Articles on MALTREATMENT of children in the System

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Articles on MALTREATMENT of children in the System

Postby Marina » Sat Jun 30, 2007 6:43 pm

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http://www.oregonlive.com/metro/oregoni ... xml&coll=7

The percentage of children in state custody who are abused and neglected is increasing. Nearly 100 foster children were victims in 2006, according to the Department of Human Services. The public rarely learns the specifics of such abuse, however, because of child confidentiality laws. The Legislature changed the law in 2005 to require DHS to release information when foster children die or suffer serious injury because of abuse.

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Last edited by Marina on Thu Sep 06, 2007 7:33 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Postby Marina » Sun Jul 01, 2007 1:27 pm


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Postby Marina » Sun Jul 01, 2007 1:39 pm

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http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/article ... 667090.txt

Corson County grand jury indicts former Rep. Ted Klaudt

By The Associated Press

PIERRE -- Court appearances are set in two counties for a former state lawmaker who is charged with rape and other offenses against two girls who were in foster care at his home.



Former Rep. Ted Klaudt, R-Walker, will be arraigned July 6 in Pierre on Hughes County charges. His arraignment in Corson County, where he lives, is set for July 9.



Prosecutors filed charges against Klaudt on May 18 in both counties. Those original charges have now been replaced by grand jury indictments that allege the same offenses.



In the latest development, a Corson County grand jury on Tuesday indicted Klaudt on four counts of second-degree rape, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of sexual contact with a child younger than 16, two counts of witness tampering and one count of stalking.



A grand jury in Pierre indicted Klaudt on four counts of second-degree rape, which are alleged to have occurred in Pierre when Klaudt was in the Legislature. At least one of the alleged offenses involving one girl occurred when she was a page during a legislative session.



Klaudt is free on a $100,000 bond in the Hughes County case.



The girls told law officers Klaudt touched their breasts and vaginal areas during what he called exams for a purported scheme to have them donate their eggs to make money, Attorney General Larry Long said after the arrest.



Long said Klaudt was convincing the girls that donating their eggs would be a significant financial advantage to them and that the exams were necessary to determine if they would be viable candidates for the procedure.



Klaudt's wife held a state contract to provide foster care.

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Postby Marina » Sun Jul 01, 2007 1:41 pm


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Postby Marina » Sun Jul 01, 2007 8:09 pm

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http://www.projo.com/news/content/dcyf_ ... eb8c5.html

Lambiase noted Rhode Island’s abuse and neglect rates were so high that children in state foster care were more likely to be maltreated than children in the general population. “It’s outrageous,” she said. “They are getting removed from their parents because the state is saying their parents are unable to care for them, and then the state is even less able to care for them and is damaging them worse.”



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Postby Marina » Tue Jul 03, 2007 10:23 am

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POLICE NEWS: Man charged in shaking that injured foster child

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/ne ... 7&cxcat=11

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Postby Marina » Mon Jul 09, 2007 7:48 pm

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http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/l ... 29,00.html

Former foster parent sentenced in sex assaults

A Denver man who served as a foster parent to dozens of children was declared a sexually violent predator and sentenced to 40 years to life in prison today for sexually assaulting three young girls who were under his care.

Joe Lujan, 62...

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Postby Marina » Tue Jul 10, 2007 4:15 pm

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http://cbs4denver.com/local/local_story_190195029.html

Foster Father Sentenced To Life For Sexual Assault

Joseph Lujan, 62, was sentenced Monday afternoon to 40 years to life in prison.

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Postby Marina » Tue Jul 17, 2007 8:41 pm

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http://www.winknews.com/news/local/8447827.html

Mother alleges inappropriate behavior in group home
By WINK News

Fort Myers- The Florida Department of Children and Families tells WINK News it will investigate a local group home for teens after a mother makes allegations of drug abuse among the kids and a lack of supervision.

We spoke with the mother of a 12-year-old who has been placed in the home. She says when her child told her about what was going on, it broke her heart. She filed an official complaint Wednesday with DCF.

