PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A 36-year-old man is being held on a 17-count indictment that accuses him of assaulting three children.

On Friday, a grand jury indicted Saul Nickolas Jackson with 10 counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment and 7 counts of third-degree assault.

According to a probable cause affidavit, filed at the time of Jackson’s arrest, the investigation started back in July 2015 when police spoke with a girl who had run away from home.

The girl told Gresham police that Jackson, her mother’s boyfriend, was spanking her brother with a brush and that is why she had run away.

Police notified DHS. One of the children made allegations that Jackson “whips them frequently and also burns them with lighters,” according to court documents.

Child abuse investigators noted that one of the children had scarring across the upper and lower back.

Child abuse doctors noted that another child had burns to their left palm that would be consistent with a lighter burn, according to court documents.

Another child made allegations that Jackson withheld food from the siblings.

On March 17, Jackson was arrested by detectives assigned to the Multnomah County Child Abuse Team.

Records show that he has 5 felony, 1 misdemeanor and 4 probation violation convictions. His felony record includes convictions for ID theft and first-degree theft.

Jackson has been ordered not to have contact with the children.

He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday at 9:30 a.m. at the Multnomah County Justice Center. None of the child are biologically Jackson’s.