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Marina
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Tennessee

Postby Marina » Sat Mar 22, 2008 10:00 pm

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http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/20 ... d-neglect/

Mom charged with child neglect
Left 10-year-old in car to watch two younger sisters
By Christopher Conley (Contact)
Thursday, March 20, 2008

A Millington mother is facing aggravated child neglect charges after police found her three children, one of them a 10-year-old, alone in a car outside a Wal-Mart.

The woman, Jarae Payne, 29, said Wednesday she believes the charges are excessive and that she had her three girls in sight the whole time she was out of the car.


Millington Police were called to the Wal-Mart at 8445 U.S. 51 just after 9 p.m. Friday by a store security guard.

When police arrived, the security officer told them he had been watching the white Pontiac for at least five minutes, and the children -- ages 10, 5, and 3 -- were alone the entire time, according to police reports.

Payne, when she returned to the car, protested that she believed the 10-year-old was mature enough to watch the other children, and that she did not believe the children were in danger.

The officers told her that several vehicles had been stolen from the area recently, according to the reports.

"It's very excessive," Payne said when reached at her Millington home Wednesday. "My whole family is outraged ... I've been a stay-at-home mom for 10 years.

"It was a big misunderstanding. I would never leave my children," she said. "They were never out of my sight."

People "need to think before they do something like that," said Millington Police Insp. Charlie Coleman.

"It's serious to leave your kids in the car -- even for two minutes," he said. "Maybe in the '50s you could do that, but not anymore."

The children were taken to relatives' homes after Payne's arrest.

Payne is to appear in Millington City Court on April 29, and said she will ask that the case be dropped.

In January, Millington Police arrested a 29-year-old Millington father outside the same Wal-Mart for leaving his 6- and 5-year-old boys inside his pickup for at least 15 minutes on a below-freezing day.

Police arrived and placed the boys inside their heated cruiser and waited for the father to return.

Shawn Tanner was greeted by police when he emerged from the store, and later charged with child abuse and neglect. The children were released to their grandmother.

Beside the threat of kidnappers and car thieves, the car could shift into gear, the seats could catch fire, and kids can get caught up in seat belts, officials say.

A recent Internet controversy was set off by a similar case in Chicago. In early December, a 36-year-old mother was arrested after leaving her sleeping 2-year-old daughter in her vehicle when she took her two older daughters to drop coins in a Salvation Army kettle.

Some people blasted police while others said the mother endangered the toddler. Last week, prosecutors dropped charges of child endangerment and obstruction of justice against the woman.

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Thu Apr 03, 2008 4:19 am

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http://www.boston.com/news/local/massac ... n_custody/

Judge: State children's department could be to blame in slayings

By Antonio Gonzalez
Associated Press Writer / January 4, 2008

CHARLOTTE, Tenn.—A juvenile court judge said the state Department of Children's Services could be to blame in the slayings of a foster mother and her mother-in-law because of the way it places troubled children in its care.

more stories like thisFoster children James Earl Garrett, 17, and Jeffery Byrd Johnson Jr., 15, are charged with first-degree murder in the New Year's Day deaths.

Judge Andrew Jackson pointed the finger at DCS after a hearing Friday where he ordered the boys held in custody until he can decide whether they will be tried as adults.

"If the facts of the case are true, as they appear to be, the blame rests squarely at the front door of the Tennessee Department of Children's Services," the judge told reporters.

"This is exactly the kind of situation we have warned about," he said referring to the state's placement of foster children.

"It appears that DCS has been misappropriately placing juveniles for years."

Foster mother Mary Clark, 39, and Gail Clark, 66, of Orange, Mass., were shot to death early New Year's Day. William Clark, husband and son of the victims, also has blamed the state for a policy that gives DCS 15 days to respond to requests to relocate children from foster families.

One of the boys had asked to be moved from the home in White Bluff, and the slayings occurred while the family was waiting for a meeting to take place, William Clark said Thursday.

The process is expedited if there is a safety issue, DCS spokesman Rob Johnson said, but in general DCS is cautious about relocating foster children because of the disruption it can cause the child.

So far, DCS's internal review of the case has found no sign that anyone was in danger, Johnson reiterated Friday.

Clark said the younger teen was a student at Dickson's alternative high school, and didn't start to misbehave until Garrett arrived a few weeks ago. Clark said Garrett had asked the state to remove him from the house.

