FAIRFIELD: A Northern California woman denied that she or her husband abused their 10 children after authorities said the kids suffered puncture wounds, burns, bruising and injuries consistent with being shot with a pellet gun.The children, ages 4 months to 12 years, were removed from their home on March 31 after Ina Rogers contacted authorities to report that her oldest child was missing, police in Fairfield said on Monday. Officers went to the home 74km northeast of San Francisco and found filthy conditions, Lt Greg Hurlbut said.
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"Officers located unsafe and unsanitary living conditions including garbage and spoiled food on the floor, animal and human feces and a large amount of debris making areas of the house unpassable," he said. Authorities described injuries to the kids, including some that appeared to have been caused by someone shooting a pellet gun.
The father, 29-year-old Jonathan Allen, was arrested on Friday after the children were interviewed. He has pleaded not to seven counts of torture and nine counts of felony child abuse and was being held on $5.2 million bail.
Sharon Henry, chief deputy district attorney for Solano County, said she was "horrified" by the statements from the children and that torture was carried out in the house "for sadistic purposes". She declined to elaborate. Rogers, 30, was arrested on suspicion of neglect last month and released after posting $10,000 bail. She denied on Monday her husband had abused the children. "My kids get bumped and bruised and scratched because they're kids but that's it."
In January, another California couple were arrested after police found their 13 children held captive at home, some "shackled to their beds with chains and padlocks".