Parents of ten children from Fairfield, CA, are facing several felony charges after police discovered the state of their home and the condition of their children leading to suspicion that the kids have been subject to neglect and abuse.
29-year-old Jonathan Allen and his wife, 30-year-old Ina Rogers, have been together as a couple since they were teenagers. When she was 16-years-old Rogers and Allen had their first child together, and in their desire to have a large family they now raise 10 children in their home, 8 of which Rogers is the father. The children range in age with the youngest being 4-months-old and the oldest 12.
Rogers, who works full time as an EKG technician on the graveyard shift, home schools her children as well, and Allen is employed as a tattoo artist that reportedly enjoys spending time interacting and playing video games with the kids.
On March 31 Rogers reportedly removed her 12-year-old son’s tablet from his possession in order to punish him, and he became upset and left the home. When enough time passed that Rogers began to feel concern she searched the neighborhood trying to locate him. When she was unsuccessful she returned home and she and the other children ripped the house apart trying to see if he might be hiding in the residence.
When her searches were unsuccessful Rogers called 911 to report her son as missing and officers found him asleep in a neighbor’s yard. When they brought the boy back home they inspected the inside of the residence and allegedly discovered the house in a horrible state of disrepair. They reported finding both human and animal feces all over the bathroom, spoiled food and refuse all over the place and furniture, toys, and other household items overturned and scattered about the house. Some of the entryways were blocked by the mess.
From what they had seen the authorities decided there was enough evidence to support opening an investigation to find out what was going on inside of the home. They also took Rogers into custody and she was booked into the Solano County Jail and charged with felony child abuse. She was released after posting $10,000 bail, but her children were removed from her custody and she was issued a domestic violence restraining order disallowing her from coming into contact with the children.
During the course of the investigation, the authorities allegedly collected enough evidence to lead them to the belief that the children were enduring several types of abuse, both physical and emotional, and that it had taken place over a number of years. Through conducting interviews with eight of the children they reportedly gained knowledge of the kids being subject to beatings, being burned and tortured, and shot with pellets from a gun. The markings on the children’s bodies seemed consistent with that testimony.
On May 11 Allen was placed under arrest and he is facing a total of fifteen felony charges comprised of nine counts of torture and six counts of child abuse. When he attended a hearing on May 14 he entered a plea of not guilty. The judge set a bail amount of nearly $5 million and Allen remains in custody.
Rogers set up a press conference at her family home and answered questions from reporters regarding the charges. She explained that the house was in the condition that it was due to the fact that she was very upset and scared when her son was missing and she and the other children overturned the contents of the dwelling in a heightened state of panic. She additionally stated that she and her husband were amazing parents and that their injuries were incurred because “they’re kids,” and not because of abuse.
Allen stated that she has limited funds available due to the expense of raising such a large family but she is seeking legal representation. She believes that if her children were taken to a doctor and examined the results would clear both herself and her husband of the charges.
Solano County Child Welfare Services placed some of the children with Allen’s sister, and the rest with her mother where they have remained as the case proceeds. It was reported that none of the children needed any kind of medical treatment.
If you or someone you love is suspected of child abuse, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.