He said Johnson did have an assault charge for hitting a boy at school, a small charge that wouldn't cause DCS to move a child.

"As tragic and saddening as this case is, we still believe this is an appropriate placement," Johnson said in response to the judge's comments. "Based on everything we've reviewed so far, there's nothing we've seen that shows these boys should have been placed somewhere else."

The boys arrived at the court in Charlotte, about 30 miles west of Nashville, shackled at the waist.

The judge ordered both to stay in custody until a Feb. 18 hearing, but allowed Garrett permission to contact his biological parents, who live in Clarksville.

"He's disappointed right now. The young man, he's still a kid. He's just trying to hang in there," said Garrett's attorney, Jerred Creasy, who expects the case to be transferred to adult court.Continued...

"If this were an adult case, he'd be pleading not guilty today," he said. There is no plea process in Tennessee's juvenile courts.

The younger teen's father, Jeffery Johnson Sr., attended the hearing with his sister and her daughter. A tearful Johnson, holding up a picture from when his son was 3 years old, said his son did not pull the trigger in the slayings.

He also blamed DCS for the boys' placement in the Clarks' home.

"The system let both them boys down," Johnson said, pausing for a moment to wipe his eyes. "They fouled up big time." His son's attorney declined to comment.

Johnson said he had been trying to regain custody of his son for the last 18 months. He said his son was placed in foster care after he was taken away from his mother, who was living in Florida.

Johnson has not been allowed to visit or talk to his son since he was charged, until Friday's hearing.

"I'd rather be the one dead than see my boy chained up like that," Johnson said.

William Clark has said the younger boy got along well with the family for the four or five months he stayed with them, but Garrett had only lived with them for about month.

Neither boy has a history of violence, DCS officials said.

DCS has been repeatedly criticized by police and court authorities for putting violent juveniles in nonsecure facilities where they continue to commit crimes in the community.

Top officials of the agency were threatened with contempt of court charges by a Nashville juvenile court judge in 2006 after a teenage armed robbery suspect escaped custody from a nonsecure facility.

The judge's comments come seven months after he was censured for drinking too much at a judicial conference and using a racial slur to describe a black attendee. According to the order, Jackson underwent an alcohol abuse assessment that found the event to be isolated and recommended no treatment.

Davidson County Juvenile Court Judge Betty Adams Green, the same judge who threatened DCS officials with contempt charges, said she has seen signs of improvement with child placement.

"We have had some very heated discussions with the DCS," Green said. "At least, from my perspective, there have been some improvements, especially better classifications of children."

Green said while she agrees with Jackson that there needs to be more reform, she thought it was inappropriate and unethical for a judge to comment on a pending case.

"That's rather unusual," she said. "Certainly it has happened. But we are not supposed to comment while a case is in hand."

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w_woody
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Joined: Tue Jun 12, 2007 6:53 am
Location: Parrottsville, TN
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Troubled DCS could lose 160 social workers

Postby w_woody » Fri Apr 18, 2008 9:42 am

By: THE TENNESSEAN , WBIR Partner
Date created: 4/18/2008 10:19:13 AM
Last updated: 4/18/2008 10:20:24 AM

By THEO EMERY
Staff Writer Advertisement


The state agency that coordinates foster care and other services for thousands of troubled kids could face layoffs of up to 160 employees because of a federal funding cut, Gov. Phil Bredesen warned on Wednesday.

The Department of Children's Services, which is a target of frequent criticism for its handling of cases, is bracing for possible layoffs and deep reductions in spending if $73 million in federal money can't be restored.

Bredesen said he hoped to prevent disruption for the children in DCS' care and oversight. But the governor said the agency could face "visible and painful" cuts, including losing up to 3 percent of its work force.

"This is tough. This is really tough," said state Children's Services Commissioner Viola Miller.

Social workers who manage cases ? working directly with children and their families ? would probably be first in line for layoffs. The governor said he planned to seek legislative support for a temporary relaxation of state civil service rules to protect those workers from losing their jobs.

Layoffs of social workers would be "very disruptive," Bredesen said, and could undo years worth of work.

"You may end up putting those people out on the street who are exactly the ones you want to keep at DCS above all else," he said. The governor said he would target "administrative" personnel if cuts must be made.

At issue is what DCS refers to as "targeted case management," in which social workers coordinate services for about 30,000 children per year, ranging from medical care to mental health treatment.