The mother does not want to be identified to protect her kids. She admits to WINK News she's made her mistakes and is working to correct them. She says her kids were removed from her home while she served a six month jail sentence for violating her probation by driving on a suspended license. She gets some time with her kids as they transition back into her home, but two still remain in a foster home and her 12-year-old is in Hope House, a group home in Fort Myers. What she heard from her 12-year-old when she picked him up for a visit shocked her. She said, "As soon as he got into the car, he said...'Mommy, you are not going to believe what the kids are doing here. They smoke cigarettes, they smoke weed, they even have sex with each other." She says before she made a complaint, she wanted to see it for herself. So she went to the home, waited outside and watched. She describes what she says she saw, "The kids were smoking weed, smoking cigarettes...they were drinking."

An investigator with the Department of Children and Families tells WINK News they will thoroughly investigate the allegations. Hope House contracts with the Children's Network of Southwest Florida which cannot comment on the case specifically. Aimee McLaughlin, Children's Network did say, "They're monitored, they're audited by the Children's Network of Southwest Florida. All the children in the homes are seen on a monthly basis by the case manager, they're trained professionals with."

The mother of the 12-year-old says she's not asking for her child back right away, but at least wants him moved somewhere else. She said,
"It's not in my hands, it's in their hands...my hands are tied right now and that's what makes me feel frustrated because I cannot do anything at all."

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Postby Marina » Sun Jul 22, 2007 7:57 pm

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http://www.khq.com/global/story.asp?s=6818310

Former foster mother sentenced

SPOKANE, Wash. - Stevens County Superior Court Judge Al Nielsen sentenced 52-year-old Carole Ann DeLeon after she entered Alford pleas last week to two counts of criminal mistreatment.

Under Alford pleas, a defendant does not admit guilt, but concedes the state has enough evidence to find them guilty at trial. She originally was charged with homicide by abuse in the January 2005 death of her adopted son, Tyler DeLeon. He weighed 28 pounds when he died on his seventh birthday. DeLeon was accused of denying him adequate food and water.

County Prosecutor Tim Rasmussen says he agreed last week to allow DeLeon to enter a plea to lesser charges to spare other foster children from having to testify at a trial.

DeLeon entered pleas to one count of first-degree criminal mistreatment for Tyler and a second count of second-degree criminal mistreatment for her care of another boy whom prosecutors alleged was severely malnourished by DeLeon. Defense attorney Carl Oreskovich said earlier that DeLeon hoped to be exonerated at trial, but felt the possible risk of having a jury make its decision on emotion, rather than fact, was too great.

According to DSHS, DeLeon has taken care of 14 foster children and adopted five of them. The families of children for whom DeLeon has provided care has filed civil claims up to $55 million.

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Postby Marina » Fri Jul 27, 2007 7:28 pm

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http://www.team4news.com/Global/story.asp?S=6835186

Man Accused of Sexual Abuse

July 24, 2007 10:41 PM EDT



Police in Brownsville are investigating a man who they believe abused a young girl for three years. The case began to unravel Friday when the girl told her foster mother she'd been abused by a member of the foster family.

Seven children live in the home, most of them are foster kids. The home is a place where the streets are lined with kid friendly signs.

But police say a man who lived in that neighborhood is not kid friendly at all. James Alton Holbrook is charged with five counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child for allegations he abused a little girl in her foster home for the past three years. James Holbrook lived with foster parents in that same home.

Police say this just goes to show you can never be too careful. "Know what's going on inside the home, especially when you bring someone from outside the home," said Sgt. Juan Lopez, "you want to know what's happening inside your house and that you trust who you leave your children with," he said.

Now Brownsville Police, CPS and the Children's Advocacy center are looking into the case, trying to help the children heal.

They say there were no warning signs, and Holbrook is not currently a registered sex offender.

"Exactly what he had in his past, I'm not sure. You wouldn't expect sexual assault to happen, but you just never know," Lopez said.

The statute of limitations to report sexual abuse of a child is 10 years after the victim turns 18.

