CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. — A Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue lieutenant and his wife could lose their parental rights after their arrest in what authorities describe as a severe child abuse case involving their 12-year-old adopted daughter.

Jennifer Renee Kohnert, 45, and Joel Christopher Kohnert, 44, were arrested Tuesday and each face one count of child abuse without great bodily harm, according to jail records. A judge has now begun proceedings to terminate their parental rights.

According to an arrest report, a Department of Children and Families investigator responded Feb. 11 to the girl’s school in Coral Springs and met with a school resource officer regarding allegations that the child was being locked in her bedroom at night “due to claims that she wandered the house and took items from family members.”

Deputies said that while confined, the girl did not have access to a bathroom, resulting in her urinating on the floor and being forced to clean it the following morning. Investigators noted she was also “required to write Bible verses as a form of punishment.”

They said the girl told investigators that for approximately two to three years she had been locked in her room overnight and at times during the day. She said she would urinate on herself and at times defecate due to lack of bathroom access.

The report states the bedroom door was secured with a lock from the outside and the window was restricted, “leaving no means of escape.”

Authorities said the girl reported sleeping on an air mattress in a sparsely furnished room with no toys or personal items. She told investigators she was allowed only about three outfits at a time, and that any additional clothing or money she received was taken by her mother.

They said the girl also said she was forced to use her clothing to clean urine and feces using vinegar or bleach, then wash the clothing in a bucket and dry it in her room.

She told investigators that the week before authorities became involved, her mother pulled her hair, slapped her — causing her lip to bleed — taunted and kicked her while she was on the ground, according to the report.

The girl said she is “treated differently” from the six other children in the home, who were not subjected to the same conditions, the report states.

Investigators said she also reported being forced to tread water in a pool for extended periods, sometimes up to 45 minutes, as punishment.

An officer wrote that “this practice is particularly concerning given Joel’s professional background, where he would reasonably be expected to recognize the inherent safety risks associated with restricting a child’s ability to exit a room during an emergency.”

In bond court Wednesday, Judge Corey Friedman said: “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.”

“Their biological children gave statements. There is physical evidence. The officer stated when she went into the room, among other things, she smelled urine,” a prosecutor also stated in bond court.

Some neighbors said the allegations are difficult to reconcile with the family they thought they knew.

“I feel like she’s giving a bad name to Christians, but even the Bible warns us that Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light,” said neighbor Jennifer Mahecha.

Authorities said all of the children found in the home are now in the custody of the Department of Children and Families.

They said Joel Kohnert, who has been with Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue since November 2010, is on administrative investigative leave without pay.

A judge set bond at $100,000 for each defendant and ordered no contact with the victim or any minors. As of Thursday evening, Joel and Jennifer Kohnert were not listed as inmates on the Broward County jail website.

A further hearing is scheduled next week to determine custody of the other children.

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