An Arizona woman accused of mistreating children, she played in YouTube videos

A woman in Arizona has been accused of mistreating her seven adopted children who played in her YouTube videos, reports CBS affiliate KPHO-TV.

According to police in Maricopa, Arizona, the authorities learned that his 19-year-old daughter had allegedly behaved by Machelle Hackney.

Hackney and his two adult sons, Logan and Ryan Hackney, were arrested last week, reports KPHO-TV. Machelle Hackney was convicted of sexual assault, abuse of liberty, illegal imprisonment and negligence, and the two men suspected of not reporting the abuse of a minor.

When the police came to the family's home, they found a child in an unlocked wardrobe that was wearing only one diaper, according to a police report. The other six children seemed to be malnourished.

"I get beaten with a hanger or a belt," a boy said to the police, according to the report. He also said that he would be pinched in his private parts.

Some of the children told police that they would be punished with pepper spray. The police found two cans of pepper spray at home.

The children also told the police that they would also be punished if they were forced to stand in a corner, arms above their heads for hours, and take ice baths. They also said that they would not eat for days.

Machelle Hackney denied the allegations to the police. She said the only punishments she would use were spanking, having children in a corner and anchoring them.

The kids played in Machete's YouTube channel Hackney, which has collected more than 250 million views since its inception in 2012. The channel has more than three dozen videos, the oldest of which was posted in February 2018.