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Postby Marina » Fri Jul 27, 2007 7:37 pm

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http://www.koin.com/Global/story.asp?S=6844304

Foster Parent Sentenced For Abuse



HILLSBORO, Ore. - A former foster parent was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing four girls in his care.

Washington County authorities arrested Stephen Duane Kreinbring in February after a 5-year-old girl reported that he had taken her into a bedroom and abused her.

Sheriff's detectives later discovered three more victims who also were foster children the state placed in Kreinbring's home.

7/26/2007

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Postby Marina » Fri Jul 27, 2007 7:41 pm

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http://www.kfsm.com/Global/story.asp?S=6846813

Former foster dad pleads guilty to sex charges

July 26, 2007 07:05 PM EDT



BELLA VISTA - A former Bella Vista foster parent accused of having sexual contact with children in his care pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court.

45 year old Brian Bergthold pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault, two from Arkansas and one from Oregon.

Court documents show Bergthold was arrested in March after investigators searched his home and found tapes of minors engaged in sexual conduct.

Around 30 foster children were placed in his Bella Vista home over a two year period. He's in federal custody right now awaiting sentencing.

State charges are pending while investigators interview more children who were in his care.

Before moving to Arkansas, Bergthold was a foster parent.

Arkansas officials say he passed all background checks.

Since bergthold will serve federal time, there is no parole or early release. Bergthold was denied bond.

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Postby Marina » Fri Jul 27, 2007 7:46 pm

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http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs ... /707270441

State officials to visit Mt. Pleasant treatment centers where rapes were reported

By SHAWN COHEN
THE JOURNAL NEWS


(Original publication: July 27, 2007)

MOUNT PLEASANT - The commissioner of the state Office of Children's and Family Services plans to tour two local residential treatment centers today in response to recent reported rapes on those campuses.


Commissioner Glady Carrion will tour Pleasantville Cottage School and Hawthorne Cedar Knolls this afternoon with state Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, who organized the visit. They plan to meet with staff, local officials and community members to discuss concerns raised about safety and use of local resources, according to a statement by Stewart-Cousins.


OCFS and another state oversight agency - the Commission on Quality of Care and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities - recently announced they will jointly probe the treatment centers, which house hundreds of troubled children and adolescents.


Since March, three rapes have been reported at the centers. This month, a 15-year-old Pleasantville Cottage boy was charged with raping an 18-year-old resident after threatening to burn her with a cigarette lighter. In March, a 12-year-old boy was accused of sexually assaulting another boy, also 12.


That incident came less than two weeks after a report of a gang rape at Cedar Knolls. Three boys were accused of beating and raping a girl after dragging her into a vacant building.


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Postby Marina » Fri Jul 27, 2007 8:33 pm

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http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJ ... 072707.htm

July 27, 2007

Former foster father's molestation trial set

By PATRICIO G. BALONA
Staff Writer

DELAND -- Clutching a manila envelope in his cuffed hands, George Allen Goolde walked into court Thursday to tell a judge he is ready for trial.


N-J | Chad Pilster
George Goolde at the Volusia County Courthouse in DeLand Thursday.
Goolde, 62, an Orange City foster parent, was charged in November with molesting two boys who had been in his home.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday on two charges of lewd and lascivious molestation. According to court documents, Goolde is accused of inappropriately touching the boys, ages 7 and 11.

Goolde was president of the Volusia/Flagler Foster-Adoptive Parent Association at the time of his arrest.

According to court documents, Goolde entered not-guilty pleas to the charges on Dec. 5 and remains in the Volusia County Branch Jail on $250,000 bail.

Goolde was arrested by Orange City police on Nov. 25. Police said two boys told a child abuse investigator that Goolde touched them several times in an inappropriate manner.

After his arrest, Goolde admitted the sexual contact, Orange City police said. But he told police it had not been occurring as long as the children stated. He told police that while the kids never gave permission for him to touch them, he felt they wanted him to.

A molestation charge stemming from a separate case is still pending, court records show. Two former foster children, a boy and a girl who were 10 and 5 at the time, said Goolde molested them during "story time" between May 2005 and February 2006.

