The Latest on an Arizona woman arrested on allegations of abusing adopted children (all times local): 3 p.m. YouTube has terminated a popular channel operated by an Arizona woman arrested on allegations she abused her seven adopted children, at least some of whom appeared on the show. The channel was taken down by mid-afternoon Wednesday leaving a message that said it had violated YouTube's community guidelines. YouTube said earlier in the day it had suspended the channel's money-making ability upon learning about the arrest and additional action was possible including termination. Machelle Hobson was arrested on allegations she disciplined her adopted children with pepper spray or by locking them in a closet without food, water or access to a bathroom at their home south of Phoenix. The 48-year-old remained jailed Wednesday on $200,000 bond. It wasn't immediately clear if she had an attorney. ___ 2:15 p.m. A neighbor of an Arizona woman accused of abusing her seven adopted children says the kids appeared unhappy one of the few times she saw them. Sarisa Fragua, who lives two doors down from the Maricopa home of 48-year-old Machelle Hobson, said Wednesday that she rarely saw the woman or the children. But last summer, Fragua says one of the woman's adult sons was filming a video with the children on a pathway behind her backyard. According to Fragua, the children seemed withdrawn anytime they weren't being filmed. She thought it was odd but never saw anything that seemed abusive. Authorities say Hobson used pepper spray to discipline the children and locked them inside a closet for days. The children appear in a popular series of videos on the YouTube channel. ___ 1:20 p.m. The Arizona Department of Child Safety says it removed the children from the home of a woman with a popular YouTube channel who was arrested on suspicion of abusing her seven adopted kids. The state agency said it took the children from 48-year-old Machelle Hobson's home Thursday, one day before her arrest. It cited confidentiality laws in declining to answer questions about Hobson, including whether it had prior contacts with her or prior complaints. Hobson's last name was initially listed in court records as Hackney, but the Pinal County Attorney's Office says it has since been corrected. Hobson's channel has millions of views. She also has related Instagram and Facebook accounts. A police report released Wednesday says the children say they were disciplined with pepper spray or locked in a closet without food or water if they did not perform in the videos as directed. It's not known if Hobson has an attorney. ___ This story corrects arrested woman's last name to Hobson. ___ 11:25 a.m. A YouTube channel of an Arizona woman arrested on suspicion of abusing her seven adopted children shows them in simple skits about a kid stealing cookies or a little boy with super powers. The channel that authorities say 48-year-old Machelle Hobson runs has millions of views. She also has related Instagram and Facebook accounts. A police report released Wednesday says the children say they were disciplined with pepper spray or locked in a closet without food or water if they did not perform in the videos as directed. Two adult sons of Hobson were arrested on allegations of failing to report child abuse. Hobson and the two grown sons remained in jail on Wednesday. It was unknown if any of the three have attorneys. ___ 9:20 a.m. Arizona authorities say two adult sons of a woman arrested on allegations of using pepper spray to discipline her seven younger adopted children are being held on suspicion of failing to report abuse of a minor. A police statement released Wednesday says Logan and Ryan Hackney were booked into jail. Authorities said their mother Machelle Hobson disciplined the adopted children by locking them in a closet for days without food, water or bathroom access. The kids were featured on her popular YouTube channel. A police report says officers arriving at the house in the small city of Maricopa south of Phoenix found six of the children appeared malnourished and underweight. It was not immediately clear if the 48-year-old mother or her two grown sons had an attorney. ___ 8 a.m. Arizona authorities say a woman has been arrested on allegations of using pepper spray to discipline her seven adopted children and locking them for days inside a closet. A police report says Machelle Hobson's adopted children had no food, water or access to a bathroom for days while inside the closet at her home in the small city of Maricopa south of Phoenix. The report says that officers who went to the house last week reported that six of the children appeared malnourished and underweight. Hobson was being held at the Pinal County Jail on suspicion of two counts of molestation of a child, seven counts of child abuse and five counts of unlawful imprisonment and child neglect. It was unclear Tuesday whether 48-year-old Hobson had a lawyer.<doc-sep>YouTube has terminated Fantastic Adventures — a channel belonging to an Arizona woman who was arrested last week on seven counts of child abuse, five counts of unlawful imprisonment, five counts of child neglect, and two counts of child molestation. The woman, Machelle Hackney, also allegedly forced her seven adopted children to appear in YouTube videos for the Fantastic Adventures channel, for which they were pulled from school and punished if they failed to participate. Hackney also stands accused of pepper-spraying the children, touching them inappropriately, forcing them to take ice baths, and locking them in a closet for days without food, water, or anywhere to go to the bathroom. The channel, which hosted kid-aimed sketches with toys, nerf battles, and food fights, counted 800,000 subscribers and 250 million lifetime views — and was still live on the platform yesterday. Now, however, it appears to have been deleted. YouTube previously said that it had demonetized Fantastic Adventures, and that the channel would be terminated if Hackney were to be convicted or plead guilty to the numerous charges she’s facing. However, the company subsequently had a change of heart — saying that Fantastic Adventures was terminated for repeatedly violating its Community Guidelines. “We work closely with leading child safety organizations and others in our industry to protect young people,” a YouTube spokesperson told Tubefilter