Kansas adoptive parents charged with child torture, other abuse

Charges includes counts of aggravated battery

The Associated Press

NEWTON — The former head of a south-central Kansas home for the aging and his wife were charged Thursday in a new criminal complaint with abusing three children they adopted from Peru, including allegations they tortured the two youngest ones.

Authorities say the children — an 11-year-old boy, an 11-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl — were severely malnourished, had broken bones and had been beaten. They were placed in protective custody earlier this month.

A revised complaint filed in Harvey County District Court charges James and Paige Nachtigal, of North Newton, each with 12 counts including child abuse and aggravated battery. They had previously been charged with three counts of child abuse.

In addition to those, the new complaint adds two counts of child abuse that alleges James Nachtigal tortured or cruelly beat the two youngest children, and his wife helped him do it. Seven aggravated battery counts were also added that related to broken ribs, broken fingers and a broken arm.

Their defense attorneys did not return phone messages seeking comment, and Harvey County Attorney David Yoder said he has been advised that the defense plans to try to seal the entire court files.

A first court appearance on the amended complaint is scheduled for Friday, Yoder said.

The children, who were being home-schooled, told authorities their parents hit them with a board or a cane whenever they had “sinned,” North Newton police chief Randy Jordan said when the arrests were announced earlier this month. He told reporters that the parents considered the children not doing their homework or not telling their mother that the food “was tasty enough times” as a sin deserving of punishment.

The younger girl was adopted about four years ago, the older girl and the boy were adopted a year later, Jordan said. The couple’s four biological children are now in their 20s.

James Nachtigal was chief executive officer of the Kansas Christian Home at the time of his arrest.