Ruby Franke, a parenting blogger, pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse.
The charges involved physical and emotional harm inflicted on her children, including forced physical tasks, denial of food and water, and emotional manipulation.
Franke’s co-defendant, Jodi Hildebrandt, was also involved. (Trending: Bud Light Gets Bad News Ahead of Christmas)
Franke will testify against Hildebrandt as part of her plea agreement.
“With my deepest regret and sorrow for my family and my children, guilty,” Franke said when pleading.
“He was forced to stand in direct sunlight for several days. He was forced to remain outside at all hours of the day and night for extended periods of time. These actions resulted in repeated and serious sunburns with blistered and sloughing skin,” court documents read.
“Binding included being tied to the defendant and to weights. Many times, the binding included using two sets of handcuffs, one on [the child’s] wrists and one on his ankles. At times, with [the child] lying on his stomach, ropes were used to tie the two sets of handcuffs together so that his arms and lower legs were lifted off the ground,” the documents added.
“He was also told that everything that was being done to him were acts of love.”
The sibling was “subjected to the same treatment as her brother: she was isolated and forced to do physical tasks, remain outside, and denied food and water.”
The abuse was reported by a neighbor after one of Franke’s emaciated children sought help.
“I just had a 12-year-old boy show up here at my front door asking for help, and he said he just came from a neighbor’s house, and we know there’s been problems at this neighbor’s house,” a neighbor said on a 911 call.
“He’s emaciated. He’s got tape around his legs. He’s hungry, and he’s thirsty.”
Franke’s husband, Kevin Franke, is not implicated in the abuse.
“Kevin was a great neighbor and loving father,” a neighbor said of the father.
“He was always seen outside with his kids, walking the dog, or chatting with neighbors. For a short time, he was a ‘moderator’ in the ConneXions Facebook group, then that ‘job’ was removed and he was also removed from the house. Once he was gone, it went downhill.”
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