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Kevin Franke, husband of former family vlogger Ruby Franke and patriarch of the 8 Passengers YouTube channel, filed a petition for divorce Wednesday, according to a domestic relations injunction obtained by NBC News.
The divorce filing comes roughly three months after Ruby Franke and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, were arrested and charged with six counts of felony child abuse. Police found Ruby Franke’s son, 12, emaciated, wounded and bound with duct tape Aug. 30. Her daughter, 10, was later found in similar malnourished condition at Hildebrandt’s home.
Kevin Franke filed for divorce in the 4th District Court of Utah. Divorce records are private in Utah, but the two parties are not allowed to harass each other, commit domestic violence against each other or the children or disparage each other to their kids, according to the filing.
The injunction is effective until a divorce is finalized, the petition is dismissed or the parties agree to dissolve it.
Read more of NBC News’ coverage of Ruby Franke:
The Frankes and their six children rose to prominence in 2015 through their YouTube channel 8 Passengers. The channel had a following of almost 2.3 million subscribers before it was taken down earlier this year. However, the Frankes’ strict parenting style had landed the couple in controversy before.
Kevin Franke’s attorney Randy Kester did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ruby Franke is not currently represented by a divorce lawyer, according to the filing, but NBC News has reached out to her defense attorney for comment.
In October, Kester told TODAY.com that the Frankes had been separated for 13 months “at Ruby’s directive.”
“Kevin did not want to be separated,” Kester said. “He wanted to work through concerns as a family. There was never any formal, written decree of separate maintenance or separation agreement. The separation was under terms proscribed by Ruby and Jodi Hildebrandt.”
Ruby Franke is being held without bail until her next court hearing, which has not yet been scheduled as of Thursday morning, according to the Utah court calendar.
