YouTube mom Ruby Franke will be held without bail after being charged with six counts of child abuse – and has now been moved to the medical wing of a Utah prison.
Franke and his business partner Jodi Hildebrandt were scheduled to appear in court in St. George, Utah, for a virtual hearing Friday afternoon, but proceedings were delayed due to technical issues, according to the Fifth District Court of Utah. ‘Utah.
The meeting link was made public, inviting more than 1,000 users to log in – many trolling the audience by making strange sounds like barking and calling “mommy” in a baby voice.
More than 30 minutes after the hearing was scheduled to begin, the Utah courts issued a statement saying Franke would not attend, according to KJZZ 14. It is unclear whether the hearing continued without be broadcast live.
“We understand that everyone is having difficulty accessing the Franke/Hildebrandt hearing,” the state court said on Twitter. “We currently have 1,100 people in attendance and we are trying to add more.”
YouTube mom Ruby Franke will be held without bail after being charged with six counts of child abuse – and has now been moved to a medical block at a Utah prison
YouTuber’s mom Ruby Franke (pictured) and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt were scheduled to appear in court in St George, Utah, on Friday afternoon for a virtual hearing, but proceedings were unable to officially begin.
The popular YouTuber was arrested with her business partner Hildebrandt last month and charged with six counts of child abuse after one of her sons was found with open wounds and duct tape on his limbs.
Franke, who was in a holding cell, was transferred to the prison’s medical suite, according to Purgatory Correctional Facility documents obtained by KJZZ 14.
Hildebrandt is also being held without bail.
Many community members and local journalists were anxiously awaiting the start of the hearing, before the court announced that it would no longer take place.
Many people had difficulty accessing the virtual hearing as the WebEx had reached capacity.
The popular YouTuber was arrested with her business partner Hildebrandt last month and charged with six counts of child abuse after one of her sons was found by a neighbor with open wounds and duct tape on his members.
Franke, 41, last appeared at a court hearing Thursday via video from a Utah jail where she remains in custody without bail.
The Utah mother of six, sobbed in court as she appeared Thursday at a shelter hearing for her four minor children to determine custody.
Speaking in public court Thursday, the Mormon mother broke down at times as she shockingly testified that one of her minor children sexually abused her brother and molested several other family members and neighborhood children in over the years.
The meeting link was made public, inviting more than 1,000 users to log into the meeting – many trolling the audience by making strange sounds like barking and calling “mommy” in a baby voice.
Ruby Franke, (left) who ran the now-defunct 8 Passengers channel, was arrested with her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt (right) on August 30.
Franke’s husband, Kevin, dressed in a dark suit, sat at the table with his lawyer staring straight ahead as his wife made sickening allegations.
In a surprising move in the courtroom, a lawyer who was sitting in the open court area stood up and asked the judge to hear details about the sexual assault of another child because the 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 heartbreaking 911 call that led to Franke’s arrest has been 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 at his door with open wounds and duct tape on his limbs after fleeing Jodi Hildebrandt’s nearby home through a window.
During his call to police, the man is heard calmly trying to explain the urgent need for help, but is overwhelmed by the boy’s condition and struggles, in tears, to make his words heard .
“A 12-year-old boy just showed up at my door asking for help,” the neighbor said, according to a recording of the call obtained by ABC.
“And he said he just came home from a neighbor’s house and we know there was some trouble at that neighbor’s house.”
“He is emaciated. He has duct 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 around his wrists.
“This kid obviously…he was arrested. He is visibly covered in wounds.
Ruby Franke’s home in Springville, Utah, is seen Saturday
The family exploded on social media after they started posting videos in 2015
The court hearing, presided over by Judge Suchada Bazzelle, lasted only 30 minutes on Thursday.
Husband Kevin is pictured outside Thursday’s hearing with his lawyer Randy Kester
Judge Bazzelle set the next hearing for a mediation hearing on September 15 and a pre-trial hearing on September 18.
The 10-year-old daughter of Ruby and her husband Kevin Franke 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 so serious that he was evaluated by Santa Clara-Irvins Emergency Medical Services and transported to a hospital local.
“Police obtained information that other juveniles in a similar condition may be in a nearby house.
“Officers arrived at the home and searched the residence, locating another juvenile in a similar physical state of malnutrition.
“They were also transported by EMS to be hospitalized.”