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Postby Marina » Sat Jul 28, 2007 8:06 pm

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http://www.miamiherald.com/569/story/185302.html

Posted on Sat, Jul. 28, 2007

Police say man abused two foster kids

Miami-Dade police arrested a man they say abused two girls; the home continued to operate after the first victim came forward.

BY CAROL MARBIN MILLER
[email protected]

When a 10-year-old foster child complained to state child-abuse investigators in November that her foster mother's boyfriend had molested her, caseworkers removed her from the home.

But the foster home remained open, and a month after the molestation report was received, child welfare administrators renewed the home's license.

Now, police say, there is a new victim.

On Wednesday, acting on a report from the Department of Children & Families, Miami-Dade police arrested Ian Garrick, 42, on charges he molested the now-11-year-old in 2006 -- and raped another girl, 8, in April. Garrick is being held at the Miami-Dade County jail without bond.

Al Zimmerman, DCF's Tallahassee spokesman, said the agency is still looking into how the case was handled, but state confidentiality laws forbid him from discussing the details.

Said Thomas G. Franklin, a DCF administrator in Miami: ``This is a tragic situation, and we continue to do all that we can to assist law enforcement. Children in the state's dependency system are often already victims of very sad, very traumatic situations, and to learn a child has been revictimized is heart-wrenching.

``When we learned that one of the children in our care may have been assaulted, we acted quickly. When our investigation resulted in verified findings, we immediately contacted the police.''

According to the arrest report by the Miami-Dade Police Department, the older girl told police Garrick had repeatedly fondled her ''under the clothing'' some time in 2006. The 8-year-old told police he forced her to have sex more than once in April.

The foster home's operator, Cynthia Matthias, appeared Friday at Garrick's bond hearing, where she was identified as his fiancee. Her telephone number is unlisted, and she could not be reached Friday for comment.

After the 8-year-old girl reported she had been raped at the home, both she and two other foster children living there were removed immediately and the foster home was shut down, said Frances Allegra, executive director of Our Kids, the Miami-Dade agency that provides foster care and adoption services under contract with the state.

EARLIER CHARGES

Matthias' foster home, in the 3300 block of Northwest 208th Terrace, was first licensed by DCF in 2002, Franklin said. Matthias had been charged in November 2000 with misdemeanor assault and battery, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The charges later were dropped after she completed a domestic violence program, records show.

Between 2002 and 2005, DCF granted Matthias three ''waivers'' that allowed the foster home to remain open despite allegations that children had been mistreated there, sources told The Miami Herald. In 2005, Our Kids took over management of the foster home.

In November 2006 DCF received a report that a 10-year-old girl had been molested by Matthias' boyfriend, Garrick. Sources say the case was closed with ''some indicators'' the girl had been molested, but investigators determined the risk to other foster children was ''low'' because Garrick did not live in the home.

RENEWED LICENSE

The next month, Our Kids renewed Matthias' foster care license, said Frances Allegra, Our Kids' executive director.

``We are doing a thorough examination of this case. In November 2006 we took immediate precautions to protect the child. We were assured that after a thorough investigation, the alleged perpetrator was not in the home or visiting the home. Had the investigation revealed otherwise, we would have taken immediate steps to revoke the license and close the home.

''Our Kids is deeply saddened by this tragedy,'' she added. ``We are committed to ensuring the safety and well being of foster children in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.''

Allegra said caseworkers first learned that Garrick had moved into the foster home in March. Police and DCF have not determined whether other foster kids were harmed at the home.

''While the police investigation resulted in the arrest of the suspected perpetrator this week, the department continues to work with Our Kids to identify any other children who may have been victimized,'' Franklin said.

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Postby Marina » Sun Jul 29, 2007 2:33 pm

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http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps ... /707290308


Unique strategy at heart of sexual-assault defense

Published: Sunday, July 29, 2007
By Adam Silverman
Free Press Staff Writer

A Williston man facing allegations he had sexual intercourse with a teenage girl the state placed in his home is treading new legal ground and employing a unique defense strategy, claiming the girl was not a foster child so therefore he did nothing wrong.

