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Marina
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Postby Marina » Mon Dec 10, 2007 10:58 am

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http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/342 ... source=rss

Last updated December 7, 2007 9:17 p.m. PT

Abusive foster mother gets 14 years in prison

By JOHN IWASAKI
P-I REPORTER

KENT -- She stabbed her foster daughter's eyes with hypodermic needles, scorched her tongue with a stove-heated fork and dropped 10-pound weights on her feet.

Chornice Kabbelliyaa attributed her horrific behavior to severe mental illness, childhood sexual abuse and depression.

Her longtime victim -- Kabbelliyaa's cousin -- forgave her in court Friday, even as she pointed out that her relative, in custody for nearly two years, was "locked up and shackled -- exactly how I felt, once upon a time."

Judge James Cayce sentenced Kabbelliyaa to 14 years in prison Friday during a hearing at the Regional Justice Center in Kent, saying he doubted the mental assessment of the former foster parent conducted at Western State Hospital.

He noted that Kabbelliyaa, 34, who also goes by the last name of Lewis, had not committed similar atrocities on her own children and supposedly had not been found mentally unstable until she was incarcerated.

In September, Kabbelliyaa pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree assault and two counts of second-degree assault.

Kabbelliyaa repeatedly offered her "deepest apologies" and said she was "not making excuses."

Her victim, whose words were read in court, accused her cousin of greed and said "the state was so blind to your deceit."

A state review of the case released earlier this year found "a system breakdown involving all stakeholders" -- the Department of Social and Health Services, the court system, the court-appointed special advocate program and service providers.

Because Kabbelliyaa said she was related to the victim, DSHS and others involved gave less oversight to the case and offered less protection to the girl. School authorities reported concerns about the girl's injuries and said her explanations and stories seemed scripted.

The girl felt that "what would happen at home would only get worse" if she spoke out, a prosecutor said in court.

But DSHS workers often gave the foster parent, described as combative and intimidating, the benefit of the doubt in investigating complaints, holding her less accountable than a non-relative caregiver.

The girl was not removed from Kabbelliyaa's apartment until January 2006. She had lost vision in her right eye and had puncture wounds in her left eye caused by hypodermic needles used to treat Kabbelliyaa's mother's diabetes.

Court documents also say that Kabbelliyaa heated forks on a stove and stuck them in the girl's mouth. Kabbelliyaa insisted to social workers and others that it was the girl who was out of control, not her. The girl and her three siblings had become dependents of the state in 1996 after their mother allegedly abused, neglected and exploited some of them. They were then placed with Kabbelliyaa. By 2000, a pattern of allegations of abuse, neglect and licensing violations emerged against Kabbelliyaa, though DSHS repeatedly relicensed her foster home.

The state review listed 26 recommendations for DSHS and other parties as a result of shortcomings in the case, such as requiring documented verification of information provided by caregivers, including claims of blood relationships; training on working with difficult clients; regular school visits; and comprehensive medical examinations of foster children within 30 days of placement, with consistent follow-up care by the same physician.

Many of the recommendations were already under consideration before the review, said Sharon Gilbert, deputy director of field operations in Children's Administration in DSHS.

"One of the things we recognized was we definitely didn't do some of the things we needed to be done," she said. "One of the things that stood out was (a) pattern (of abuse and neglect) recognition. We relied heavily on child interviews. Children don't always tell us what's happening."

The training social workers have received should "cause them to be more skeptical if they're getting different stories from children or caregivers," Gilbert said.

The agency previously had foster home licensors conduct investigations of homes for licensing violations, such as when a caregiver moves out of state without telling DSHS, as occurred in the Kabbelliyaa case. Now Child Protective Service investigators will look into those licensing violations, as well as allegations of abuse and neglect, Gilbert said.

No disciplinary action was taken against DSHS employees in the case, spokeswoman Karen Lee said.

She said one worker involved in the case retired in 2004 and another, a foster home licensor, was retrained.

P-I reporter John Iwasaki can be reached at 206-448-8096 or [email protected] .


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Marina
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Postby Marina » Wed Dec 12, 2007 2:01 pm

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http://www.wivb.com/global/story.asp?s=7475700

Darien Foster Mother Scheduled To Be Sentenced in Genesee County Court

Updated: Dec 10, 2007 04:46 PM EST


(Batavia, NY, December 10, 2007) - - A Genesee County foster mother learned her fate today, for raping a 13-year-old boy in her care.

A Genesee County Judge sentenced 44-year-old Deborah Knauber to one to three years in jail for the conviction.

Knauber's husband says she will appeal.

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Postby Marina » Mon Dec 31, 2007 5:20 pm

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http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a ... /712210497

7:38 AM December 21, 2007


Girl impregnated, foster dad sentenced



Associated Press

NEW CASTLE, Ind. -- A foster father who pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct after he impregnated a 15-year-old girl who been placed in his home was sentenced to five years of probation.


Darrin K. Reid, 37, will spend three of those years on electronic monitoring under terms of the plea agreement approved this week by Henry Circuit Judge Mary Willis.
Willis said Reid, who is blind, was not well-suited to spend time in an Indiana prison. But he also received a suspended prison sentence of 12 years -- time that he could be ordered to serve if he violates terms of his probation, which include strict limits on contact with children under age 16.
"Just the thought of going through this again scares me to no end," said Reid, a former New Castle resident who now lives in Indianapolis. There was no telephone number under his name in published listings and he could not be reached for additional comment. The Associated Press left a phone message seeking comment at the office of his attorney, B. Joseph Davis of Muncie.
The girl, who was placed in Reid's home in January 2006, told her caseworker that she and Reid had had sex several times and that a hospital test had confirmed she was pregnant. The state removed her from the home in August 2006.
The girl also told a Henry County sheriff's detective that she and Reid had sex several times.
Prosecutor Kit Crane said the plea agreement was affected by a defense motion to dismiss the case on the grounds that Reid was being denied his constitutional right to a speedy trial.
"We had some concern with regard to some of the evidence we had to work with on the case," he added. "This disposition avoids the necessity of having the victim testify."
Reid was licensed as a state foster parent from June 2004 until his license was revoked last year, the Indiana Department of Child Services has said.

