March 28, 2024

Frys charged with felonies

According to an Osceola Police press release, the Osceola Police Department and the Iowa Department of Human Services initiated a joint investigation of Kenneth G. Fry, 42, and Kelly Lynn Fry, 40, of Osceola on Jan. 30. The investigation led to the couple's arrest on June 22.

Both have been charged with neglect or abandonment of a dependent person, a Class C felony, child endangerment causing bodily injury, a Class D felony and child endangerment, an aggravated misdemeanor.

According to the affidavit from the Clarke County Clerk of District Court, Kenny and Kelly Fry had seven children living in the home at the time of the investigation. Two of the children, ages 8 and 9 were adopted from Ghana a few years prior and were home schooled by Kelly Fry.

The five biological children had "typical and age appropriate" bedrooms. The two adopted children shared a bedroom that had been subdivided into two rooms made of wood. Each of the two rooms were lined in plastic and wooden doors had been added to the rooms with alarms. According to the affidavit, "the rooms were bare."

The two bedrooms of the 8- and 9-year-old adopted children contained only a small plastic mat, a blanket, a small shelf and each had a plastic bucket to use as a toilet.

Kelly Fry indicated to the DHS Caseworker that the two children would defecate and urinate in their rooms, so they had the rooms constructed and it was the children's responsibility to clean up after themselves. She indicated that the children chose to use the buckets instead of the bathroom facilities in the home.

Kelly indicated to the DHS Caseworker that alarms were added to the doors because the two children would sneak out of their rooms and steal food and steal from other family members. According to the affidavit, the 9-year-old child said that the two of them got oatmeal for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but the biological children had no food restrictions. If the oatmeal was not finished, it would be saved for their next meal.

If the children left their rooms without permission, the alarms would go off and they would be disciplined. The discipline included being required to do squats and a form of push-ups.

On Feb. 8, a physical examination had been completed at the STAR Center at Blank Children's Hospital on the two children. Katherine Scott, ARNP, noted that the 8-year-old had a "sickly appearance and exhibited an anxious and withdrawn mood." Her height and weight had leveled off and not changed in the past year and she was in the 10th percentile for weight and under the first percentile for height. The 9-year-old was found to have several small wounds that were not healing properly, likely due to a nutrition deficiency. He had also leveled off on the growth chart for height and weight.

The two children were placed with a relative after being removed from the home Jan. 30 and have since engaged in therapy and services. It is reported that the children have not exhibited the negative behaviors Kenny and Kelly Fry claimed the children showed in their care since they have been removed. The 8-year-old had shown a weight gain of 8 pounds at a follow up appointment with Scott roughly three months after being removed from the home.

According to the affidavit, both children were minors, under the age of 10, who were dependent on their parents for all of their physical, emotional and medical needs. As parents, Kelly and Kenny Fry both knowingly acted in a manner that created a substantial risk to their adopted children's physical, mental or emotional health and safety. They both also willfully deprived the children of necessary food, clothing, shelter and health care. This resulted in the bodily injury to the 8-year-old child by means of malnutrition and nutritional neglect. Kelly and Kenny Fry also knowingly or recklessly exposed the two adopted children to a hazard or danger to which the children could not reasonably be expected to protect themselves against.

This case is being prosecuted by the Iowa Attorney General's Office.