The 37-year-old man, whom The Burlington Free Press is not identifying in order to protect the identity of the alleged victim, has pleaded not guilty to two felony charges of sexual assault on a foster child. He is free on conditions pending trial, although prosecutors have brought a misdemeanor count of violating those conditions. The man also denied that charge.

He is among the first Vermonters to face up to life in prison if convicted of these particular charges. Last year, the Legislature raised the maximum penalty from a 35-year cap, said Diane Wheeler, a deputy Franklin County state's attorney.

Franklin County agencies are handling the case because of a potential conflict of interest involving the sex-crime law-enforcement agency Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations, Wheeler said.

The girl was 17 last summer when she began having sexual encounters with the man, according to a sworn police account written by Detective Trooper Richard Desany of the Northwest Unit for Special Investigations. The young woman, who turned 18 this year, told police she did not resist the man's advances because the suspect was "hard on her."

"She figured her life might be easier if she just went along with it," Desany wrote. "She said she was not ever explicitly forced or coerced into having sex, she just relented."

Most of the half dozen or so encounters occurred in the girl's bedroom at the suspect's home, which he shared with his wife and two young children, according to Desany's account. There were also some 15 incidents of inappropriate touching that occurred in a car, the detective wrote.
A matter of definition

The suspect, who was charged in December, is accused of violating a section of state law that reads, "No person shall engage in a sexual act with a child who is under the age of 18 and is entrusted to the actor's care by authority of law or is the actor's child, grandchild, foster child, adopted child, or stepchild."

Under other circumstances, the age at which Vermont law allows a person to consent to sexual activity is 16 -- and that's the crux of the defense argument.

Lawyer Bob Katims contends the girl did not qualify under state law as a foster child at the time of the sexual contact, and even if she did, the 17-year-old was solely in the care of the suspect's wife. If the arguments succeed, the charges would be dismissed, which Katims requested in a motion filed last week.

"Absent the allegation that (the girl) was (the suspect's) foster child, no criminal activity could be alleged as (the girl) was over the otherwise applicable 'age of consent' in Vermont," Katims wrote. "There is no allegation of lack of consent, threats of coercion or placing (the girl) in fear."

Wheeler has until Aug. 7 to reply in writing to the dismissal request, and she declined comment on the issue.

Katims argues the girl was not a foster child because the state law suggests that term applies only to people 16 and younger, and he notes that no specific statutory definition exists for the terms "foster child" and "foster parent." Given that, Katims wrote, just because someone holds a license to operate a foster home "does not mean that an individual placed in your home automatically becomes your 'foster child.'"

The girl initially was placed at the suspect's home in August 2005, when she was 16. Placement documents name the wife only, but not the man, and payments for the girl's care were made only to the wife, according to Katims' motion. Accordingly, Katims contends, the girl cannot be considered the man's foster child.

Taken together, those details mean the suspect did nothing wrong, the defense is arguing.

"Yeah, it's a technical defense, but it's a crime that is defined by your status," Katims said in an interview. "If you are not a particular person, your conduct would otherwise be legal."
Suspect's statements

The suspect, according to the detective's sworn statement, told police his activity with the girl was mutual -- "It takes two to tango," he told investigators -- and that her allegations could stem from anger about not being allowed to keep a car.

The man also conceded his actions were the result of bad judgment, and he thought what he did might have been illegal, according to Desany's account.

That's immaterial, though, Katims said.

"Whether you believe something is illegal is really irrelevant to whether or not it is illegal," he said, and added this case is out of the ordinary. "We see every day issues that are crimes, and the question is who did it. It's a lot more rare for that to be reversed."

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Postby Marina » Sun Jul 29, 2007 3:00 pm

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http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/loca ... 21038.html

Trust funds set up for girl Partially blinded as foster child

SEAN ROBINSON; The News Tribune Published: July 29th, 2007 01:00 AM




Two trust funds – one private, one public – are accepting donations on behalf of a South Sound area girl authorities say was partially blinded with hypodermic needles while in state-licensed foster care.
The News Tribune’s June 24 story about the case (“Torture: The state fails a young girl”) prompted an outpouring of sympathy from readers who wanted a way to send donations and gifts.