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:36 pm

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http://www.wesh.com/news/15257591/detai ... l&psp=news

Father Accused Of Sexually Abusing Adopted Son

POSTED: 6:28 pm EST February 8, 2008
UPDATED: 7:11 pm EST February 8, 2008


ORLANDO, Fla.

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Postby Marina » Sat Feb 16, 2008 10:01 am

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http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/stories/ ... 3.html?npc

Licensed foster mom allegedly had sex with teen

08:14 PM EST on Friday, February 15, 2008

By MARIO ROLDAN / WCNC
E-mail Mario: [email protected]






A look at the rules for foster parents HICKORY, N.C. -- A young foster mother, licensed in Catawba County, confesses she had a sexual relationship with her 15-year-old foster son. It immediately made us wonder: how does something like this happen?

"She cried some and told me she knew it was wrong what they were doing," said Sgt. Bill Hamby of the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office.

Wendy Mathena, 25, told investigators of a nearly yearlong sexual relationship with her foster son. She’s charged with 19 felony counts including statutory rape of a minor.

"My responsibility is to supervise the families that we have licensed as a county," said Angela Williams, social work supervisor with Iredell County Social Services.

Iredell County did not license Mathena but Williams agreed to share her 16 years experience dealing with foster care rules.

"A lot of people don't want to work with older children so if you have someone who has the desire to work with the teenage population, that's going to be a plus,” Williams said.

Mathena earned her foster parent license the year she turned 21 years old, the youngest possible age. It's legal for a 21-year-old to care for anyone as old as 18.

"Look at your abilities, your desire and willingness to work with that particular age group. Yes," added Williams.

A caseworker is assigned to check each foster home. State rules require only two visits per year.

“Those are minimal standards,” Williams added. “That doesn’t mean that each agency and or county cannot go in and out of the home more often.”

Social services in Catawba County couldn't tell us how many times they visited the Mathena residence. We wondered if they visited after Mathena separated from her husband, during which the alleged sexual relationship was going on.

“It is a partnership but a lot of the responsibility also is for that foster parent to be honest,” said Williams.

The ongoing assessment process of a foster parent calls for "emotional stability and maturity."

“How are things going at home? All of that is on an open checklist that is reviewed in every contact in the home with the family."

Mathena remains in jail under $105,000 bond.

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Postby Marina » Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:04 am

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http://www.pe.com/localnews/menifee/sto ... 2.html?npc

Woman: Girl never made abuse allegations to her


11:47 PM PDT on Tuesday, March 18, 2008

By TAMMY McCOY
The Press-Enterprise

The wife of a Menifee man charged with sexually assaulting one of their foster daughters testified Tuesday that the 9-year-old girl never came to her with abuse allegations.

Defense attorney Douglas Gilliland asked Wendy Billock if the girl ever approached her to talk and seemed upset.

"No," she answered. "If that happened, I'd stop and ask ... what was going on."

The girl told police she tried to talk to Wendy Billock about the sexual abuse but the woman was too busy, Gilliland said.

Wendy Billock's testimony came near the close of Joseph P. Billock's trial at the Southwest Justice Center. Joseph Billock, 50, is charged with two counts of sexually assaulting the 9-year-old girl in her bedroom while she lived with the Billocks for less than two months in 2005. He faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted.

The Press-Enterprise does not publish the names of minors who are alleged victims of sexual assault.

The child and Wendy Billock gave similar descriptions when describing specific aspects of Joseph Billock's anatomy.

Wendy Billock said she met her husband of 18 years while they attended Point Loma Nazarene University. They became foster parents in 2000, after she had two miscarriages.

Wendy Billock said in fall of 2005 their foster children were alone with Joseph Billock on Thursday nights when she had classes at Loma Linda University.

Earlier in the trial, the girl testified the sexual assaults never occurred on Thursday, Gilliland said. During cross-examination, prosecutor Burke Strunsky asked Wendy Billock if Thursday evenings were the only time that the girl was alone with Joseph Billock.

In the 46 days that she lived with you, were there times when your husband and the girl were out of your sight? Strunsky asked Wendy Billock.

Of course, she replied. Joseph Billock took the girl to her doctor's appointments and to visit her aunt, she said.

The girl lived with the Billocks and other foster children from about Oct. 11, 2005, to Nov. 16, 2005, when she went to live with her maternal aunt, Wendy Billock testified.

This girl was taken from her biological mother, who had a substance-abuse problem, the child's aunt testified earlier in the trial.

Social worker Kari Crittenden, who works for a private foster care agency, testified that the girl never complained about living with the Billocks.

Crittenden, who works for Rancho Jireh Foster Care, giggled frequently during her testimony.

She said she met with the girl once a week while the child was placed with the Billocks.

"What's the purpose of meeting with a child?" Gilliland asked.

"Purpose," Crittenden said. "Our contract says we will meet with them once a week."

Strunsky asked Crittenden if the allegations against Joseph Billock made the company she worked for look bad.

"These are just allegations," Crittenden said. "At this point it doesn't reflect badly."

Crittenden said that the Billocks are no longer certified foster parents with her agency.

The trial is scheduled to resume today at the Southwest Justice Center in French Valley.

