‘Devout Christian’ couple forced stepdaughter to soil herself in FL bedroom for years and clean up mess: court docs
A Florida lieutenant and his wife — who are “devout Christians” — allegedly forced their stepdaughter to soil her own bedroom for years and then clean her own, police said.
Joel Christopher Kohnert, 44, and his 45-year-old wife, Renee Kohnert, were abused for 12 years, including bathing outside in a frog suit and hitting a loud speaker in their bedroom in their Coral Springs home, authorities said.
The twisted abuse allegedly began three years ago in an effort to “manipulate” the child and only came to light in February, NBC 6 reported, citing arrest reports.
The victim had locked herself in her room at night after her parents, who have six other children, allegedly wandered into the house and took the belongings of other family members, arrest reports said.
He was not even allowed to leave the room when he needed to use the bathroom, and had no choice but to urinate or defecate on the floor, reports said.
She collected the dirt the next morning from her clothes, adding vinegar and bleach before washing the dirty clothes in a bucket outside and drying them in her bedroom, court documents said.
He slept on an air mattress and had little furniture and zero toys — although the sound system was turned up so he couldn’t hear other family members in the home, according to authorities.
Some of the punishments the little girl allegedly received included treading water for 45 minutes and writing Bible verses. At times, her stepmother would pull her hair, slap her and kick her to the ground, reports obtained by NBC 6 state.
But in court Wednesday, a lawyer for the Kohnerts disputed the allegations in the report and painted a picture of “devout Christians” who were “self-sacrificingly devoted,” the station reported.
The judge during their trial did not buy it and said they were held on $100,000 bail.
“If you find a 12-year-old child locked in a room for more than three years and forced to urinate and defecate in the room and clean it with his clothes, that is not a matter of religion,” he said.
Previously, the victim was homeschooled, but she started going to school, when the staff began to suspect that she might have been abused, the newspaper reported.
Christopher Kohnert has been a civil servant since 2010, working as a lieutenant with the Broward County Sheriff’s Rescue Fire, according to reports.
The couple faces charges of child abuse without serious bodily injury, and the husband has also been placed on administrative leave from his job.
All seven of their children have also been released from custody.