Last winter, Medicaid told officials in Tennessee and more than 30 other states that the federal government would no longer pay for targeted case management, a decision that means a $73 million shortfall to the department, Bredesen said.

"Targeted case management is about as important to the core mission of DCS as anything that we do out there. So we're going to preserve the (services), but to do that we're going to have to make cuts in other areas," the governor said.

Medicaid cut off the case management funds March 1, and Tennessee officials have committed to fully funding the program with TennCare reserve funds through June 30, the end of the fiscal year, Bredesen said.

If the funding cannot be restored by the start of the next fiscal year, the department will have to look for cuts, including trims to the payroll. DCS has an annual budget of about $680 million.

The news comes as state officials are grappling with the state's economic difficulties. The governor said the DCS cuts would be in addition to other budget cuts; he expects to present the legislature with a revised budget proposal for next fiscal year.

Bill would restore funds

Bredesen said he had been working with Tennessee's congressional delegation on legislation that would reverse the cuts. Tennessee is not the only state protesting the decision: Legislators across the country have heard from state officials angered about the Medicaid cuts.

On Wednesday night, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously approved legislation to block the administration from implementing the rule changes that reduce Medicaid disbursements.

But Bredesen said President Bush had threatened to veto the bill, which has 193 sponsors, including Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Murfreesboro, a committee member.

Tennessee is also one of seven states that filed a lawsuit to prevent the rule change, but that would likely be a long-term court battle, the governor said.

Jeff Nelligan, spokesman for the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said the cuts to case management funding are "to help restore fiscal integrity and accountability to the Medicaid program." He said the change was "underscored by numerous Government Accountability Office and Inspector General findings."

"We need to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used wise ly so that Medicaid beneficiaries receive the care they need and depend upon."[/b]

Marina
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Postby Marina » Sat Mar 14, 2009 6:00 pm

http://www.t-g.com/story/1498143.html

Deputy, DCS at odds over handling of case
Sunday, February 1, 2009
By Brian Mosely

No heat. No food. And three kids in the house.
This situation that would anger anyone, but a sheriff's department official says she is enraged over the case, claiming that the Department of Children Services hasn't lifted a finger to help the children involved.

However, a DCS spokesman said that the agency has worked hard to keep kids safe and has acted correctly and promptly in this case to help the family in question.

Capt. Becky Hord, of Bedford County Sheriff's Department, watches out for children, and it's a task she takes very seriously. So when she heard about a situation at Willow Tree Farms, she sprang into action.

The call was about a family with small children under the age of 8 that had been there for at least a week with no electricity or heat; Hord said it is likely they were there longer.

The children were aged 2, 3 and 8, and Hord said the 6-year-old "has never been enrolled in school, ever."

Officers checking on the family confirmed to Hord that there was also no food in the house, so she made contact with the family, which had just moved from Rutherford County. Hord added that the family had a history with DCS in that county and the case had just been closed on Wednesday.

On the way to the location, she called DCS supervisor Mary Gordon in Tullahoma to tell her about the family's situation.

"We need to find out what's going on and get these folks some help," Hord said she told Gordon. Hord says that Gordon told her she has case workers in the county and they could either meet with or call Hord.

Hord said she expressed concern that this be taken care of immediately instead of having to go through the DCS hot line.

The family told Hord they had been trying to get help with getting their lights turned on, but in the meantime, had been getting heat from a kerosene heater, which Hord said "put out some strong fumes, although they had a window open."

Candles had been placed in the darkened bathroom, which Hord termed "dangerous."

There was also no food in the refrigerator for the children. Instead, a gallon of milk sat in a sink full of water and the family had attempted to cook noodles on top of the kerosene heater. A pack of cheese and a dozen eggs were sitting in the cabinet, but there was no way to keep the food cold.

Hord said the family had bought some pre-cooked chicken and ate that for dinner. She said the DCS caseworker met the family at the sheriff's department and Hord consulted with the board of education about the child who had not attended school.

However, the caseworker told Hord her supervisor told her she could not work the case because "it had not been called in."

Hord said she was told, "It's law enforcement's responsibility to tell these people that the children can't go back to that house ... and that's not true."

Since Hord said the caseworker was instructed not to work the case, the detective typed up a report and faxed it in and later "got a call from Central Intake in Nashville" and the conversation was about the fact that DCS did not take the case, Hord said.

But DCS Communications Director Rob Johnson told the Times-Gazette Friday that even though "it wasn't exactly the type of assignment she normally handles or the county in which she typically works, a case manager who was in Bedford that day responded promptly to the sheriff's department's request to meet with them about this particular case."