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Postby Marina » Tue Apr 08, 2008 3:39 pm

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http://www.wlwt.com/news/15826265/detai ... n&psp=news

Foster Father Sentenced To Prison For Sexual Abuse

POSTED: 2:35 pm EDT April 8, 2008
UPDATED: 2:54 pm EDT April 8, 2008


CINCINNATI -- A Clermont County foster father has been sentenced to five years in prison for sexually abusing two boys in his care.

Jaysen Bell's foster children asked that he receive the maximum sentence allowed by law.

He will also have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.


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Postby Marina » Sat Apr 12, 2008 7:37 pm

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http://cbs4.com/local/Foster.Home.Rape.2.635443.html

DCF Failed To Protect Kids Raped In Foster Home
Politician Wants To Reform DCF's Foster Care

Reporting
Gary Nelson MIAMI (CBS4) ―

Florida's Department of Children and Families is out with a report that confirms what CBS4 News reported last July. A man named Ian Garrick, who was charged with raping a 10-year old child in a North Miami-Dade foster home, was allowed to remain in the home, even after DCF learned of the first case of alleged abuse and he went on to allegedly abuse another child.

As CBS4 News was first to reveal, Ian Garrick was the boyfriend of Cynthia Matthias, the foster mother at the home. He was allowed to move into the home in March of 2007, even though DCF knew he had been accused of molesting a 10-year-old girl at the home the year before. Police say he went on to rape an eight-year-old child also living at the home.

The new DCF report, obtained by CBS4 News, concludes that the agency failed miserably in overseeing the foster home.

Early on, investigators took Ian Garrick's word that he'd done nothing wrong. The report states, "The interview with the alleged perpetrator consisted only of a brief telephone conversation with him, denying the sexual abuse allegation."

The complaint wasn't referred to police. As a matter of fact, numerous complaints of abuse at this home went unreported by DCF investigators. "Required notifications to law enforcement, the State Attorney and others were either late or not completed at all," states the report.

When two more children accused Ian Garrick of raping them last year, the report states that child protection investigators didn't protect anybody. "There was no sense of urgency; the foster children remained in the home for days with the potential of being further abused."

Alan Abramowitz, DCF's new regional administrator in Miami told CBS4's Gary Nelson that changes will be made. "It's as serious as you can get. I think we have a specific duty to foster children."

Abramowitz has only been on the job for a week but he promises a complete overhaul of how the agency responds to foster home complaints.

To improve the licensing and oversight of foster homes, Abramowitz is creating a specialized unit within his investigations staff with expertise in identifying the maltreatment of kids living in private or state-run institutions.

At least one state lawmaker wants the legislature to hold hearings.

"The more people looking at this, the more people watching the people in charge, the more who are watching the people who have custody of these children, the more oversight you have, the better chance you have of preventing this," said Rep. Dan Gelber via telephone from Tallahassee.

Ian Garrick remains jailed awaiting trial.

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Postby Marina » Fri May 09, 2008 3:39 pm

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http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005120623

Friday, May 9, 2008



State left foster children in dubious situation

Girls kept in home three months after sex allegations surface


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By TERRY SMITH
Express Staff Writer

Brian Jake Adamson Jordan James Surerus



The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare left two teenage girls, ages 13 and 15, in the foster care of a Carey family for more than three months after allegations arose that the girls were having sex with older boys and men in the community.

Criminal charges were ultimately filed against two Carey men, one of them a son of the foster parents, for allegedly having sexual intercourse with the 13-year-old girl.

The girls were in the care of Craig and Betty Adamson at the time the alleged sexual encounters occurred. Craig Adamson is a Carey city councilman.

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare's Child Protection-Foster Care offices in Bellevue and Twin Falls were notified of the allegations in early November when Betty Adamson reported possible sexual involvement by the girls to the Blaine County Sheriff's Office.

Both girls remained in the Adamson home until February. The younger girl was removed from the home in early February and the older girl toward the end of the month. Neither girl is now living in the Carey area. Blaine County court records suggest the older girl is in Caldwell.

It's not clear whether the state agency investigated or evaluated the situation because the department declined to discuss specifics of the case with the Idaho Mountain Express.

"Typically, we work with families in these situations to try to address the problem and get them the services they need to address the behaviors," said Tom Shanahan, a Health and Welfare spokesman in Boise.

"Many of the kids that we get into foster care have been abused and many of them act out sexually," he said. "The problem, in all honesty, often moves into a foster home. Moving them out just moves the problem.

"These situations are really tough. They have been emotionally traumatized. They're going to need a lot of help. We try to limit the number of moves."

Shanahan said the Adamsons' foster care license has been placed on hold pending resolution of the criminal case against their son.

"We're not making any placements with them right now," he said,



Payments to foster parents vary, but Shanahan said the Adamsons received $413 per month per child when the girls were under their care.

"As you can surmise, this is not a money-making endeavor," he said. "People become foster parents because they want to help a child who has been abused or neglected and need both a home and help. The $431 probably does not cover all of their expenses."

Betty Adamson told the Express on Wednesday that the older girl had been in the Adamsons' home since May 2007 and the younger girl was placed in their home last September.

She said the situation with the girls was the first time she and her husband have had problems involving foster children.

"We were foster parents for four years and had 14 children under our care," Betty Adamson said.

The Adamsons' son, 20-year-old Brian Jake Adamson, has been charged with rape in Blaine County 5th District Court for allegedly having sexual intercourse with the 13-year-girl in his parents' home on Oct. 19 following a Carey High School football game. A sheriff's office probable cause affidavit filed in the case alleges that both Adamson and the girl were intoxicated at the time.

Brian Adamson has been ordered by Blaine County Magistrate Court to stand trial on the charge. His arraignment in district court is scheduled for May 19. Adamson, who court records say is a student at College of Southern Idaho, is free on $5,000 bond.