in a statement. “When we’re made aware of serious allegations of this nature we investigate and take action, We immediately suspended monetization when notified of the arrest. In cases where there are Community Guidelines violations, we may take additional actions, including terminating the channel.” It’s unclear what the violations were, however, or whether they were related to Hackney’s arrest. YouTube made a roughly similar aboutface in its decision to terminate the channel of convicted sex offender Austin Jones, who pleaded guilty in February to coercing six underage fans to send him sexually explicit photos. While Jones was convicted, YouTube initially opted not to delete his channel because his crimes did not occur on the platform. Shortly thereafter, however, YouTube reversed course and terminated the channel. YouTube also terminated a group of channels under the SevenAwesomeKids banner earlier this month after owner Ian Rylett pleaded guilty to abusing one of the channels’ stars. Rylett was first arrested last August.<doc-sep>The kids allege they were punished if they didn't partake in the YouTube series. A YouTube star is accused of physically abusing her seven adopted children, who told authorities they were pepper-sprayed, beaten and deprived of food and water if they didn't participate in her videos. Machelle Hobson, 48, whose YouTube channel "Fantastic Adventures" has garnered almost 800,000 subscribers and 250 million views since 2012, was arrested last Friday following a welfare check at her home in Maricopa, Arizona, about 35 miles south of downtown Phoenix, according to the complaint filed in Pinal County Superior Court. A 19-year-old woman told the Maricopa Police Department on March 13 that her younger adoptive stepsister disclosed being abused by her mother, Hobson. Officers then conducted a welfare check at Hobson's residence, where they found seven children "who appeared to be malnourished, due to their pale completion, dark rings under their eyes, underweight, and they stated they were thirsty and hungry," according to the probable cause statement. All seven children were removed from Hobson's custody. Police interviewed two of the children and attempted to speak with a third but "she was visibly nervous, shaking, and it appeared she was too scared to answer any questions," according to the probable cause statement. The four other children were not questioned. One child told police Hobson locked her in a closet for days at a time without food or water and made her wear a pull-up diaper, not allowing her to use the bathroom. The child alleged her adoptive mother would spray her and her six siblings with pepper spray, spank them and force them to take ice baths. She allegedly would further punish them if they resisted, according to the complaint. The child told police she was once pepper-sprayed between her legs and was in pain for several days. Another child told police, "I either get beat with a hanger or belt," "or a brush," "or get pepper-sprayed from head to toe," according to the probable cause statement. He also alleged Hobson would grab his "privates" and, on numerous occasions, pinched him with her fingernails until he bled. Hobson denied the allegations, saying the only forms of punishment she uses are grounding, spanking and making the kids stand in the corner, according to the complaint. Hobson's attorney, Richard Scherb, told ABC News, "The state's case is without merit." All of the kids mentioned having to partake in their mother's YouTube series, which featured the adopted children in different scenarios, according to the complaint. The kids told police they were punished if they forgot their lines or didn't follow Hobson's directions. "This is one of the reasons their mom took them out of school, so they can keep filming their series and they mentioned they have not been in school for years," the probable cause statement reads. The YouTube channel was still up on the video-sharing site as of Wednesday morning but later appeared to be taken down. YouTube will terminate accounts upon discovery of repeated violations of its community guidelines. "We work closely with leading child safety organizations and others in our industry to protect young people. When we're made aware of serious allegations of this nature we investigate and take action," a YouTube spokesperson told ABC News in a statement Thursday morning. "We immediately suspended monetization when notified of the arrest. In cases where there are Community Guidelines violations, we may take additional actions, including terminating the channel." The Pinal County Attorney's Office called the allegations "highly disturbing and alarming." "Children are our community's most precious resource, and this office is committed to holding those individuals who choose to harm them fully accountable for their actions," Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. Hobson and her two adult sons, Logan and Ryan Hackney, were taken into custody by local law enforcement at their residence on March 15, according to the complaint. Logan Hackney allegedly admitted to police that the children would be locked in the closet for long periods of time as punishment and that he had knowledge of the alleged pepper spray and ice baths. He also told police he observed physical injuries on the kids and heard them scream and cry, according to the complaint. Logan Hackney claimed he had a discussion with his brother about reporting the child abuse, and the children told police Ryan Hackney would sneak them food when they were locked in the closet. Hobson and her two sons had their initial court appearance on Saturday. Hobson's bond was set at $200,000 secured and she remains in custody, according to the Pinal County Attorney's Office. She was booked on two counts of child molestation, seven counts of child abuse, five counts of unlawful imprisonment and five counts of child neglect. Hobson has a preliminary hearing scheduled for March 26. Her last name was listed as "Hackney" in the initial complaint by the Pinal County Attorney's Office, which later changed it. Logan and Ryan Hackney, Hobson's biological children, were booked into Pinal County Jail on seven counts each of failing to report child abuse. They were released on their own recognizance on Tuesday and are due back in court April 8. Logan and Ryan Hackney have hired a private attorney, who did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment Thursday morning. Zeb and Tawny Schnorr, a couple in Scottsdale, Arizona, run their own YouTube channel starring their 10-year-old and 6-year-old sons called "Extreme Toys TV," which has amassed over 4.1 million subscribers and over 2.1 million views since 2015. The Schnorrs told ABC News they have never met Hobson but her two adult sons contacted them about a year ago for help with filming and editing content. And just a few weeks ago, Logan and Ryan Hackney brought over Hobson's seven adopted children to the couple's house to film a collaboration. The Schnorrs told ABC News they didn't notice anything out of the ordinary with the seven children, who appeared to be well-behaved and playing normally with their two kids. The parents said they were shocked to learn of the allegations.