A Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue lieutenant and his wife were arrested Tuesday on charges of child abuse after allegedly confining their 12-year-old daughter to a room for years at their Coral Springs home. Joel Christopher Kohnert, 44, and Jennifer Renee Kohnert, 45, each face one count of child abuse without great bodily harm, according to Broward jail records.
Both defendants appeared before Judge Corey Friedman in Broward bond court Wednesday, where their defense attorney described them as devout Christians. “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,” Friedman responded during the hearing.
The judge noted that arrest reports indicated the couple admitted to locking the girl in the room from the outside. “It talks about, it says based upon the husband’s, it doesn’t say specifically what he is, but it states that locking a child in the room from the outside, he knew, was wrong,” Friedman said during the proceedings.
Authorities confirmed that Joel Kohnert was hired by Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue on Nov. 15, 2010, and is currently on administrative investigative leave without pay. Additional children were present in the home at the time of the arrests, and all have been placed in the custody of the Department of Children and Families, according to prosecutors.
The defense attorney disputed details in the arrest reports and requested $10,000 bonds for both defendants, citing their deep community ties and lack of criminal records. However, prosecutors requested $50,000 bonds for each defendant. “The state is extremely concerned and frankly extremely bothered by the allegations, what was used to quote unquote discipline this child,” the prosecutor stated.
Friedman ultimately set bond at $100,000 for each defendant, expressing his belief that they should face aggravated child abuse charges instead. The judge ordered both defendants to have no contact with the 12-year-old victim, no contact with their biological children or any other minors, and prohibited possession of firearms, weapons or ammunition.
A neighbor who spoke with Local 10 through tears said she believes the allegations are “a lie,” though authorities found probable cause in both cases. The Coral Springs Police Department has not yet released the full arrest reports, which have been requested by local media outlets.
The case remains under investigation as the couple faces the serious charges related to the alleged confinement and abuse of their daughter over an extended period.