Also prosecuted for allegedly having sex with the same girl was Jordan James Surerus, an 18-year-old Carey High School senior. Court records, which suggest that Surerus was in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship with the girl, allege that the sex occurred on Oct. 30.

A criminal complaint charging Surerus with rape was filed by the Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney's Office on Dec. 18. Surerus pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of misdemeanor battery and was sentenced on Feb. 5 to 29 days in jail.

A case involving the 15-year-old girl was investigated at about the same time as the Surerus case. That case involved allegations that the girl was having sex with a 17-year-old Carey boy, also in a boyfriend-girlfriend situation. An investigative report was filed by the sheriff's office but the prosecutor's office declined to file charges against the boy.

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Postby Marina » Fri Aug 15, 2008 7:06 pm

http://www.wyff4.com/news/17092460/deta ... s&psp=news

Foster Parent Sentenced For Abusing 5 Children
Duncan Man Gets 17-Year Sentence

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Postby Marina » Sat Sep 27, 2008 7:49 am

http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2008/ ... gthold.txt

Former Foster Dad Gets 40 Years for Molesting Boys

Last updated Tuesday, September 16, 2008 9:35 PM CDT in News
By Robin Mero
THE MORNING NEWS


In the fall of 2006, when teenage boys began complaining about their foster dad, Brian Bergthold, caseworkers were conflicted about whom to believe.

Bergthold seemed an ideal foster parent. He owned a home and two cars, said he didn't drink alcohol, and told case workers he was "led by God" to be a foster parent.

Even as caseworkers' trust in him began to unravel, Bergthold reinforced his image, according to court documents released Tuesday when Bergthold pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two of his foster sons. A circuit judge added 40 years to a 70-year federal prison sentence he received in August for producing child pornography.

After three boys fled his home in November 2006 and told a neighbor and police he abused them, Bergthold wrote the Department of Health and Human Services the boys were simply retaliating for being disciplined.

Bergthold's three-page e-mail said the boys apologized for lying. The department believed him and left those boys placed in the brick home on a quiet Bella Vista cul-de-sac.

"Sincere thanks to ... those who stood by my side and reaffirmed my God-given capability to effectively operate a household of teenage boys in transition," Bergthold finished his e-mail.


In mid-December 2006, a boy reported at school Bergthold fondled him. Staff from the Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children Division and Department of Health and Human Services wrote the claim was "unsubstantiated" after interviewing the boy in Bergthold's home.

The boy didn't seem credible, and Bergthold denied the touching. Still, a worker ended her report with a lingering thought: "If this is true, Brian is a perfect pedophile."

Bergthold wrote in his spring 2005 application to be an Arkansas foster parent his health was good, his parents were loving Christians, his hobbies were camping and going to the lake. He was active in the Bella Vista Baptist Church, had a yellow lab, "Jocko," and no history of mental health issues, he reported. His only apparent vice was smoking cigarettes, but he was trying to quit.

The worker who assessed his home in June 2005 noted Bergthold installed keyless, fingerprint locks on exterior doors of his home and his bedroom.

Bergthold's employment seemed steady. He was self-employed as president of Documents Online Inc. He was a technical writer, producing instructional videos and manuals for electronic companies. He worked from home.

His home was officially approved July 12, 2005.

"Brian's home would be well suited to the needs of pre-adolescent teenage boys," the worker opined. "He is very even tempered, patient and caring."

Little more than a year later, stories told by some of the 30 boys placed in Bergthold's home described him differently. Bergthold often yelled and cursed, threw metal chairs, suitcases and hangers at them, and served drinks with alcohol, they claimed.

A 16-year-old foster boy told police Feb. 9, 2007, that Bergthold gave him and two other boys whiskey and asked two of the boys to sleep with him.

Bella Vista Sheriff's Investigator Barb Shrum was first to take definitive action on the boy's claims, obtaining a search warrant for the home. Police found pornographic images of boys on computers and videotapes, and three boys were removed from the home. In one video, Bergthold is shown performing oral sex on boys.

Altogether, police seized more than 170 videotapes, 12 computers and hundreds of other media storage devices, such as external hard drives and CDs.

Names of the victims are redacted throughout the file, by order of Circuit Judge Jay Finch, who hears the district's juvenile cases.

Investigators also learned of at least two more out of state victims. A boy in Oregon claimed Bergthold maintained a long-term sexual relationship with him, before Bergthold moved to Arkansas -- where his father was raised -- in about 2002. Bergthold filmed the boy having sex with an underage girl, and those charges were folded into the federal case here.

Bergthold, now 46, will die in prison. His 70-year federal sentence ensures this, because it doesn't allow parole.

The sentence handed down Tuesday in Benton County Circuit Court is largely symbolic. It won't add prison time but ensures the children's' stories were told in court, said Stephanie McLemore, deputy prosecutor.

Officials from the Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children Division and the Department of Children and Family Services will face scrutiny today during a public hearing before state Legislative committees. Shrum, U.S. Attorney Bob Balfe, and Beverly Engle, director of the Children's Advocacy Center in Benton County, are to testify in Little Rock.

Balfe said he was appalled by the two departments' decision to interview the foster child in December 2006 at Bergthold's home, rather than the advocacy center, where staff are specially trained and the environment is favorable to children.

"If people aren't outraged, I don't know how much worse it can get," Balfe said of Bergthold's actions and the state's inaction. "If they'd just followed procedures that had been in place for years, Barb Shrum could have gotten warrants and ended this months earlier."

Bergthold said little in court Tuesday, other than to admit allegations were true.

"Society does not have help for someone with my problem," he said during sentencing in federal court in August.

Defense attorney Drew Miller said his client acted quickly after arrest to admit allegations.

