A couple from Batavia Township has confessed in court to mistreating their adopted sons, who were reportedly made to sleep naked on the cold floor of a basement room described as “dungeon-like.”
On Friday, Charles Edmonson, 64, entered a guilty plea in Clermont County Common Pleas Court to charges including kidnapping, felonious assault, and three counts of child endangering. Matthew Edmonson’s wife, aged 50, has entered a guilty plea on five counts related to child endangerment.
In connection with their plea deals, prosecutors sought to drop an additional 48 charges against Charles Edmonson, along with 44 other charges that Matthew Edmonson was facing. The option for Charles Edmonson to face a life sentence has also been eliminated.
Judge Richard Ferenc has sentenced Charles Edmonson to a minimum of 15 years in prison, while his wife will serve at least 13 years. However, the Edmonsons may face longer incarceration due to a law allowing the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections to extend sentences based on prison behavior.
Charles Edmonson chose not to address the court at his sentencing. The Clermont County Prosecutor’s Office had indicated that the couple could be looking at potential sentences exceeding 200 years.
On Friday, Bailey Edmonson, their biological son, received a sentence of two years of probation after entering a guilty plea to three misdemeanor charges related to child endangerment.
Authorities reported that the boys, four of whom are affected by a genetic disorder linked to cognitive and developmental challenges, were monitored continuously via video throughout the residence. Documents reveal that the abuse began when the youngest boys were around 3 years old and persisted for over five years.
In February 2019, the Edmonsons welcomed the brothers into their family, following the termination of their birth parents’ rights over a year prior in Richland County, Ohio. According to court records, the abuse reportedly started in July 2018, coinciding with the time the Edmonsons began fostering the boys.
In February, a court order led to the removal of the triplets, who were 13, 11, and 8 years old at the time, from the Edmonsons’ home, five years after their adoption. Due to the trauma they endured, it has been stated in court documents that they will need extensive psychiatric care, potentially spanning years or even a lifetime.
Authorities reported that the boys were stripped of clothing, sustenance, and hydration during their confinement – a form of punishment that occasionally extended throughout the night, forcing the children to sleep naked on the cold floor.
Initially, the boys were confined to the room, but later, the Edmonsons implemented an alarm system that activated whenever the door was opened. Prosecutors noted that cameras were set up to monitor the children throughout the residence.
Authorities revealed that images captured by the surveillance cameras depicted one of the minors restrained to a bed in the basement. Investigations revealed that Charles Edmonson was likely responsible for restraining the child, coinciding with his wife’s carpal tunnel surgery during that period.
According to prosecutors, the boys faced limited access to water, and food was frequently denied as a form of punishment. It was noted that the children were occasionally sent to school without any food and frequently expressed their feelings of hunger. One was spotted rummaging through the garbage for something to eat.
Authorities revealed that a child informed school officials about a disturbing incident where urine and feces were allegedly applied to his eyes as a form of punishment.
According to police records, the boys were enrolled in Milford Exempted Village Schools following their removal from the Batavia Local School District. Authorities revealed that the minors were instructed to avoid communication with child protective services, law enforcement, or school nurses, as they were deemed “bad” by those in charge.
The disturbing abuse came to light during an unrelated investigation into Charles Edmonson, who admitted guilt in March to charges of gross sexual imposition and received a three-year prison sentence for the sexual assault of his adopted adult son.