Jodi Hilderbrandt, a therapist and the business partner of YouTube vlogger Ruby Franke, is scheduled to appear in court today, nine days after Franke pleaded guilty to several charges of child abuse.
As part of her plea agreement, Franke said she would testify against Hildebrandt, who has been charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony, according to court documents reviewed by CBS News.
Hildebrandt is scheduled to appear in court at 11 a.m. MST, according to CBS News affiliate KUTV. She is set to face the same judge that Franke did.
Neither Hildebrandt nor her attorney, Douglas Terry, have made any public statements indicating that she may have a plea deal like Franke’s, KUTV said.
Each charge of aggravated child abuse has a penalty of up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
The relationship between Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt
Hildebrandt owned a counseling business that she says teaches people to improve their lives, while Franke operated the now-defunct “8 Passengers” channel detailing her life with her husband and six children. Franke appeared in several of Hildebrandt’s videos, and the two were business partners.
In September, one of Franke’s children fled Hildebrandt’s Utah home, malnourished and injured, and asked another neighbor for food and water. The neighbor called the police.
Police said they found the child emaciated, with duct tape around his wrists and ankles. Court documents revealed that the boy said Hildebrandt had put the restraints on him, then used cayenne pepper and honey to treat the wounds. One of Franke’s daughters was also found at Hildebrandt’s house.
Franke and Hildebrandt were both arrested on Aug. 30.
A YouTube video from Hildebrandt’s channel featuring Franke was also referenced in court documents, according to KUTV. The video showed Franke in Hildebrandt’s home two days before the arrest, which served as evidence that the women were “present in the home and having knowledge of the abuse, malnourishment, and neglect” of the children.
Franke was also charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse, but two of those charges were dropped as part of her plea deal. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 20, 2024.
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