Staff Report

Jessicka Jade Hobson

Jordan Bill Franklin

COLUMBIA CITY — Two people from Columbia City were recently arrested for child neglect.

Jessicka Jade Hobson, 27; and Jordan Bill Franklin, 26, both of 224 Park Terrace Blvd., Columbia City, are each charged with three counts of neglect of a dependent, all level 6 felonies.

On Feb. 15, a Columbia City detective received a call from the Department of Child Services about a physical abuse and neglect case involving two children. One of the children had bruises that appeared suspicious to medical professionals.

According to court documents, the detective received pictures of the child, who had bruises appearing to be from a handprint or footprint. DCS’s report also mentioned the child had an unchanged diaper and a diaper rash, as well as what appeared to be a cigarette burn on their chin. The detective also determined since 2019, there were nine calls for service involving Hobson that were labeled “child safety” or “child abuse.” Law enforcement also previously investigated a similar case with Hobson and Franklin when one of the children had unexplained bruises.

On Feb. 27, the detective went to check on the children’s welfare and met with Hobson. When Hobson opened the front door to her residence, the odor from the home was described as “overwhelming and putrid” and was attributed to old diapers that had been sitting out. The detective noticed several full trash bags in the residence and clutter throughout the home.

When asked about the child’s bruises, Hobson described the child as always running into things and that they constantly had bruises. The detective asked to see the child, but Hobson said the child was asleep. However, the detective could hear the child playing and asked again.

Hobson went to get the child, who was only wearing a full diaper. The child’s overall appearance was also dirty and they appeared to have bug bites.

A neighbor also expressed concern for the children’s safety, saying he noticed the children would hang out of a bedroom window from a second floor.

Law enforcement then obtained a court order to fully search Hobson and Franklin’s home in order to document the living conditions. When she was told this, Hobson allegedly became extremely angry and argumentative.

Law enforcement noted the home’s carpet was spongy, with full trash bags and loose trash scattered throughout the home. Some spots in the carpet were so dirty that it was different colors.

An investigating officer described the odor of urine coming from the children’s bedroom as “so overwhelming and offensive to my senses that I began to gag and struggled not to throw up.” Bedding on the children’s mattresses was also extremely stained.

Debris in Hobson and Franklin’s bedroom was piled about 4 1/2 feet high. A Whitley County Health Department representative determined the apartment was not suitable for children to live in.

In an interview with law enforcement, Franklin said he and Hobson had been trying to get rid of the urine smell in the children’s bedroom. He also said he knew there were fleas inside the home and that the home was not in a good condition for the children to live in.

Franklin said he was trying to take care of the home but that he had been working crazy hours. He showed officers his work schedule for the following week, which showed him working three days in six-hour shifts.

On Feb. 28, detectives spoke with a school resource officer about the children. The SRO said one of the children had missed 41 days of school, with 28 of those days marked as absent with no explanation. A principal made a report to DCS for educational neglect on Feb. 5.

Hobson and Franklin were booked in the Whitley County Jail on March 2.