OHIO PARENTS ALLEGEDLY CAGED KIDS AND PUT NAILS IN TOES

A Licking County, Ohio, couple, Jonathan Parr, 37, and Jacquelyn Coleman, 32, were arrested on October 13, 2026, and charged with third-degree felony child endangerment after detectives allegedly found nine children living in a bug-infested home, with some locked behind cages or barriers. Parr is the biological father of seven of the children and Coleman is the mother of all nine, and the case began with a Child Protective Services referral about possible abuse and neglect, People reported.

Detectives searched the home on National Road Southwest in Etna Township. The Licking County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that they found “appalling and unsafe living conditions that raised serious concerns for the health, safety, and well-being of the children residing in the home.” All nine children, ages 1 to 13, were removed and placed in CPS custody.

The criminal complaint alleges a bug infestation, inadequate sleeping arrangements and bedding, and not enough food, water or living space. It also says the referral “outlined physical abuse, including failure to provide food and water, insufficient living space, and juveniles being forced to stand for hours with nails between their toes and locked behind cages or barriers.”

According to the report, one boy told CPS workers that he and his brother were made to hold wall squats for long stretches. “These wall squats are done daily, at all hours of the day, not just as a form of punishment,” the report read. It also alleges Parr pointed cameras at the wall to make sure the boys stayed put, and that nails were placed between the children’s toes so they would not move or lean to one side.

A deputy wrote that “the bathroom was an abomination,” with a toilet “black from filth” and dirty dishes covering the shower floor, bugs crawling over them. Near the bathroom entrance, the deputy reported a pile of what appeared to be green feces with bugs crawling in and out of it.

The New York Post reported that some of the children were living in a shed and that dogs were also removed from the property. The Post also reported that Coleman allegedly left when police arrived and was arrested during a traffic stop, and that Parr was charged with abuse involving two children who are not his biological kids.

Ground News reported that a local school district report came first, before CPS contacted the sheriff’s office. Sheriff’s Capt. Jay Cook said, “The investigation is still ongoing.”

Parr has denied the allegations. “It’s not true. I love my kids. I would die for my kids,” he said in court, according to WBNS. At a bond hearing, he said, “I didn’t keep anybody in cages or [commit] any of the other charges.”

The Columbus Dispatch reported that sheriff’s records say the children “appeared fine” during a 2023 visit to the home. The paper also reported that Coleman told deputies Parr made some children do wall squats for hours and placed nails in the floor as markers for where they should stand.

Parr and Coleman appeared for bond hearings on October 14, 2026. As of October 20, both were still jailed on $150,000 bonds each, and prosecutors anticipated that a grand jury would consider additional charges, the Dispatch reported.