At first, the state Department of Social and Health Services balked, citing the difficulties of establishing a fund in the girl’s name while protecting her privacy.

Since then, they have found a way. At the same time, South Sound entrepreneur Robert J. Ott has established a fund for the girl’s welfare and kicked in $5,000 to start it.

Ott has something in common with the young woman. He is blind, thanks to an assault and shooting in 1990. The girl’s story reminded him of his own plight.

“It brought tears to my eyes,” he said recently. “Money is certainly not everything, but it is a tool in life that can assist. I hope she can find in her life what she has not experienced before – that is, warmth and love, closeness and security.”

State records show the girl, now 16, was abused for a decade and never removed from her foster home, despite numerous complaints to DSHS from teachers, neighbors and police.

She was rescued in 2006. Her foster mother, Chornice Lewis, has been charged with two counts of assault in King County Superior Court.

The two funds will function in different ways, but neither will interfere with state assistance the girl receives in her new foster home, according to DSHS and Ott.

After struggling with privacy concerns, the state decided to title the fund anonymously to avoid identifying the girl.

Ott said his attorney and a certified public accountant would manage the fund he started, which will be held in trust for the girl until she turns 18 and “ages out” of the foster care system. The money is intended for her education and future health care expenses.

Ott operates Certain Victory Food Services, which provides labor for food services at Fort Lewis.

He and his wife, Kimberly, have pledged to add $2,000 to the fund if the public matches the initial $5,000 stake. Another of Ott’s companies, Flowering Warrior Enterprises, has donated an additional $1,000.

“There’s only so much that the state can do and equipment that the state can buy to help,” said Brent Dille, Ott’s attorney. “We, as private citizens, can fund or purchase those things to make her life easier. The idea of this is to supplement, not replace the state.”

While Ott’s fund will sit in trust until the girl is 18, the state’s fund will allow immediate access, with some restrictions.

“The items purchased through the account will need to be approved by her social worker, a supervisor and someone outside the department, such as her attorney,” said Kathy Spears, DSHS spokeswoman.

Ott has another wish – he hopes to meet the girl.

Each year, he hosts a large Christmas party. He said he hopes the girl will come as a featured guest, and that her story promotes great accountability in state systems meant to protect children.

“I want people to see what it’s about,” Ott said. “I hope these systems can become stronger, better, protective and, of course, have better eyes. Even though I cannot see, I would have seen this problem a long time ago.”

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Postby Marina » Wed Aug 01, 2007 5:58 pm

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http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/k ... da37f.html

Astoria couple accused of duct-taping foster child

06:05 PM PDT on Tuesday, July 31, 2007

By PAT DOORIS, kgw.com Staff

Bill Roberts is furious over the way he says foster parents in Astoria treated his young son while the boy was in their care in September of 2006.

"The child was being duct-taped. And we brought him to the hospital and they found residue marks on his legs," Roberts said.

A Clatsop County Grand Jury indicted the foster parents, Ryan and Tiffany Erven, on five counts of criminal mistreatment in the first degree, tampering with a witness, assault in the fourth degree, and child neglect in the 2nd degree.

Roberts is reluctant to go into details, since the case is pending in court. But Bill Krismer, a close family friend, says Austin Roberts was duct taped in several locations.

"They found tape residue on the crib where they duct-taped him to the crib to try and get him to sleep,” said Krismer.

“They duct-taped him to his potty chair trying to teach him how to be potty trained I guess, putting a bucket over his head and taping him to the chair getting him to go to the bathroom."

Both the suspects pleaded not guilty.

They declined comment for this report, but their lawyer Eric Woodard spoke for them.

“My client’s position is they did not do anything illegal or inappropriate” said Woodard.

“They have done foster care and child care in their home for a number of years and a number of people in community were supportive and remain supportive of them” said Woodard.