"There's good and bad in all of us, and obviously the bad in him is something we don't tolerate as a society," Miller said. "But for a long period of time, 2000 to 2006, he had no incidents of misconduct. He was alone for a long time and trying to make good decisions."

Miller said his client, who appeared drawn and thin in Thursday's hearing, still has spiritual goals for his life. He will be transferred in about a week to a federal prison in Tuscon, Ariz. The government seized his home. He chose not to appeal his lengthy federal sentence, though "he had hoped he'd see the light of day again."

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Postby Marina » Wed Oct 08, 2008 6:31 pm

http://www.journalstar.com/news/local/d ... 048920.txt

Ex-foster mom goes to prison for sex assault

By LORI PILGER / Lincoln Journal Star
Wednesday, Oct 08, 2008 - 05:01:45 pm CDT

An ex-foster mother got harsh words, and then a prison sentence Wednesday at her sentencing for a sexual relationship with her foster son.

In an effort to protect the victim’s identity, the Journal Star has chosen not to identify the woman.

In a Lancaster County District courtroom Wednesday afternoon, District Judge Robert Otte told the 38-year-old that what she did had tarnished the reputation of foster care.



“I think there has to be a clear message that you just can’t do this kind of thing,” Otte said.

The foster boy lived with the woman and her husband off-and-on between 2002 and 2006.

That fall, he first made his allegations that they had a sexual relationship. When police questioned the woman, she denied it.

In February, the boy came back to police with text messages she’d sent him that implied she wanted to have sexual contact with him, and he also gave them the recordings.

On June 1, 2007, police arrested her.

In court Wednesday afternoon, her attorney, Kirk Naylor, said he understood the legitimate need to prevent foster care providers from having sex with a foster child, “consensual or otherwise.”

But said: “These cases come in all sizes and shapes.”

Sometimes there’s more to cases that appear to involve sheer victimization, Naylor said.

The teenager was “very sophisticated” in this case and expressed sexual aggressiveness well before he was placed in his client’s foster home, he said.

He said his client was in counseling and a low risk to reoffend.

Then she spoke for herself.

“I’m so sorry for the situation I find myself here for,” she told the judge.

She said it didn’t represent the life she’s led. She asked for probation.

Deputy County Attorney Matt Acton said, despite what Naylor and his client say about the victim, two things can’t be denied: He was a protected person placed in her care, and she looked at him as a child.

“And look what happened,” he said. “She had sexual contact with him.”

Acton argued probation wasn’t appropriate for the charge — second-degree sexual abuse of a protected person.

The judge agreed. “(She) was the sophisticated one here... She was placed in a position of trust of a child that already was vulnerable,” Otte said.

He said probation wouldn’t be appropriate, despite her lack of criminal record and letters of support from her family and friends.

Then Otte sentenced her to 20 months to five years in prison. A deputy put her in handcuffs, then led her away. She’ll need to serve 10 months before she’s eligible for parole.

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Postby Marina » Wed Oct 08, 2008 6:46 pm

http://www.pe.com/localnews/rivcounty/s ... 4.html?npc

Former foster child testifies against minister in Menifee sex case


10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Tammy J. McCoy The Press-Enterprise

A 17-year-old boy reluctantly testified Tuesday that his former foster father tried to molest him months before the Menifee minister was charged with raping a 9-year-old foster daughter.

The teenager initially denied that defendant Joseph Billock tried to touch his genitals at any point during the five years he lived at the Billock's San Diego County home.

Billock, 51, is on trial charged with child rape of his former foster daughter who lived at his Menifee home in 2005.

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Postby Marina » Sun Oct 12, 2008 9:00 pm

http://deseretnews.com/article/0,5143,700265306,00.html

Foster father gets jail time for child abuse
By Sara Israelsen-Hartley
Deseret News
Published: Friday, Oct. 10, 2008 12:59 a.m. MDT


PROVO — He says he accidentally dropped their 1-year-old foster child, Andrew, while playing a game. His ex-wife says she doesn't believe that story but wasn't there to see what really happened.
"This case is a demonstration of how judges are put in situations of having to impose sentences and pass judgments ... based upon conflicting input," 4th District Court Judge Gary Stott said. "It's hard to know where the truth really falls, but ... the one truth is that a little boy was severely injured as a result of conduct with Mr. Hadlock. What that conduct was, I don't know."

Ryan James Hadlock, 36, was sentenced to 100 days in the Utah County Jail for two class A misdemeanors of child abuse after he pleaded guilty to injuring the boy.

Hadlock's attorney, Gary Weight, said that Hadlock had been tossing Andrew up high, nearly to his home's 9-foot ceilings, and that once on the way down, Hadlock didn't catch Andrew and he fell to the floor.

"The child was OK for two or three days after that, he was watched by my client, then he went into a state of unconsciousness, then medical help was called," Weight said.

There was some disagreement between doctors about whether a drop like that could cause bleeding on the brain, or if there had been abuse, prosecutor Donna Kelly said. Because of that, Kelly agreed to reduce what were felony charges to the misdemeanors if Hadlock would plead guilty.



He also pleaded guilty to a second charge of child abuse from an older fracture on Andrew's leg, Kelly said.
"I feel like the recommendation is just too lenient," Kelly said of the 20-day recommendation from Adult Probation and Parole. "It also does a disservice to Mr. Hadlock. He needs to recognize that what he did was not just a little rough play, it was a crime. Apparently he will not realize that until he's in the Utah County Jail."

Ex-wife Gaylyne Hadlock said she wanted Hadlock to take anger management classes for his temper and violent tendencies and also said she is concerned about the 5-year-old child they have together.

The Hadlocks had been foster parents for just over three months when the incident occurred and Andrew was taken from the home, Gaylyne Hadlock said. She later filed for divorce.

They had originally planned to adopt the little boy, but now Andrew has been adopted by a family out of state and is doing well, despite a few health issues, Gaylyne Hadlock said.

