A Florida firefighter and his wife face child abuse charges after allegedly locking their 12-year-old adopted daughter in her room for years. Police say the girl was forced to clean her own waste with her clothes and bathe outside. Siblings confirmed the mistreatment, and the mother admitted to the practices.
Joel Christopher Kohnert, 44, a Broward Fire Rescue firefighter with over 15 years on the job, and his wife Jennifer Renee Kohnert, 45, were arrested Tuesday on charges of child abuse without great bodily harm. Coral Springs police began investigating on February 11 after the girl told a school resource officer that her parents locked her bedroom door from the outside at night. She claimed this was due to accusations that she wandered the house and took family items, leaving her without bathroom access and forcing her to soil herself overnight, according to the arrest affidavit. Each morning, she had to clean the mess with her clothes, wash them in a bucket outside, and bathe in a swimsuit regardless of weather. Her sparse room contained an air mattress, no toys, and storage items like paint cans, while her six siblings had furnished, unlocked bedrooms. The girl reported harsher punishments, including treading water in the pool for up to 45 minutes and repeatedly writing Bible verses, plus physical abuse like hair-pulling and slapping from her adopted mother, who called her derogatory names. Siblings corroborated the accounts to investigators. Jennifer Kohnert admitted to many allegations, stating the girl would not thrive in her care and offering to surrender her to the state; the family had cared for the child since she was two months old. Police noted Joel Kohnert's profession should have alerted him to the safety risks of locking the child in. The couple bonded out of Broward County Jail after posting $100,000 bail. During their court appearance, their lawyer called them devout Christians, prompting the judge to retort, as reported by WTVJ, that locking a child in a room for years and making her handle her own waste 'is not a religious issue, that is something else.' Neighbors told WTVJ the family was controlling, with the girl barred from cutting her hair or making friends. Joel Kohnert is on unpaid leave.