Marietta Virgillo is a neighbor of the Ervens. She says children at the home seem healthy, happy and well cared for.

"She watches them very closely,” Virgillo said.

But Roberts is not convinced.

He admitted his children were taken from his home by the state because of a lack of supervision and a messy house.

But he said the state should do a better job of selecting foster parents.

He said his son is still suffering from their treatment.

"Austin, we can’t potty train him. He's scared to death of the toilet, obviously from what happened in the bathroom. We're working on that," Roberts said.

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Postby Marina » Wed Aug 01, 2007 6:00 pm

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http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida ... 85302.html

Miami-Dade police arrested Ian Garrick, 42, on charges he molested the now-11-year-old in 2006 -- and raped another girl, 8, in April.

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Postby Marina » Wed Aug 01, 2007 6:02 pm

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http://www.myfoxorlando.com/myfox/pages ... geId=3.2.1

Former Foster Parent Guilty of Molesting Boys

Last Edited: Tuesday, 31 Jul 2007, 8:16 PM EDT
Created: Tuesday, 31 Jul 2007, 8:16 PM EDT

DELAND, Fla. (AP) -- - The former president of a foster-parent
association was found guilty today of two counts of lewd or
lascivious molestation.

George Allen Goolde was sentenced yesterday to 25 years in
prison on each count, which will be served consecutively.

Prosecutors say Goolde fondled two young boys repeatedly over
the course of the year. Goolde admitted to touching the boys, but
said the boys wanted him to do it and that he did not do it to
satisfy any sexual desires.

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http://www.wftv.com/news/13791480/detai ... c&psp=news

Man On Trial For Molesting Kids Blames Alleged Victims

POSTED: 4:45 pm EDT July 31, 2007
UPDATED: 7:51 am EDT August 1, 2007


VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. -- A foster father on trial for molesting children said in court Tuesday that he kids are to blame. George Goolde's defense said the two young boys wanted it to happen. Late Tuesday afternoon, the jury found Goolde guilty.

The 62-year-old missionary, school teacher and foster parent could be headed to prison. Goolde said he was trying to establish a good relationship with a pair of boys who had emotional and behavioral issues.

The boy's story, which they first told a DCF investigator in November, was that Goolde's frequent bedtime backrubs inexplicably turned into something else.

"Did your father at any time put his hand inside your pants?" the prosecution asked one of the alleged victims Tuesday.

"Yes."

"Did he put his hand in the front of your pants or the back?"

"Front."

"Did he touch any of your body parts?"

"Yes."

The boys said it happened, a lot, although Goolde testified it was a total of maybe five times.

"I can tell you, categorically, there was nothing sexual in my mind. I've been sexually dead for six to seven years," Goolde said.

In fact, Goolde said the touching came as a total surprise, even to him. He testified that the boys placed his hands in the wrong place and he just never took his hands away to avoid angering the children.

Goolde could be facing life in prison. There is still one more case pending with similar allegations from two other children.

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Last edited by Marina on Wed Aug 01, 2007 7:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Marina
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Postby Marina » Wed Aug 01, 2007 6:53 pm

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http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld ... ?track=rss

Woman accused of abusing adopted NY children is formally charged

By BRIAN SKOLOFF | Associated Press Writer
7:22 PM EDT, August 1, 2007

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A woman accused of fraudulently adopting 11 New York children to bilk a child welfare agency out of $2 million was charged Wednesday with child and elderly abuse and other crimes.

Judith Leekin, 62, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., could face up to 190 years in prison if convicted on all 10 counts stemming from her alleged abuse of the children, including handcuffing them and holding them captive inside her home, said prosecutor Ajay Whittemore. He said more charges were likely.

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Postby Marina » Fri Aug 03, 2007 7:30 pm

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http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl ... 1/70802011

Murfreesboro man arrested for sexual relationship with foster daughter


Police arrested the 41-year-old foster father Wednesday night on suspicion of aggravated sexual battery and statutory rape...

The investigation is ongoing and more charges are pending.

The Daily News Journal does not identify the names of rape victims or the names of suspects when it could lead to the identification of the victim.