"All I could ask for is that he's in a good place, he's happy, he's well taken care of," she said. "Every child deserves love. Every child deserves safety."

Andrew had surgery on his eyes, which don't focus correctly, and he hasn't started talking, like a normal nearly 3-year-old child should, Kelly said. They're not sure yet what mental damage Andrew may have.

"My client has accepted full responsibility," Weight said. "This is a charge that involves negligent conduct. That's what he admitted, what he does admit. He is very remorseful, sorry to have caused (pain) to that child."

Along with the jail time, Hadlock was ordered to spend two years on probation and complete any anger management or counseling recommended by Adult Probation and Parole.

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Postby Marina » Sun Oct 12, 2008 9:03 pm

http://www.summitdaily.com/article/2008 ... 8/-1/rss02

Woman pleads not guilty due to insanity



BY WILL BUBLITZ
Ski-Hi News

A Grand Lake woman has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the death of a foster child last January.

...

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Postby Marina » Sat Nov 01, 2008 4:58 am

http://www.whptv.com/news/state/story.a ... a4d&rss=51

Crews search for 20-month old toddler in Pa. woods

Last Update: 10/20 9:02 am



WATER STREET, Pa. (AP) - State police and volunteer crews are searching for a 20-month old boy who wandered away from his foster parents' home and may be lost in wooded central Pennsylvania.

State police say little Donavin Miller of the tiny town of Water Street in Huntingdon County was last seen outside his house about 5:30 p.m. Sunday by his foster mother.

The boy was last seen playing outside. Police say his foster parents looked in a nearby cornfield but couldn't find the boy.

Police called off the search about 1:30 a.m. Monday but it resumed at daybreak. State police are using a helicopter and blood hound to look for the boy.

...



http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/l ... 11201.html

Published: October 20, 2008 11:12 am

UPDATE – 20-month-old boy found after night in woods

Associated Press

WATER STREET — Rescue crews have found a 20-month-old boy who wandered away from his foster parents’ home in Huntingdon County.

Donavin Miller was found at about 1:40 p.m. off a rural road less than a mile in Water Street, a tiny village east of Altoona.

The boy had last been seen at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday by his foster mother. He was playing outside the home and was gone when his mother checked on him a few minutes later.

The boy is being taken to Tyrone Hospital. There is no word yet on his condition or any details about how he wandered away from his home.



http://www.wjactv.com/news/17780317/det ... n&psp=news

No Charges To Be Filed After Toddler Wandered Off
Wednesday, October 22, 2008 – updated: 3:22 pm EDT October 22, 2008

A toddler who was missing for nearly a day after he wandered off is no longer with his foster family, but police said no charges will be filed.

Donavin Miller, who is 20 months old, was playing in his Huntingdon County driveway Sunday when his foster mother said he disappeared. He was found the next day, unharmed, crying in a cornfield about a mile from his home.

The foster mother, Naomi Martin, said she had the door propped open and was going in and out of the home hanging up laundry. She said the boy was in her sight and had never wandered away from his toys before.

When she came back outside, the boy was gone.

The district attorney said the only charge that could be filed would be child endangerment. However, he said he combed through the details with state police and determined that all facts point to an accident.

Whether the boy will return to his foster family, stay with his biological parents or go somewhere else is up to Children and Youth Services, investigators said.



http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/l ... 93536.html

New – County removes toddler from home

HUNTINGDON — A central Pennsylvania prosecutor says the foster parents of a 20-month old boy who wandered away from home overnight won’t face criminal charges.

But Blair County Children and Youth Services has removed the boy and his older brother from the foster home of Naomi and Luke Martin, who live in Water Street, a tiny village in neighboring Huntingdon County.

The boy, Donavin Miller, was outside playing when he wandered from home Sunday evening. He was found the next afternoon in a nearby cornfield.

Huntingdon County District Attorney George Zanic says no charges will be filed because the Martins didn’t intentionally do anything to endanger the boy.

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Postby Marina » Sat Nov 08, 2008 7:45 pm

http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stor ... 7.html?npc

Sheriff's Captain and wife charged with child abuse



12:09 PM PST on Tuesday, November 4, 2008

By TAMMY McCOY
The Press-Enterprise

A Riverside County Sheriff's Captain and his wife have been charged with abusing her adopted teen-age daughter, according to court records.

Prosecutors on Monday filed charges against Christine Nordstrom, 41, with child abuse and one count of false imprisonment while David Nordstrom, 58, is charged with child abuse and failure to report child abuse, according to court records and Ryan Hightower, spokesman for the Riverside County District Attorney's office.

Christine Nordstrom is a civilian employee of the department, the records show. The teenage girl told authorities Christine Nordstrom punched her in the face as David Nordstrom watched without intervening, according to court records.

A witness told authorities Christine Nordstrom handcuffed her daughter then punched her in the face, according to court records.

...

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Postby Marina » Sat Nov 22, 2008 9:28 pm

http://www.news-press.com/article/20081 ... 1002/RSS01

Ex-foster father gets 10 years in assault on 16-year-old
By Janine Zeitlin • [email protected] • October 27, 2008

A former foster father was sentenced to 10 years behind bars in a Lee County
court Monday for sexually abusing his 16-year-old foster daughter.

Robert Jackson, 58, was arrested in January 2006 after his wife, Janie,
called the police after finding him without clothes on, atop their foster
daughter, then 16, having sex in their San Carlos Park Home, reports say.


Jackson was released four months later after posting bail.

At the sentencing, Jackson expressed remorse.

“I regret my actions and I know I need to stand in judgement against them,”
he said, but added there was a “great distortion of the truth on this.”

Judge Mark Steinbeck also sentenced him to 20 years of sex offender
probation.

