Machelle Hobson, mum with YouTube kids channel, pepper sprayed and locked up bad performers, police say
- Children had no food, water or access to a toilet whenever they were locked in the wardrobe, sometimes for days, according to police
A woman who operates a popular YouTube channel featuring children is facing allegations she used pepper spray to discipline her seven adopted kids, and locked them for days in a wardrobe at their home outside Phoenix, authorities said on Wednesday.
Machelle Hobson’s children had no food, water or access to a toilet whenever they were locked in the wardrobe, according to a police report.
Officers who went to the house last Wednesday reported that children appeared malnourished and underweight. The Arizona Department of Child Safety removed the seven children from the home the following day and Hobson and two of her adult sons were arrested on Friday.
The child safety officials declined to answer questions about any prior contacts or complaints related to Hobson, citing confidentiality laws.
Hobson has four biological children who are adults and seven adopted children. Authorities haven’t identified the gender of the younger children, but Maricopa Police Department spokesman Ricardo Alvarado said they ranged in age from three to 15.