YouTube mom Ruby Franke will be held without bail after being charged with six counts of child abuse – and has now been moved to medical block at Utah jail
YouTube mom Ruby Franke is being held without bail after being charged with six counts of child molestation – and has now been transferred to a medical block in a Utah prison.
Franke and business partner Jodi Hildebrandt were scheduled to appear in court in St George, Utah, for a virtual hearing on Friday afternoon, but the proceedings were postponed due to technical difficulties, according to Utah’s Fifth District Court.
The link to the meeting was made public, inviting more than 1,000 users to join. Many clouded the hearing by making strange noises, such as barking and calling “mama” in a baby voice.
More than 30 minutes after the hearing was set to begin, Utah Courts issued a statement saying Franke would not be present, according to KJZZ 14. It is not clear if the hearing went ahead without livestreaming.
“We understand that everyone is having difficulty accessing the Franke/Hildebrandt hearing,” the Supreme Court said on Twitter. “We currently have 1,100 people in the hearing and are looking to add more.”
YouTube mom Ruby Franke is being held without bail after being charged with six counts of child molestation — and has now been transferred to a medical block in a Utah prison
YouTuber mother Ruby Franke (pictured) and business partner Jodi Hildebrandt were scheduled to appear in court in St George, Utah, on Friday afternoon for a virtual hearing, but proceedings could not officially begin
The popular YouTuber was arrested last month along with her business partner Hildebrandt and charged with six felony counts of child molestation after one of her sons was discovered with open wounds and duct tape on their limbs.
Franke, who had been in a holding cell, was moved to the medical block at the jail, according to Purgatory Correctional Facility documents obtained by KJZZ 14.
Hildebrandt is also being held without bail.
Many community members and local journalists waited anxiously for the hearing to begin before the court announced it would no longer take place.
Numerous people had difficulty entering the virtual hearing because the WebEx had reached maximum capacity.
The popular YouTuber was arrested last month along with her business partner Hildebrandt and charged with six felony counts of child abuse after one of her sons was found by a neighbor with open wounds and duct tape on his limbs.
Franke, 41, made her last appearance Thursday during a court hearing via video from a Utah jail, where she is being held without bail.
The mother of six from Utah,” sobbed in the courtroom as she appeared Thursday for a custody hearing for her four minor children.
Speaking in open court Thursday, the Mormon mother broke down at times as she made shocking claims that one of her minor children had sexually abused their sibling and abused several other family members and children in the neighborhood over the years.
The link to the meeting was made public, inviting more than 1,000 users to tune in to the meeting – with many trolling the hearing by making strange noises such as barking and calling out “mama” in a baby voice.
Ruby Franke, (left) who ran the now defunct channel 8 Passengers, was arrested on August 30 along with her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt (right).
Franke’s husband Kevin, dressed in a dark suit, sat at the table with his lawyer and looked straight ahead as his wife made the sickening accusations.
In a surprising move in the courtroom, a lawyer sitting in the public viewing area stood up and asked the judge to hear details about the molestation of another child because a mother of one of the alleged victims was in the courtroom.
The judge denied the request, saying details of the alleged abuse could be heard at a later date.
The harrowing 911 call that led to Franke’s arrest was released by police, revealing the heartbreaking moment the neighbor helped her 12-year-old son.
The Good Samaritan raised the alarm when the ’emaciated’ boy showed up on his doorstep with open wounds and duct tape on his limbs after fleeing Jodi Hildebrandt’s nearby home through a window.
In his call to police, the man is heard trying to calmly explain that help is urgently needed, but he becomes overwhelmed by the boy’s condition and struggles through tears to get his words out.
“A 12-year-old boy just showed up at my front door asking for help,” the neighbor said, according to a recording of the call obtained by ABC.
“And he said he just came from a neighbor’s house and we know there’s been trouble at this neighbor’s house.
‘He’s emaciated. He has tape around his legs. He is hungry and he is thirsty.
“He has duct tape around each ankle. There are sores around them. He also has them on his wrists.
“This boy has clearly… he’s been detained. He’s clearly covered in wounds.’
Ruby Franke’s home in Springville, Utah, can be seen Saturday
The family blew up on social media after they started posting videos in 2015
The hearing led by Judge Suchada Bazzelle lasted just 30 minutes on Thursday
Husband Kevin is photographed outside Thursday’s hearing with his attorney Randy Kester
Judge Bazzelle set the next hearing date for a mediation hearing on September 15 and a preliminary hearing on September 18
Ruby and husband Kevin Franke’s 10-year-old daughter was later found by police in a similar condition.
In a statement, the Santa Clara-Ivins Department of Public Safety said, “The juvenile’s condition was serious enough that they were seen by Santa Clara-Irvin paramedics and transported to a local hospital.
‘Police have received information that there may be other young people in a similar condition at a nearby home.
“Officers arrived at the home and searched the residence, finding another youth in a similar physical state of malnutrition.
“They were also transported by ambulance crews for hospital treatment.”