The young woman, now 19 and a nursing student, said she was confused during
the time the sexual activity.

“I didn’t know how to stop what was happening,” she said.

After the sentencing, the woman, her eyes teary, added: “I’m glad it’s over
with.”

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Postby Marina » Sat Nov 22, 2008 9:30 pm

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/k ... 4.html?npc

Foster mom busted drying pot in 13-year-old's bedroom

05:13 PM PDT on Tuesday, October 28, 2008

By ERIC ADAMS, kgw.com Staff

PORTLAND -- Multnomah County detectives report a substantial illegal marijuana bust in southeast Portland following an anonymous tip.

...

A 13-year-old child, whose bedroom was being used for drying the pot, has not yet been located by authorities.

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Postby Marina » Sat Nov 22, 2008 9:35 pm

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ss ... foste.html

State investigated foster mom before pot bust
by Michelle Cole, The Oregonian
Wednesday October 29, 2008, 3:57 PM


Officers said they found 11 pounds of marijuana in a 13-year-old's bedroom, drying on lines strung about the room.
The foster mom found with 11 pounds of marijuana in her Portland home was warned by the state in June to keep her adult children away from the house or she would lose her foster care certification.

...

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Postby Marina » Tue Nov 25, 2008 5:28 pm

http://www.oxfordpress.com/news/content ... erweb.html

Warren County

Foster mom who had sex with teen sentenced to prison
By Marie Rossiter

Staff Writer

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

LEBANON — A former foster home worker has been declared a sexual predator and sentenced Wednesday, Nov. 5 to three years in prison for having sex with a boy in her care.

Carolyn Hatcher, 26, of Pleasant Plain, was sentenced today in a Warren County Court of Common Pleas to serve one year for each of three counts of sexual battery. She pleaded guilty in September.

...

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Postby Marina » Tue Nov 25, 2008 5:40 pm

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/loca ... ovider=rss

Foster Child Sexually Abused in Foster Home
Posted By: Jackelyn Barnard Created: 11/12/2008 6:14:19 PM Updated: 11/13/2008 4:07:47 PM



JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Behind the walls of a home on the Southside of Jacksonville was an attack so brutal it has changed a little boy's life forever.

We'll call the ten year old Chris. Once an A/B student, Chris is now failing.

Once a happy child, "He duct taped on the wall 'I hate everyone' the other day." Because of what happened to her son, we are not identifying her or her child. She asked us to call her Anne.

Anne says back in March, the Department of Children and Families took Chris away from her. There was a report of abuse. Days later, that report of abuse was proven to be false. The person who made the false allegation went to jail.

Meanwhile, Chris stayed in foster care until the false report mess was cleared up in the court system. The DCF says it returned Chris to his mother one week after police made an arrest in the case.

Anne says she remember clearly that first phone call from her son in his foster home. "He called me and I knew something was wrong. I thought it was because he was taken."

It would take Anne months to piece together the puzzle of what was wrong with her son. "It was like an alien. He was angry, mad like he hated the whole world. So, I took him to the doctor."

Anne showed us records of doctor's reports and medicine her son has been prescribed to help him.

But it wasn't until one day on the way to summer camp, her son finally opened up about what happened in that home on the Southside of Jacksonville.

"They (DCF) took him from me, where he was safe and put him in a home where he was raped by two boys." Anne called the police and the DCF abuse hotline.

"Four days later an arrest was made of two boys, one 14 and one 17," says Anne. Two sons who belong to Leticia Rodriguez, who was Chris' foster mother.

"I don't know what happened. I can't say one thing or the other," Rodriguez told First Coast News.

Rodriguez says Chris had his own room and she did not sense anything wrong while he was here.

Court records show Rodriguez's 14 and 17 year old boys were arrested and charged in August with ten counts of sexual battery.

Just two weeks ago, on October 29th, the 17 year old pleaded guilty to all ten counts. The teen was sentenced to a high-risk residential facility. He will be in the juvenile justice system for the next six to twelve months.

Rodriguez says she doesn't believe her sons did this. As for why her 17 year old pleaded guilty, "Because been detained for three and a half months and to get it over with."

Rodriguez's other son, her 14 year old, goes to court next week on his charges. "I prefer him to go and plead guilty and go to juvenile and not having to go get direct certified as an adult and having to do a few years," says Rodriguez.

Anne says she just wants justice served and for the two teens to get some help. "It destroyed my son. It destroyed me, as a wife and mother, destroyed this family because not the same family," she said while crying.

Anne says the abuse should never have happened. We've learned a similar allegation was made to DCF about sexual abuse in the foster home nearly nine months before Chris was placed here. This time, it was a little girl.

"I know the 8 year old has a past history of saying stuff and that's why she's back into the system," says Rodriguez.

"The abuse of children in foster care is intolerable," says DCF spokesman John Harrell.

Harrell says, because of state law, he can't talk about the girl's complaint. He can only say allegations are taken seriously and are always investigated. "We're going to investigate thoroughly. If have findings that abuse took place we're not going to continue to place foster kids in that home."

Harrell did confirm that Rodriguez's foster license is being revoked and that children have not been in her home since Chris came forward. "As soon as we found out abuse happened, we immediately removed children from the home," says Harrell.

DCF tells us they are now reviewing the Rodriguez file to see if anything could have been handled differently.

"How could this happen, how could you let this happen? You talk about protecting children, where was protection for my child," Anne asks.

Anne has alerted the state of Florida that she is suing. As for her and her son, they are both in therapy and learning how to cope.

"I don't know what to do for my son, what do you do for him?"

Chris says he didn't tell anyone about this right away because he was afraid. In fact, in the police report, Chris said the boys told him if he said anything he would never see his mom again and that he would be placed in a group home.

