Arizona mom pleads not guilty to abusing kids for YouTube fame

PHOENIX — The Arizona mother accused of abusing her adopted children if they performed poorly on their family YouTube channel pleaded not guilty to the charges Friday.

Machelle Hobson, 47, of Maricopa, was charged Monday with 30 felony counts involving each juvenile victim, including kidnapping and a variety of child abuse charges.

Hobson is facing more than 50 years in prison, according to Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer. She remains in custody.

Hobson is accused of abusing five of her seven adopted children, allegedly forcing the kids to act in the YouTube series and punishing them if they forgot lines.

Among the allegations were that Hobson pepper sprayed the kids on their genitals and locked them in a closet.

Authorities began investigating Hobson’s Maricopa home, about 40 miles south of Phoenix, on March 13, after her adult daughter reported the alleged abuse.

The children, who were malnourished, were taken out of school years ago so they could keep filming videos, police said.

Hobson’s Fantastic Adventures YouTube channel drew more than 240 million views for 36 videos and more than 800,000 subscribers since debuting in 2012.

Volkmer said Hobson was paid at least $300,000 by Google last year from ads on her YouTube channel.

The channel was taken down shortly after news of Hobson’s March 15 arrest spread.

The Pinal County Attorney’s Office said only five the children were included in the charges because investigators haven’t found direct evidence of abuse of two 3-year-olds.

Two adult sons of Hobson’s, Logan and Ryan Hackney, also were arrested for failing to report the abuse.

They were released on their own recognizance last week, and their next court appearance was scheduled for April 8.

Anybody who may have witnessed child abuse or neglect was asked to call 888-SOS-CHILD.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Nailea Leon and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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