FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) — The cases against a Franklin couple who are accused of endangering the welfare of children have been waived for court.

According to online court documents, the cases against 38-year-old Christopher D. Hoffman, and 32-year-old Jennifer Maria Denardo-Hoffman, both of Franklin, have been transferred to the Venango County Court of Common Pleas.

Franklin Police Notified of Suspected Child Abuse

According to a criminal complaint, on August 14, 2015, Officer Wheeling, of the Franklin Police Department was informed about a complaint concerning children that were being left home often and without supervision. It was also learned that the children were being placed into rooms within their residence on Otter Street, and the doors to these rooms were being taped closed.

Franklin Police/CYS Representative Visit Otter Street Residence

The complaint states that in the morning of August 14, a representative of Children and Youth Services (CYS) and Officer Wheeling traveled to the residence on Otter Street to speak with the children and parents.

Officer Wheeling approached the front door of the residence and observed that there were two children, a white male and a black female, at the front screen door. The children were identified, and it was learned that the male was 11 years old and the female was 10 years old.

When Officer Wheeling asked the children to speak with an adult, they stated that they were home alone and said that their mother and father were away at work and that they expected them to return home around 4:00 p.m., the complaint states.

Children Tell Authorities “They Don’t Feel Safe” When Foster Parents Are Present

According to the complaint, while speaking with the children to ensure that they had food, telephone service, and other necessities to ensure their safety, “they indicated how they do not like living there and said that they don’t feel safe when their foster parents are present. They said they have been left home alone for the day for the period of approximately one week with instructions to stay inside the residence.”

The children said that “on the previous evening, they were put into the bathroom and bedroom and instructed to clean the rooms while their parents were away. The children said the parents place tape from the door knob to the railing, so that if the children leave the rooms, the tape will be broken, and the parents will know this upon returning,” the complaint indicates.

The children told Officer Wheeling that one of them “consumed some snack-type food and was punished by being instructed to eat more of the snack food after the parents had placed hot sauce on the food in a bowl. The child then reportedly was required to finish the remaining hot sauce that was still in the bowl when finished,” the complaint continues.

The representative of CYS remained with the children until the parents returned home. The foster mother — Jennifer Maria Denardo-Hoffman — had returned home and only worked a half of a day along with the father — Christopher D. Hoffman.

Officer Wheeling and the CYS representative interviewed both foster parents. They stated that they do leave the children home alone during the day while they go to work, “but ensure that they have a phone along with phone numbers for the foster mother as well as for neighbors.”

The foster parents “confirmed that they had placed the children in the bathroom and bedroom to clean them while they are gone and said that they do place tape on the doors. They also confirmed that they did place hot sauce on a dessert item and made one of the children eat the hot sauce to include what remained in the bowl, as a punishment,” the complaint continues.

Subsequent investigation revealed that over a two-year time span, up and until August 13, 2015, the complaint states that “the two children were subjected to physical, verbal, and emotional abuse by both foster parents, which included each child being hit with a metal spatula and on at least one occasion, leaving bruises on minor child. During this same time frame, the children were subjected to obscene verbal assaults and other forms of autocratic discipline, including forcing them to eat soap and/or hot sauce,” according to the complaint.

Criminal Complaints Filed Against Both Foster Parents; Cases Transferred to VC Court of Common Pleas

Based on the investigation, criminal complaints were filed against Christopher D. Hoffman and Jennifer Maria Denardo-Hoffman in District Judge Matthew T. Kirtland’s office.

Each suspect was arraigned before Judge Kirtland on September 13, 2016, on two, third-degree felony counts of Endangering Welfare of Children -Parent/Guardian/Other Commits Offense.

Preliminary hearings that were scheduled for September 21 were waived for the Venango County Court of Common Pleas.

The cases are now working their way through the court system.

Both suspects remain free on $20,000.00 unsecured bail.