Anne now is not only trying to help her son cope but she is also trying to keep her son's attacker behind bars.

Just five days ago, Anne received a letter in the mail. The letter alerts Anne that her son's attacker is about to be released just one week after he was sentenced.

"I about hit the ground, what kind of justice is that?" asks Anne. We'll have the answer for you Thursday night on First Coast News at Six.

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Postby Marina » Wed Nov 26, 2008 7:53 pm

http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/ ... e.html?npc

Foster father accused of child abuse

03:34 PM CST on Tuesday, November 25, 2008

KHOU.com staff report


Crime Stoppers photo

Donovan Lunford
HOUSTON—A Houston man entrusted to care for a foster child is now wanted by police for allegedly abusing that child.

Authorities say Donovan Lunford had a 12-year-old boy in his home from August to October of this year.

They also say Lunford inappropriately touched the boy and sexually assaulted him.

Lundford is charged with indecency with a child and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

If you know his whereabouts, call Crime Stoppers

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Postby Marina » Wed Nov 26, 2008 7:58 pm

http://www.nbc13.com/vtm/news/local/art ... les/48418/

Investigators probing boys ranch abuse claims find shackles



By Jon Paepcke
Investigative reporter
Published: November 25, 2008

BLOUNT COUNTY, Ala. --- Saturday’s raid at Blount County’s Reclamation Ranch led to 11 boys placed in Department of Human Resources custody.

It was prompted by claims from a 17 year old who attended the ranch.

According to prosecutors, the boy accused the ranch of committing serious abuse.

Abuse prosecutors say rises to the level of torture under Alabama law.

Court records show investigators seized hand cuffs and shackles from the ranch.

Roman Lupekha spent 22 months at the ranch before a judge released him today to go home to Modesto, California.

“I got push-ups. It helped me more than it hurt,” Lupekha responded when asked what kind of punishment he saw used at the ranch.

Many of the 11 boys were released to their families like Lupekha during Tuesday’s custody hearing.

It was unclear late Tuesday whether all of them went home with their parents.

Ranch supporters held a rally outside of the Blount County courthouse earlier Tuesday morning.

The ranch claims one of its goals is to help troubled youth through character building and religious education.

“That place was a vessel. All they did was show me the truth and they just helped me out. They gave me a good schooling and worked with my problems. I was going through family problems and all they did was show me scripture,” Lupekha responded.

Prosecutors say statements by other boys supported the original abuse complaint.

While ranch director Jack Patterson wouldn’t comment at the hearing Tuesday, he denies any wrongdoing on the ranch’s web site.

Prosecutors expect to present the case to the grand jury in the next few weeks.

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Postby Marina » Wed Nov 26, 2008 8:24 pm

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaki ... utres.html

Haleigh Poutre's stepfather convicted of child abuse
November 26, 2008 03:52 PM

By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff

SPRINGFIELD - A jury found Haleigh Poutre's stepfather guilty today of child abuse three years after the case drew national attention when the state almost took the comatose, then 11-year-old girl off life support.


Jason Strickland, a 34-year-old auto mechanic, was convicted of five of the six counts he faced and could be sentenced to a maximum of 30 years in prison. The jury decided that Strickland was responsible for causing substantial bodily injury to Haleigh, though he may not have been the one who actually inflicted the near-fatal brain injury that had put the Westfield girl into a coma. The jurors determined that he recklessly permitted Haleigh's brain injury to occur even if he did not directly cause the trauma.

Strickland, who testified last week that he did nothing to harm the girl, remained stoic and displayed no reaction when the jury announced its verdict after the three-week trial in Hampden County Superior Court.

Strickland was immediately taken into custody as Judge Judd Carhart revoked his bail. For a few months prior to the start of the trial, he was allowed to live and work in North Carolina, where his parents reside.

As Strickland was led away in handcuffs, he looked back at his parents in the audience. His father wept, while his mother showed little visible reaction. Later, when she left the courtroom, she sobbed uncontrollably in the arms of one of the defense counsel's aides. Strickland is expected to be held at the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow until sentencing.

By convicting Strickland, the jury showed that it did not believe his four hours of testimony last Friday in which he depicted himself as a hard-working breadwinner with a detached, but kindly, role in domestic life. He had said that in the five years he lived in the Westfield home, he noticed bruises and burn marks on Haleigh, but accepted the explanation of Haleigh's adoptive mother, Holli Strickland, that the girl had a psychological disorder causing her to hurt herself. The stepfather's defense focused on showing that if anyone was harming Haleigh in the home it was his wife, and that she kept her cruel acts hidden from her husband.

Strickland, however, denied ever seeing his wife, Holli, strike Haleigh and never offered an explanation for how Haleigh became unconscious on a September weekend in 2005.



The adoptive mother died in an apparent murder-suicide with her grandmother shortly after being charged in 2005 with abusing Haleigh.

Prosecutor Laurel Brandt depicted Holli and Jason Strickland as abusers who inflicted severe harm on Haleigh over a five-year period. The attacks began as soon as Jason moved into the home, Brandt alleged. Brandt argued that even if Holli Strickland was the prime abuser, her husband had to know about it.

The verdict caps a child abuse case that included one of the nation's most surprising endings to an end-of-life controversy. The Supreme Judicial Court authorized the removal of Haleigh's life support in January 2006 at the request of the state's child-protection agency, which said the girl was trapped in an irreversible vegetative state.

Just as the decision came down, Haleigh began to respond to commands and follow objects with her eyes. The girl, now 14, can speak simple sentences. One of the most dramatic pieces of evidence in the trial was a video that showed Haleigh feeding herself and using an alphabet board to communicate. She attends a day school in a pediatric rehabilitation facility, and the state says it is pursuing an adoptive home for her or some kind of other long-term residential placement.


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