Father Tortured, Abused 9 Of 10 Children With BB Gun: DA

SOLANO COUNTY, CA — A Fairfield couple is facing charges of alleged torture, child abuse and child endangerment after their 10 children — ranging in age from 4 months old to 12 years old — were removed from what was described as "horrible" and "unsanitary" living conditions amid "animal and human feces," authorities with the Fairfield Police Department and Solano County District Attorney's Office said Monday.

The bulk of the charges are currently filed against the children's father, 29-year-old Jonathan Allen, but prosecutors are seeking to file more charges against the children's mother, 30-year-old Ina Rogers, in the next few days, a deputy district attorney told reporters at a news conference held Monday afternoon.

"We believe that torture occurred in this house," said Chief Deputy District Attorney Sharon Henry.

Allen was arrested on a warrant Friday, May 11 at the family's home in the 2200 block of Fieldstone Court following a weeks-long investigation that involved interviewing eight of the children, according to Henry.

"The children described incidents of intentional abuse resulting in puncture wounds, burns and bruising consistent with being shot with a BB gun," Henry said.

Allen was being held Monday in lieu of more than $5 million bail and has pleaded not guilty to nine counts of felony child abuse and seven counts of torture, Henry said.

There was enough evidence to charge Allen on suspicion of seven counts of torture, she reiterated, calling the alleged abuse "sadistic." Henry said prosecutors believe that based on what interviewers learned from the children, the 4-month-old may have been the only child spared from the father's alleged torture and abuse.

The investigation of the couple began March 31 when Fairfield police responded to a report of a 12-year-old child who had gone missing from the home. That child was eventually found hiding under a bush at a neighbor's house, said Fairfield Police Department Spokesman Greg Hurlbut.

According to Hurlbut, officers who responded to the home found garbage, old food and feces throughout, with some areas of the home "unpassable."

It was "unsanitary for children or any human to be living in," Hurlbut said.

"It went beyond someone simply not cleaning the house for the day," he said.

Rogers, the children's mother, was charged at that time with one count of misdemeanor child endangerment.

The charge against Rogers listed all 10 children, with endangerment a term that can include neglect, as well, Henry said.

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The children were removed from the home March 31 by Solano County Child Welfare Services, which then placed them in the care of extended family members, authorities said.

Hurlbut said the children did not require emergency medical attention the day they were "rescued" from their parents' home. They were removed from the home based on its March 31 condition, he said.

"The children have had a challenging life to this point," authorities said Monday. "They are successful now where they are."

The torture and abuse allegations came to light in the weeks that followed the March 31 incident, prompting a larger investigation by CPS, the District Attorney's Office and Fairfield police detectives — ultimately leading to Allen's arrest Friday, authorities said.

"The investigation revealed a long and continuous history of severe physical and emotional abuse of the children," Hurlbut said. "As a result of the investigation, an arrest warrant was issued for the father."

Henry said eight of the children were professionally interviewed.

"Based on the information that I know, I am horrified by the statements that were given by these children," Henry said.

According to Henry, the DA's Office is in the process of making a motion to amend the complaint against Rogers with the "appropriate charges."

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