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YouTube's 'DaddyOFive' couple charged with child neglect

KSweeley

Member
Just reported by the Baltimore Sun that Michael and Heather Martin has been charged with child neglect: http://www.baltimoresun.com/feature...ive-charges-child-neglect-20170815-story.html

August 15, 2017

The Maryland couple behind the controversial “DaddyOFive” YouTube account have been charged with two counts each of neglect of a minor.

Michael and Heather Martin, who live in Frederick County, were criticized in the spring for videos posted to their YouTube channel. In the now-deleted videos, the Martins were seen destroying an XBox, berating their sons for spilled invisible ink and pushing one of them into a bookcase, giving him a bloody nose. The couple said the videos were pranks that were often scripted or their children’s ideas.

Frederick County prosecutors filed charges on July 27 and a plea hearing is scheduled for Sept. 11. The two face a maximum sentence of five years and fines up to $5,000 per charge, according to the Frederick County state’s attorney’s office.

The videos sparked outrage among the public in April, causing many internet sleuths and YouTubers to dive into the Martins’ video catalog, bringing attention to what they deemed abuse.

Two of the children were reunited with their biological mother, Rose Elizabeth Hall. Hall, who had first reported the videos to law enforcement in October 2016, obtained temporary custody of the children in May, according to a video she and her lawyer, Tim Conlon of The Custody Place, posted to YouTube.

But the current custody or whereabouts of the two children, who were often the brunt of many of the Martins’ so-called pranks, is unknown.

Conlon and Maryland Department of Human Resources’ Child Protective Services could not be immediately reached for comment.
 

Osukaa

Member
Glad they got charges but sad that the children had to go through all that stuff publicly. Hope they can get through this fine mentally.
 
Good, hopefully their kids all get therapy, they get help, and their children can begin the long and painful process of becoming normal kids with healthy outlooks on life.

Not the abusive hell for others amusement they spent god knows how long in.
 
I have no idea how these shitbags operated for so long. It was all out in the open and millions of people watched their videos before the expose videos came out.
 

Ryzaki009

Member
Well least there's some justice today.

Fuck those people how they treated their children. Especially poor Cody.
 

Madrin

Member
Good. I just recently saw Philip DeFranco's video on this family and their "pranks." It's really sad how many fans they had who thought the videos were just funny.
 

Savitar

Member
I only worry about how much those kids have to sort out to get over all the crap they have been put through. And I pity them if they must deal with them.
 
Hope this discourages similar behavior.

Now if only we could stop all of the other parents who inflict wide varieties of abuse upon their kids for the sake of fame and fortune.
 

Eppy Thatcher

God's had his chance.
Good. I hope the maximum of everything is heaped on em. How you could do that stuff to a kid... YOUR kid...

people are sick.
 

noquarter

Member
Nope, never heard of this before.

I also couldn't make it through that video. Hope those two parents get locked up for a long time. Hope the kids find a place where they are treated better and not like props in some sick fucks YouTube site.

Does Google/YouTube have a method to report videos like these that look like they depict crimes being committed? I understand it would probably get abused, but even just a couple people gpi ng through shit and reporting it to authorities could help prevent shit like this from going on so long.
 

Downhome

Member
It's crazy how deep the whole thing goes. After it ll went down a FB group went up of their fans where they set out to try to destroy those that exposed them. The woman that created the community, if I remember correctly, had been convicted of child abuse or neglect or something along those lines herself.

It's beyond ridiculous how this channel was allowed to be on YT for as long as it was.

It's sad and depressing how many folks became "fans" of it all.
 

MMarston

Was getting caught part of your plan?
The couple said the videos were pranks that were often scripted or their children’s ideas


This is gold because even if it were their ideas (which I doubt entirely), why would you even listen?
 

Topper

Member
Never heard of this before watched the video posted, some cruel stuff going on in those videos. I have 2 boys couldn't imagine doing this to them.
 
so cody has all these cuts and bruises in different videos. and is constantly upset and people subscribe to watch him be abused?
 
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