Ruby Franke pleads guilty to child abuse charges after two children hospitalized
YouTube: 8 PassengersFamily vlogger Ruby Franke has pleaded guilty to four charges of felony child abuse after she was arrested earlier this year when two of her children were hospitalized.
Ruby Franke is best known for her now-defunct YouTube channel ‘8 Passengers,’ where she and her husband, Kevin Franke, vlogged about their daily lives with their six children.
However, the Frankes came under scrutiny in 2020 when some viewers took issue with the punishments they were doling out to their children — one of them being “taking away” their son’s bedroom for pranking his little brother, leaving him to sleep on a beanbag for nearly six months.
In August 2023, Ruby Franke was arrested on suspicion of aggravated child abuse, along with Jodi Hildebrandt, founder of the parent counseling service ConneXions.
YouTube: ConneXionsThe arrest took place after two of Franke’s children, her 12-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter, were found “malnourished and with open wounds, with duct tape covering their extremities.”
Ruby Fanke pleads guilty to 4 felony counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse
On December 18, 2023, Ruby Franke pleaded guilty to four felony counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse. Franke was initially charged with six counts in September, but two of these charges were dropped due to a plea deal.
Standing in court, CBS reports that Franke responded to the fourth count by pleading, “With my deepest regret and sorrow for my family and my children, guilty.”
A statement from Franke’s lawyers claims that Jodi Hildebrandt “systematically isolated Ruby Franke from her extended family, older children, and her husband, Kevin Franke.”
Kevin Franke has reportedly filed for divorce from wife Ruby following the incident. Their four youngest children were also placed into state custody.
Ruby Franke is scheduled for sentencing on February 20 — a decision left up to a judge, but one that doesn’t “rule out jail time,” as reportedly acknowledged by her attorney, LaMar Winward.