How Could You? Hall of Shame-Joel Christopher and Renee Kohnert

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Coral Springs, Florida, adoptive parents Joel and Renee Kohnert “were arrested for allegedly locking their 12-year-old adopted daughter for years inside a room””on charges of child abuse without great bodily harm.”

“According to arrest reports, the couple is accused of subjecting the child to “ongoing mental and physical abuse” over a period of about three years.

An investigation was launched in February amid allegations that the girl was locked in her bedroom at night due to claims she wandered the house and took items from family members, the reports said.

She didn’t have access to a bathroom so she’d urinate on the floor and was forced to clean it the next morning, using her clothing along with vinegar and bleach, before she was required to wash her clothing in a bucket outside and dry it in her room, the reports said.

Clothing collected from her room showed stains consistent with her statement, and when she was removed from the home she was wearing size 2T underwear that’s sized for a toddler, the reports said.

The girl told investigators she was also locked in the room during the day at times and had to bathe outside in the backyard while wearing a bathing suit “despite inadequate weather conditions,” the reports said.

She said her bedroom door was locked from the outside and her window was restricted, “leaving no means of escape,” the reports said.

The girl said she sleeps on an air mattress, has minimal furniture and no toys or personal items in her room, and said a sound machine was kept at a high volume in her room so she couldn’t hear other people in the home, the reports said.

She also said Jenniefr [sic] Kohnert pulled her hair, slapped her causing her lip to bleed, and kicked her while she was on the ground, the reports said.

Sometimes she claimed she was called derogatory names, told she was bipolar like her biological mother and was told distressing information about her biological parents including details of substance abuse and death, the reports said.

The girl said she was treated differently than the other six children in the house, and has had to write Bible verses and even tread water in the pool for as long as 45 minutes at a time as a form of punishment, the reports said.

The parents appeared before a Broward bond court judge on Wednesday where their attorney described them as “devout Christians” and “devoutly religious.”

“When you allegedly have got a 12-year-old child who is locked in a room for upwards of three years and is forced to urinate and defecate in the room and then clean it up with her clothes, that is not a religious issue, that is something else,” the judge replied.[No , Sherlock!]

The judge also said that the arrest reports said the couple admitted to locking the girl in the room.

“It talks about, it says based upon the husband’s, it doesn’t say specifically what he is, but it states that locking a child in the room from the outside, he knew, was wrong,” the judge said.

A prosecutor said that Joel Kohnert is a Broward Fire Rescue lieutenant, and said the couple’s children had been removed from the home by the Florida Department of Children and Families.

The defense attorney disputed the details in the report and argued for $10,000 bonds for both the husband and wife, saying they have deep ties to the community and no criminal records.

The prosecutor asked for a $50,000 bond for each.

“The state is extremely concerned and frankly extremely bothered by the allegations, what was used to quote unquote discipline this child,” the prosecutor said.

The judge said he thought they should be charged with aggravated child abuse and set their bonds at $100,000 each, ordering them to have no contact with the 12-year-old, their biological children, or any other minors.

“I do understand she is innocent until proven guilty but the allegations here are difficult to say the least,” the judge said.

BSO officials said Kohnert was hired by BSFR on Nov. 15, 2010, and is currently on administrative investigative leave without pay.

NBC6 spoke with some neighbors who were shocked to hear of the arrests, while others weren’t surprised.

“I know he is very controlling. I know that they would walk up and down the street, she wasn’t allowed to cut her hair, she wasn’t allowed to make friends with a lot of people,” one neighbor said. “They kept to themselves, the little times we could see the children they kept them in strollers covered.”

The neighbors added that the family was religiously strict.

The victim was homeschooled for some time but when she started public school, staffers noticed something was wrong, which prompted an investigation.”
BSO Fire Rescue lieutenant and wife accused of locking 12-year-old in room for years
[NBC Miami 4/1/26 by Christian Colón]

“All seven of their children have also been removed from their custody. ”

‘Devout Christian’ couple forced adopted daughter to soil herself in Fla. bedroom for years and clean up mess: court docs
[NY Post 4/3/26 by David Propper]

REFORM Puzzle Piece