. He also ordered the couple to have no contact with the victim, no contact with minors, and prohibited the possession of firearms, weapons or ammunition.
Local 10 has requested their arrest reports from the Coral Springs Police Department.
This is a developing story. Watch Local 10 or refresh the page for the latest updates.
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