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| Carolyn Jackson and John Jackson |
(Scroll down for video) A couple was arrested and charged with child abuse related charges after force feeding their foster children with hot sauce among other things, on a U.S. Army base, according to a statement released by Federal Bureau of Investigations.
A U.S. Army major and his wife are accused of torturing their three foster children for years, breaking their bones, force feeding them hot sauce, denying them water and using one of their biological children to protect the toilet bowls so that the foster children could not drink, authorities said.
Carolyn Jackson, 35, was arrested Tuesday morning at her New Jersey home she shares with her husband, John Jackson, 37, who were based at a facility at Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County. The husband surrendered to federal agents shortly after the arrest of his wife, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said.
Both are charged in an indictment on 17 counts, including conspiracy to endanger the welfare of a child, assault, and more than a dozen counts of endangering the welfare of a child. The case is being prosecuted by the federal government because the offenses were allegedly committed on a military base.
According to the indictment, the Jacksons engaged in a constant course of neglect and cruelty to three children who they fostered and then adopted between August 2005 and April 2010, while living in Picatinny Arsenal. One of the children died in May 2008, and the Jacksons were not charged in the death of that child.
During the five years of abuse, the Jacksons allegedly told their three biological children not to report the physical assaults, saying that the punishments and disciplinary techniques were intended to train the adopted children how to behave.
In one case, the couple allegedly instructed one of their biological children to guard the sinks and toilet bowls in their house at the military base to prevent the foster children from drinking water.
The Jacksons appeared in federal court in Newark on Tuesday and were denied bail.
All children are in the custody of the Division of Child Protection and retention of New Jersey.
“Lately, we are seeing a lot of cases in which foster children are being abused. The local authorities are not doing enough background checks before they approve adoptions. How could a social worker approve an adoption by such evil people? The social worker in this case should immediately be removed from her position,” Maria Baker, 56, of Newark, New Jersey told YourJewishNews.com after learning about the charges against the Jacksons.
"Carolyn and John Jackson are accused of unimaginable cruelty to children they were entrusted to protect," Fishman said in a statement. "The crimes charged should not happen to any child, anywhere, and it is very worrying that would happen on a military installation. Along with the FBI, we will continue to seek justice for the most vulnerable victims of our communities," Fishman added.Mobile video not loading? Click here to view