CORAL SPRINGS, FL — A Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue lieutenant and his wife were arrested Tuesday on child abuse charges after allegedly confining their 12-year-old adopted daughter to a bedroom for up to three years, forcing her to urinate on the floor and clean it with her clothing.
Joel Christopher Kohnert, 44, and Jennifer Renee Kohnert, 45, each face one count of child abuse without great bodily harm following an investigation that began in February when the girl entered public school after being homeschooled. The Department of Children and Families launched the probe after meeting with a resource officer at the child’s Coral Springs school, who noticed concerning signs. All children in the home have been removed and are now in state custody, prosecutors said during Wednesday’s bond hearing.
According to arrest reports, the couple subjected the girl to “ongoing mental and physical abuse” over approximately three years. Investigators said the child’s bedroom door was locked from the outside overnight and sometimes during the day, with her window also restricted, leaving no means of escape. A sound machine played at high volume in her room prevented her from hearing other family members in the house. The girl told investigators she slept on an air mattress with minimal furniture and no toys or personal items, while six other children in the home had proper bedrooms with clean conditions and belongings. When she was removed from the home, the child was wearing size 2T underwear designed for toddlers.
The investigation revealed disturbing details about the girl’s living conditions and treatment. Without access to a bathroom, she was forced to urinate on the floor and clean it the next morning using her clothing along with vinegar and bleach, then wash her soiled clothes in a bucket outside and dry them in her room. Clothing collected from her bedroom showed stains consistent with her statements, police said. She was also required to bathe outside in the backyard while wearing a bathing suit “despite inadequate weather conditions,” according to court documents. As punishment, the girl was forced to write Bible verses and tread water in the pool for as long as 45 minutes at a time. Jennifer Kohnert allegedly pulled the child’s hair, slapped her causing her lip to bleed, and kicked her while she was on the ground.
The arrest affidavit noted that Joel Kohnert’s position as a first responder made certain aspects “particularly concerning,” as 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.” The girl told investigators she was treated differently than the other children and was called derogatory names, told she was bipolar like her biological mother, and given distressing information about her biological parents including details of substance abuse and death. Police said both parents admitted to locking the girl in the room, with Joel Kohnert acknowledging he knew it was wrong. Their biological children provided statements to investigators, and officers reported smelling urine when they entered the victim’s room.
During Wednesday’s bond hearing in Broward Circuit Court, the couple’s defense attorney described them as “devout Christians” and “devoutly religious,” disputing details in the arrest reports and requesting $10,000 bonds for each defendant. Judge Corey Friedman rejected the religious defense, stating: “When you allegedly have 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.” Prosecutors requested $50,000 bonds each, expressing concern about the allegations and what was used to “quote unquote discipline this child.” The judge said he believed the couple should face aggravated child abuse charges and set bonds at $100,000 each.
Joel Kohnert was hired by Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue on November 15, 2010, and is currently on administrative investigative leave without pay, according to BSO spokesperson Carey Codd. Neighbors expressed mixed reactions to the arrests, with some describing shock while others said they weren’t surprised. “I know he is very controlling. I know that they would walk up and down the street, she wasn’t allowed to cut her hair, she wasn’t allowed to make friends with a lot of people,” one neighbor told NBC6. “They kept to themselves, the little times we could see the children they kept them in strollers covered.” However, another neighbor defended the couple through tears, calling the allegations “a lie” and describing them as “awesome parents” whose “kids are doing so well.”
The judge ordered both defendants to have no contact with the 12-year-old victim, no contact with minors, and prohibited possession of firearms, weapons or ammunition. As of Wednesday afternoon, neither had posted the $100,000 bond required for release from the Broward Main Jail.
