IVIN, UTAH: Kevin Franke, the estranged husband of former disgraced YouTube star Ruby Franke, has filed for divorce and a domestic relations injunction in Utah.
Ruby Franke, who ran the now-deactivated YouTube channel '8 Passengers' in 2015 with her husband featuring the everyday lives of her six children and advising about parenting and other issues, is currently in jail on multiple counts of aggravated child abuse.
Kevin Franke’s lawyer says he was unaware of the alleged abuse
Kevin Franke’s lawyer Randy Kester said that his client did not know anything about the alleged abuse of their six children by Ruby Franke and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Kevin Franke submitted the divorce petition and the injunction on Wednesday, November 29, in the Fourth Judicial District.
“He’s never condoned, nor has he ever committed any act of violence and certainly wouldn’t condone or support any physical abuse of his kids,” Kester told the outlet.
The attorney said he could not discuss how the Franke children are doing. But he said that for the family overall “there’s a lot of healing to do.”
Kester said Franke is not a “monster,” and that he’s a “very loving and gentle and caring father.”
The attorney also told Law and Crime that Kevin Franke had not seen his wife or children in more than a year, at Hildebrandt’s suggestion.
The injunction sets some rules for Kevin Franke and Ruby Franke
The injunction that Kevin Franke filed sets some rules for the separated couple, such as not harassing each other, not canceling any services of the other, and not making any negative comments about the other in front of their children.
Law and Crime reported that the injunction also prohibits them from disposing of any property or assets without the court’s approval. Kevin Franke and Ruby Franke had more than 2.2 million subscribers when they faced the charges.
Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested in August for child abuse
Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested in August for child abuse after one of Franke’s sons escaped from Hildebrandt’s home in Ivin, Utah.
The boy was found injured and malnourished by the police. He said that Hildebrandt tied him up with ropes and used cayenne pepper and honey on his wounds.
He also said that two of his siblings were still in the house. The police searched the house and found a 10-year-old girl with similar injuries, as well as ropes, handcuffs, bandages, plastic wrap, a journal, and two bowls of cayenne pepper and honey paste.
Ruby Franke was charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse and is being held without bail
On the day of her arrest, one of her daughters, Shari, posted an Instagram story of police cars outside their house with the caption “Me and my family are so glad justice is being served.”
She added, “We’ve been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up”.
Kevin Franke had been trying to get custody of his children, but the child welfare case was sealed by a judge in early October. The judge said that the media attention could harm “the best interest of the minor parties” involved in the case, according to FOX 13.