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Fri Aug 03, 2007 7:42 pm

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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/loc ... ?track=rss

CENTRAL FLORIDA

Mother charged with 10 felonies
Judith Leekin is accused of abusing 11 children and adults while being paid to care for them.

The Associated Press
August 2, 2007

WEST PALM BEACH - A Florida woman accused of fraudulently adopting 11 New York children to bilk a child-welfare agency out of $2 million was charged Wednesday with child and adult abuse and other crimes.

Judith Leekin, 62, of Port St. Lucie could face up to 190 years in prison if convicted on all 10 counts stemming from her alleged abuse of the children, including handcuffing them and holding them captive inside her home, prosecutor Ajay Whittemore said.

"It's definitely an evolving case. More evidence is coming in on a daily basis," Whittemore said. "We've just scratched the surface on this."



Since 2005, Leekin has owned a home in a Sanford subdivision called Celery Lakes. She spent occasional weekends at the house at 410 Fairfield Drive but generally kept to herself, neighbors said.

One neighbor, however, said she saw Leekin mistreat her children. Nita Tyree said she saw Leekin strike them on multiple occasions.

"She always had them working in the yard," Tyree said. "It was like they were her slaves or something. She had no problem hitting them in public, that's for sure."

Tyree's home is just a few yards from Leekin's.

The Seminole County Sheriff's Office, which handles child-abuse complaints in the county, has no record of criminal investigations at the address, said spokesman Lt. Dennis Lemma.

However, the Florida Department of Children & Families and Port St. Lucie police investigated an abuse report in 1999 at the Port St. Lucie house. The Palm Beach Post reported Wednesday that an initial investigation by DCF and a follow-up by Port St. Lucie police found no evidence of abuse.

DCF officials said Wednesday that Leekin has never been a foster parent in Florida.

Leekin faces four counts of aggravated child abuse, four counts of aggravated abuse of her adult children, and charges of witness tampering and possession of a fictitious drivers license, Whittemore said. All the charges are felonies.

Leekin remained jailed Wednesday with bail set at more than $4 million. Her attorney has said she would plead not guilty.

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Postby Marina » Fri Aug 03, 2007 7:53 pm

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http://www.fox11az.com/news/topstories/ ... f1b4c.html

Oregon couple accused of duct-taping foster child

11:42 AM MST on Wednesday, August 1, 2007

By PAT DOORIS, kgw.com Staff

Bill Roberts is furious over the way he says foster parents in Astoria treated his young son while the boy was in their care in September of 2006.

"The child was being duct-taped. And we brought him to the hospital and they found residue marks on his legs," Roberts said.

A Clatsop County Grand Jury indicted the foster parents, Ryan and Tiffany Erven, on five counts of criminal mistreatment in the first degree, tampering with a witness, assault in the fourth degree, and child neglect in the 2nd degree.

Roberts is reluctant to go into details, since the case is pending in court. But Bill Krismer, a close family friend, says Austin Roberts was duct taped in several locations.


"They found tape residue on the crib where they duct-taped him to the crib to try and get him to sleep,” said Krismer.

“They duct-taped him to his potty chair trying to teach him how to be potty trained I guess, putting a bucket over his head and taping him to the chair getting him to go to the bathroom."

Both the suspects pleaded not guilty.

They declined comment for this report, but their lawyer Eric Woodard spoke for them.

“My client’s position is they did not do anything illegal or inappropriate” said Woodard.

“They have done foster care and child care in their home for a number of years and a number of people in community were supportive and remain supportive of them” said Woodard.

Marietta Virgillo is a neighbor of the Ervens. She says children at the home seem healthy, happy and well cared for.

"She watches them very closely,” Virgillo said.

But Roberts is not convinced.

He admitted his children were taken from his home by the state because of a lack of supervision and a messy house.

But he said the state should do a better job of selecting foster parents.

He said his son is still suffering from their treatment.

"Austin, we can’t potty train him. He's scared to death of the toilet, obviously from what happened in the bathroom. We're working on that," Roberts said.

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