The Etna Township case began with a child-welfare report, while officials confirmed the family had previous contact with another county agency.
ETNA TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A report originating with a Licking County school district set in motion the child-welfare and law-enforcement response that ended with nine children being removed from an Etna Township property and two adults facing child-endangering charges.
The path to the Oct. 13 search highlights how information moved from a school system to child protective services and then to the Licking County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said the referral involved allegations of physical abuse, neglect and unsafe living conditions. Investigators later searched a property on National Road Southwest and removed nine children ranging in age from 1 to 13.
The sheriff’s office has not publicly identified the school district that first raised the concern. Licking County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Jay Cook said the report came from a district within the county and was passed to child protective services before law enforcement became involved. Child-welfare interviews with the children contributed to the information investigators used as the case developed.
Investigators said the children described punishment that included being required to remain against a wall in a squat-like position for long periods. Court documents also contain allegations of inadequate food and water, insufficient living space and barriers being used to keep some children inside a room. Authorities have treated those accounts as allegations while continuing to interview people connected with the case.
When deputies searched the property, they said they found a heavily infested trailer, inadequate bedding and other conditions that raised concerns about the children’s health and safety. Four children had reportedly been staying in a nearby shed with Jonathan Parr, 37, and Jacquelyn Coleman, 32. Twelve people in all were identified as living on the property.
Parr and Coleman were arrested on child-endangering charges. Parr has publicly denied the allegations, including claims that children were kept in cages. Investigators have said a large folding cage or sections of a dog cage were used as a barrier across a doorway, rather than finding children physically confined inside cages when deputies arrived.
The case also brought renewed attention to earlier contact between the family and Franklin County Children’s Services. That agency confirmed it had a history with the family as recently as late 2022. It said those earlier cases were resolved but did not disclose details, citing confidentiality and privacy requirements governing child-welfare records.
The existence of earlier agency contact does not establish what was alleged, investigated or found in those cases, and officials have not publicly connected their resolution to the allegations now being investigated in Licking County. The limited information makes it unclear whether the earlier matters involved circumstances similar to those described in the current criminal case.
After the October search, all nine children were placed in the custody of Licking County Child Protective Services. Authorities have not released their names or detailed medical information. The sheriff’s office has said more interviews and investigative work were needed, and prosecutors will determine what charges, if any, should proceed beyond the initial child-endangering cases.
Licking County jail records dated Oct. 24 continued to list Parr and Coleman in custody on $150,000 bonds, with their cases marked as awaiting indictment. The criminal allegations have not been proven in court, and the investigation into what happened at the property remains ongoing.
Author note: Last updated October 24, 2026.