A dating Georgia State couple named Patty "Jo-Jo" Marsh and Jacob Bartels have been charged with illegally tattooing six of their seven collective children (all from separate marriages), aged 10 to 17. According to a statement by the couple, they used a guitar string and needle for the tattoos.

They added they didn’t realize they were doing anything illegal, but merely applying the tattoos because the children wanted to be more like their parents.

They emphasized the tattoos didn’t break the skin, and would therefore fade over time. Miss Marsh said the couple felt vilified as child abusers, and that the entire affair was blown out of proportion, and they would do nothing to harm their children.

The six children were tattooed on hands and arms, with five of them having a small black cross between the fingers, and one having ‘Mom and dad’ tattooed on his arm. Only the youngest child did not have any tattoos.http://thenextreporter.com/qs/couple-charged-tattooing-children/084049/http://www.ajc.com/news/couple-arrested-for-giving-265194.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6932108/Couple-charged-for-tattooing-children.html

Georgia has strict laws on tattooing, and tattoos by unlicensed artists, as well as tattoos on minors are prohibited. The tattooing was discovered when two of Bartels' children visited their biological mother (Bartels has children by multiple mothers, none of whom is Patty Marsh), who alerted the police and DFACS. As a result, ten police officers searched the home of the Bartels, and arrested the couple. The two were arrested by the local sheriff, but were later released on bail, after being charged with cruelty to children, reckless conduct and tattooing.http://thenextreporter.com/qs/couple-charged-tattooing-children/084049/http://www.ajc.com/news/couple-arrested-for-giving-265194.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6932108/Couple-charged-for-tattooing-children.html