child-endangerment · Hocking County, Ohio

What happened after children were found in deplorable conditions in Hocking County, Ohio?

What happened?

Following the September 2022 incident in Hocking County, Ohio, Franklin 'TJ' Varney Jr., Megan Smith, and Ella Webb were arrested and charged with child endangering, with their cases bound over to Common Pleas Court. Chief Deputy Caleb Moritz, who made public statements about the case, later resigned, was investigated for corruption, and was sentenced to seven to nine years in prison for multiple felonies.

Convicted or liable

Last checked: Jun 17, 2026
Sources: Logan-Hocking Times; Ohio Attorney General; 10TV; The Scioto Post

Timeline

  1. Detectives from the Hocking County Sheriff's Office execute a search warrant at a residence on Bear Run Road in Logan, Ohio, finding a 3-year-old child in a cage and a 1-year-old with a methamphetamine pipe. Ella Webb, the children's grandmother, is arrested and charged with third-degree felony endangering children.

  2. Franklin 'TJ' Varney Jr. and Megan Smith, the children's parents, are taken into custody after a foot chase and charged with endangering children.

  3. Franklin 'TJ' Varney Jr., Megan Smith, and Ella Webb remain incarcerated in the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail, and their child endangering cases are bound over to the Common Pleas Court.

  4. Chief Deputy Caleb Moritz resigns from the Hocking County Sheriff's Office after 17 years of employment and is later investigated for corruption, including stealing a firearm from the office.

  5. Caleb Moritz is found guilty by a Ross County jury of seven felony charges, including corrupting another with drugs, intimidation of an attorney, victim or witness, unlawful transaction in weapons, theft, and forgery.

  6. Caleb Moritz is sentenced to seven to nine years in prison for his corruption convictions.

Receipts