Fire lieutenant and wife face new abuse charges over 12-year-old’s treatment

A Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue lieutenant and his wife accused of locking their 12-year-old adopted daughter in her room in Coral Springs and subjecting her to “cruel and excessive treatment” are facing new charges.

Lt. Joel Kohnert and Jennifer Kohnert were arrested in March on one charge each of child abuse without great bodily harm, according to Broward court records.

The couple was arraigned Monday, July 13, and now face upgraded charges of aggravated child abuse, neglect of a child and four counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. They’ve pleaded not guilty.

The Coral Springs News reached out to the couple’s attorneys for comment on the charges July 14 but did not immediately receive a response.

The investigation began in February when the resource officer at the girl’s school reported the abuse allegations to the Department of Children and Families, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The girl told investigators that for two to three years, she was locked in her bedroom from the outside without access to a bathroom at night. She said she was treated differently than the other six kids who lived in the home, forced to tread water for long periods and write Bible verses as punishment, police said.

She told investigators she was only allowed a few outfits at a time, and was forced to use her clothes as cleaning rags and bathe outside, and when she was removed from the home, she was wearing toddler-sized underwear, according to the affidavit.

The girl’s siblings confirmed the mistreatment, telling investigators she “spends the majority of her time isolated in her room writing Proverbs and is rarely allowed to participate in normal family activities such as eating meals or playing with siblings,” the affidavit reads.

When investigators interviewed the couple, Jessica Kohnert said they forced their daughter to bathe outside and locked her in her room overnight, which led to her having accidents on herself, police wrote.

She “acknowledged that these practices were unusual” and said they began when the girl allegedly “made threats toward the family” three years earlier, according to the report.

“Jennifer also stated that the victim would not thrive in her care and is willing to turn her back over to the State of Florida, although Jennifer and Joel have been her caretaker since she was two months old,” investigators wrote.

Joel Kohnert also acknowledged the behaviors toward their daughter and said he understood the safety issue of locking her in her room overnight.

“This practice is particularly concerning given Joel’s professional background, where he would reasonably be expected to recognize the inherent safety risks associated with restricting a child’s ability to exit a room during an emergency,” officers noted in the affidavit.

Joel Kohnert worked for Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue for over 15 years before he was arrested. He was placed on administrative investigative leave without pay.

Court records show a motion has been filed to terminate the parental rights of the couple’s adopted daughter and their four minor biological children.