Investigators said the Etna Township property had severe sanitation problems, inadequate sleeping arrangements and conditions that threatened the children’s safety.
ETNA TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Nine children were removed from a Licking County property after deputies responding to allegations of abuse and neglect found what authorities described as unsafe and severely unsanitary living conditions in a mobile home and nearby shed.
The children, ranging in age from 1 to 13, were placed in the custody of Licking County Child Protective Services after investigators searched the property on National Road Southwest on Oct. 13. Jonathan Parr, 37, and Jacquelyn Coleman, 32, were arrested and charged with child endangering. Authorities have said the investigation remains open and additional charges are possible.
The sheriff’s office became involved after county child protective services referred allegations of physical abuse and neglect. Authorities said the original concern came through a Licking County school district. Investigators obtained a search warrant and found 12 people living on the property, including the nine children and three adults.
Records and investigators described a property with an extensive insect infestation, inadequate bedding and unsuitable sleeping areas. Deputies reported seeing hundreds of bugs inside the trailer, including cockroaches. At least four of the children had been staying with Parr and Coleman in a shed near the mobile home, according to investigators. The other children were staying in the trailer, where a 64-year-old grandmother also lived.
Court documents contain allegations that some children were denied adequate food and water and subjected to prolonged physical punishment. Children told investigators they sometimes had to remain against a wall in a squat-like position for extended periods. Investigators also received allegations involving nails placed in the floor as markers for where children were required to keep their feet.
Authorities also investigated reports that parts of dog cages or similar barriers were used across a bedroom doorway. Licking County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Jay Cook clarified that investigators did not find children physically inside cages when deputies entered the property. He said a folding cage had been used as a barrier across a doorway. The distinction is significant because some early accounts described children as being kept in cages.
Parr disputed the allegations during an initial court appearance. He denied keeping anyone in cages and said he loved his children. Investigators said Parr acknowledged using standing as punishment but gave a much shorter duration than what children had described. The competing accounts have not been resolved in court.
Investigators alleged Coleman knew about some of the reported punishment. Authorities said she left the property with two children shortly before the warrant was executed and was stopped nearby. She was later taken into custody. The sheriff’s office has not announced charges against the 64-year-old grandmother who was also living at the property.
Officials have not publicly released detailed medical information about the children. Their names have also been withheld. All nine were placed in protective custody, removing them from the property while child welfare officials and law enforcement continued their separate work on the case.
County jail records dated Oct. 24 listed Parr and Coleman as still in custody on $150,000 bonds. Each case was listed as awaiting indictment. Prosecutors are expected to review the investigation as detectives continue gathering evidence and determining whether additional charges are warranted.
Author note: Last updated October 24, 2026.