HOUTZDALE — A Clearfield County couple are facing assault charges after allegedly beating and abusing their six adopted children.

The charges against Timothy Dean Krause, 52, and Barbara Jean Krause, 50, both of Houtzdale, were filed by state police Thursday at District Judge James Glass’s office in Houtzdale. They each face 44 charges, including 24 felony counts, 14 misdemeanors and six summary offenses.

Online court documents show summons were issued for the pair on Friday, and they are scheduled for a preliminary hearing on July 11 in Clearfield County centralized court.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, the six victims, ranging in age from 12 to 16 years old, were beaten multiple times over several years with paddles, a walking stick, a board and back scratchers by Timothy and Barbara Krause.

The children told investigators they were hit with the paddle to the extent that their buttocks would bleed and their hands were beaten with the board until their knuckles bled.

As they were being beaten, trained dogs would allegedly bite them and police said the children have scars from the attacks, the affidavit states.

One of their punishments was to stand against a wall with their knees bent, which they referred to as “halfways” for extensive periods of time.

They were also forced to do “up downs” for up to an hour, according to the complaint.

Food was reportedly withheld as another punishment, and they were sometimes fed only eggs and water.

The six kids slept in one room of the three-bedroom home with two of them sleeping on a thin mat on the floor, police said.

Some of the children reported that the mother shoved their heads into a wall. She also allegedly said she would slit their throats in their sleep and threatened another child with a gun and an ax, the affidavit says.

A 12-year-old boy told police that his mother threatened to shoot him if he touched the phone after he called the police about being abused.

After physical exams by a doctor in March, it was determined that the children “were physically abused and tortured by their parents,” the affidavit said.

This doctor also found that they were one to two years behind in their school work, according to the report.

The kids were being home schooled.

Both Timothy and Barbara Krause were charged with six felony counts each of aggravated assault, conspiracy/aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child and conspiracy/endangering the welfare of a child, as well as six misdemeanor counts each of assault and recklessly endangering another person, two counts of terroristic threats and six summary counts of harassment.