AndrewBlakeFairfield, CA – A couple was arrested on suspicion of torturing 10 children when police found puncture wounds, burns, bruises and injuries that police believe were caused by being shot with a pellet gun.
The claims of abuse were told to police by the 10 children, who all slept on the floor in one room, according to Fairfield Police Lieutenant Greg Hurlbut.
Ina Rogers and her husband Jonathan Allen were charged with several crimes after the result of a six-week investigation, police said.
Police said the conditions of the home was horrific, according to KGO-TV. Police officers said garbage and spoiled food was on the floor along with animal and human feces.
Sharon Henry, the chief deputy district attorney for Solano County, said she was horrified by the statements from the children. Henry said the torture occurred in the house and was done for sadistic purposes.
“It literally breaks your heart, and you’re outraged by how a parent or anyone could commit those acts,” Henry said, according to KGO.
The children are in the custody of Rogers’ sister and mother in the area. All 10 children were first taken into protective custody by Solano County Child Welfare Services.
Officials said a six-week investigation showed the severe physical and emotional abuse had been going on for a long time. An arrest warrant was issued for the father of the children on May 11.
Rogers, 30, is out on bail after her arrest in late March after being charged with abuse.
Allen, 29, was charged with nine felony counts of child cruelty and seven of torture. He is being held on $5.2 million bail, according to KGO.
“I strive, I thrive on being a good parent to my children,” Rogers said to TV reporters who she gave a tour of her home. An Associated Press photographer took a photo of the bathroom floor completely covered in feces.
“My husband has a lot of tattoos. He looks like a scary individual, and that’s why people are so quick to judge him. But my husband is an amazing person. I am an amazing mother,” Rogers concluded.
You can see the video of her interview below: