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10 children taken from California home, mother and father deny torture claims

Published:Tuesday | May 15, 2018 | 10:38 AM
This photo combo of booking mugs provided by the Solano County Sheriff’s Office in Fairfield, Calif., shows Jonathan Allen and his wife, Ina Rogers. Police said Monday, May 14, 2018, they had removed 10 children from a squalid California home and charged their father, Allen, with torture and their mother, Rogers, with neglect after an investigation revealed a lengthy period of severe physical and emotional abuse. (Solano County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

FAIRFIELD, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California woman denied that she or her husband abused their 10 children after authorities said the kids suffered puncture wounds, burns, bruising and injuries consistent with being shot with a pellet gun.

The children, ages 4 months to 12 years, were removed from their home on March 31 after Ina Rogers contacted authorities to report that her oldest child was missing, police said Monday.

Officers went to the home in Fairfield,  46 miles northeast of San Francisco and found filthy conditions, Lt. Greg Hurlbut said.

“Officers located unsafe and unsanitary living conditions including garbage and spoiled food on the floor, animal and human feces and a large amount of debris making areas of the house unpassable,” he said.

Authorities said some of the injuries to the children appeared to have been caused by someone shooting a pellet gun.

The father, 29-year-old Jonathan Allen, was arrested Friday after the children were interviewed.

He has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of torture and nine counts of felony child abuse and was being held on $5.2 million bail.

The children did not require medical attention when they were removed.

Stories about the alleged abuse came out gradually over the past six weeks and eight of the children told professionals about incidents dating back several years, authorities said.

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