<doc-sep>Machelle Hackney Image : Pinal County Superior Court Machelle Hackney, creator of the popular family YouTube channel “Fantastic Adventures,” was arrested in her Maricopa, Arizona home last Friday on charges of the molestation of a child, child abuse, unlawful imprisonment and child neglect, NBC reports. Hackney, who goes by her maiden name Hobson, allegedly abused her seven adoptive children, ranging in age from 6 to 15, to force them to perform for her channel. Hackney’s two biological sons, Logan and Ryan Hackney, were also arrested and face charges for failing to report abuse. Her biological daughter contacted authorities on March 13, leading to their arrest. Advertisement According to the Washington Post, Arizona authorities believe Hackney’s “Fantastic Adventures” channel, with over 700,800 followers and more than 250 million views, “was the reason for her mistreatment of her adopted children. She meted out punishment [off-screen], they said, when the young actors failed to remember their lines or otherwise didn’t perform as directed.” In the statement of probable cause, Hackney denied any abuses, and claimed she only spanked her children to punish them. From the Washington Post: When the camera wasn’t rolling, however, police say the seven adopted children were being starved and sequestered for days in a closet with a bare tile floor. Its color evoked a green room, almost like a staging area for their performances. They were being pepper-sprayed and beaten with belts, brushes and hangers. They were forced to take ice baths. They were required to stand with their arms raised above their heads from dawn until midnight. On more than one occasion, at least one of the boys bled when the tip of his penis was pinched... The children reported being removed from school several years ago to focus on the videos. When they were interviewed by police, they appeared malnourished, underweight and with pale complexions and dark rings under their eyes. One of the children, when offered the chance to drink, guzzled three 16-ounce bottles of water in 20 minutes. Another child, provided a bag of chips, was reticent to eat, fearful that her mother would smell the food on her breath. A third said she had not been allowed to eat in two days. On Wednesday, YouTube said it demonetized the “Fantastic Adventures” channel when the video platform became aware of the arrest, but all of the content is still live and available for viewing.<doc-sep>
The Arizona woman behind the popular Fantastic Adventures YouTube channel, which featured her seven adopted children appearing in sketches, has been arrested for abusing them and forcing them to star in the highly-viewed clips. Machelle Hackney stands accused of pepper-spraying the children, touching them inappropriately, forcing them to take ice baths, and locking them in a closet for days without food, water, or the ability to go to the bathroom, AZFamily reports. When Hackney’s 19-year-old daughter reported the disturbing behavior to local police, they conducted a home check, whereupon they found one child in an unlocked closet wearing only a diaper — as well as six other children who appeared malnourished and underweight. In interviews with police officers, one of the children drank three bottles of water in 20 minutes and told them he’d been punished with pepper spray on several occasions, according to AZFamily. Another child was afraid to eat a bag of chips given to her by officers because she didn’t want Hackney to be able to smell the food on her breath. All seven children were removed from Hackney’s custody by the Arizona Department Of Child Safety (DCS) on March 13. And on March 15, Hackney — who denies the allegations — was arrested on two counts of child molestation, seven counts of child abuse, five counts of unlawful imprisonment, and five counts of child neglect, AZFamily reports. Her adult sons, Logan and Ryan Hackney — who were allegedly aware of the abuse — were also arrested on seven counts of failing to report it to authorities. On top of this abuse, Hackney forced the children to headline her YouTube channel — which is still live on the platform with 800,000 subscribers and 250 million lifetime views. AZFamily reports that the children were taken out of school to film the videos, and Hackney threatened to punish them if they didn’t want to participate or forgot their lines. The videos featured toys, food fights, nerf battles, and other kid-aimed fare. YouTube told AZFamily that the channel had been demonetized as soon as it was made aware of Hackney’s arrest, and that it would be terminated if Hackney is convicted or pleads guilty to the numerous charges that she is currently facing. This is something of a tricky area for the video giant, which has faced calls to delete the channels of other bad actors in the past. For instance, YouTube initially opted not to delete the channel of accused sex offender Austin Jones — ostensibly because his crimes were unrelated to his YouTube activity. However, it subsequently reversed course. More recently, YouTube terminated the SevenAwesomeKids group of channels after proprietor Ian Rylett pleaded guilty to abusing one of the channels’ stars. Rylett was first arrested last August. YouTube is also in the throes of another controversy involving child safety, after creators — and advertisers — discovered a wormhole of videos where pedophiles were gathering in the comments section of seemingly innocent videos of young children to exchange predatory remarks.