KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Editor's Note: This court hearing is still underway and will be updated with testimony through the afternoon.
A Michigan couple charged with child abuse in Fentress County appeared for their first hearing Thursday. In the hearing, the judge said he found probable cause for both parents and sent the case to the Grand Jury. He also increased their bail to $300,000.
Jason Klimp, 45, and Jessica Klimp, 43, were each charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse. Two of their adopted children, ages 11 and 12 years old, were found severely malnourished.
In late February, Fentress County authorities responded to reports of a young girl collapsing at the Klimps' house. According to a warrant, they told authorities their adopted daughter was walking back from being outside when she collapsed, and Jason Klimp said he put her in a shower to try and wake her up.
Jonathan Richards, a Fentress County paramedic who responded to the scene, testified on Thursday and told the judge on Thursday that her body temperature was 95.6 F and the discoloration of her skin caused enough concern for him to request a helicopter.
Richards said the Klimps told him they had been fostering the child since she was 3 years old. He said the parents initially didn't want to fly her to a hospital, and Jessica Klimp's lawyer said that was because they believed it would have been expensive at the time.
Jason Klimp's lawyer also questioned Richards about the child's body temperature. Richards said anything below 98 degrees is abnormal.
Richards said he didn't notice any red flags between the father and daughter, but he still felt concerned when he was responding.
Detective Jerry Mifflin with the Fentress County Sheriff's Department also responded to the scene and took the stand Thursday. He said the girl's skin was purple, her nails were white and she was shivering.
When he arrived, he said the child was on the father's lap with a towel. He said the father told him that he had put her in a cold shower because she had a seizure in the kitchen.
At first, Mifflin thought the child was around 8 years old based on how she looked.
The detective learned that the girl and her biological sister, who is also adopted, didn't eat solid food. Jason Klimp previously told the investigator that the girl would only eat food from a bottle because she couldn't keep down regular food, or wouldn't eat at all if it wasn't from a bottle.
In February, investigators asked the 12-year-old girl about the incident and the warrant said she couldn't remember much about the incident that sent her to the hospital. However, she said she had to eat from a bottle because "she and her sister eat too much and would get sick."
The detective was concerned enough that the sheriff's office received paperwork to perform a welfare check and evaluate other children in the home. During the examination, it was revealed that the girl and her sister were severely malnourished and underdeveloped.
According to a warrant, the children also told authorities the girls had to sleep in plastic totes without covers in a brisk basement and would eat from bottles.
When authorities spoke with all the children, the warrant said they all effectively told them the same thing — the two girls were made to sleep without covers in plastic totes in a basement that's usually around 60 degrees Fahrenheit as punishment for peeing the bed.
During the hearing, the detective revealed that he learned from church members that the girl had previously collapsed a day before.
The Klimps' defense argued that if the parents were committing a crime, they never would've called officials in the first place to report their daughter's collapsing.
According to the arrest warrant, seven other children were in the care of the Klimps and a referral was made to the Department of Children's Services. Four of the children were biological children and four were adopted, according to the warrant.
Bail was set at $100,000 for the Klimps, according to the records. They were both arrested in late February and charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse, neglect or endangerment, which is a felony.