LANCASTER -An Elizabethtown man and woman charged with repeatedly beating their six children and hoarding neglected dogs in a home deemed “unfit for human occupancy” will have their cases proceed to county court. The man was also charged with kidnapping the children in order to avoid surrendering them as part of a court order. 30-year-old Robert Christensen, Jr. and 35-year-old Ashley Dishart-Christensen waived their preliminary hearings on 21 and 19 different offenses, respectively. Christensen also waived his preliminary hearing on six counts each of kidnapping a minor, interference with the custody of a child, concealing the whereabouts of a child, and obstructing the administration of law. The two are accused of beating their children at their home in the 300 block of West High Street. The children, ranging from 4 to 11-years-old, told authorities that the couple beat them regularly with baseball bats, hockey sticks, and other household objects. Police had received multiple reports of abuse at the home dating back to 2019. Dishart-Christensen is free after posting $150,000 bail. Christensen remains in Lancaster County Prison in lieu of a combined $425,000 bail.