"The case manager sat down with the family and the detective at the sheriff's office, and together they agreed an immediate plan for the children to be with relatives in a nearby county," Johnson said.

However, Hord said Thursday she was furious over the matter.

"They just sent these people on their way ...this is amazing, I don't know what their job is. I don't know if these people got any help last night or not."

Johnson stated that the children in question were "now on their way to a home that was warm and safe, the department followed up internally with a plan to get the adults the extra help they needed."

"When it comes to helping kids, we can link families to all types of services and assistance," Johnson stressed.

Hord also stated she called the DCS office in Tullahoma to speak to Gordon's supervisor, Susan Brothers. However, Hord said she was told by the secretary that "I can't call her while she's at lunch."

Johnson said that the department understands that "the people of Bedford County expect DCS to work effectively with county law enforcement on behalf of the children. And our door is always open for direct, respectful, amicable and professional discussions with our partners in the community."

Marina
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Postby Marina » Fri Aug 07, 2009 9:53 am

http://www.northjersey.com/Slain_teens_ ... ioned.html

Slain teen’s placement in foster home questioned
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
BY TRAVIS LOLLER
The Record
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NASHVILLE, Tenn. —

When the 15-year-old girl accused her father of abusing her, she was placed in a foster home while the allegations were investigated. That home was just two doors down.

A week later, the girl’s father fatally shot her and her foster father before killing himself in the northwestern Tennessee community of Dyersburg. Now people are questioning the actions of the state agency responsible for protecting children from abuse and neglect.

Officials at the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services insist there was nothing unusual about placing the teenager in a house less than 200 feet from the father she accused of abuse.

Agency spokesman Rob Johnson would not speak specifically about the case, citing the privacy of surviving relatives, but he did say the department is looking into how the matter was handled.

Authorities would not specify the nature of the abuse. Police are still investigating both the shootings and the girl’s allegations.

When children bring accusations of abuse, he said, the department tries to place them where they will be comfortable.

“When these things happen, it’s not like we spirit them away,” he said. “The parents know where the kids are ... unless there’s some extreme case, an indication that something could befall the child.”

Christopher Milburn, 34, did not have a criminal history.

Neighbor Frank Hipps said Milburn was good friends with the foster father, 46-year-old Todd Randolph. The two had even vacationed together in Las Vegas.

Neighbor Charles Wootton, who called 911, recalled hearing gunshots Sunday night and seeing Randolph lying in his yard across the street. A neighbor who was a nurse tried to perform CPR while holding a towel to the bullet wound in the man’s neck, he said.

Randolph’s wife, Susan, had been shot as well and was slumped over on the porch. She was taken to the hospital and released the following day. Wootton did not enter the house where the girl was slain.

When a child is placed in a temporary home, all parties must sign a protection agreement, Johnson said. The details of the agreements are different in each case, and he would not disclose what was in this one.

“The goal is to get the child out of the home while the allegations are being investigated,” Johnson said. “Sometimes the allegations aren’t true.”

Ira Lustbader is associate director of Children’s Rights, a nonprofit group that sued the state in 2000 over how the Department of Children’s Services was run. In general, he said, when a child is taken from a home, that child’s safety is the top concern.

“It is good to keep a child within the community so they can retain important relationships,” he said. But “safety trumps everything.”
Frank Hipps was less circumspect.

“That kid shouldn’t have been in that house,” he said. “This might have been preventable if she had been placed with foster parents out of the community.”

State Rep. Sherry Jones, a Nashville Democrat who leads a legislative committee on children and youth, said the panel plans to look into allegations that child-welfare officials are not removing children from dangerous situations.

“It’s ridiculous to place a child two doors down when the department is doing an investigation,” she said. “They’re not doing what they need to do to keep children safe.”


Page 1 2 >>
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — When the 15-year-old girl accused her father of abusing her, she was placed in a foster home while the allegations were investigated. That home was just two doors down.



A week later, the girl’s father fatally shot her and her foster father before killing himself in the northwestern Tennessee community of Dyersburg. Now people are questioning the actions of the state agency responsible for protecting children from abuse and neglect.



Officials at the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services insist there was nothing unusual about placing the teenager in a house less than 200 feet from the father she accused of abuse.



Agency spokesman Rob Johnson would not speak specifically about the case, citing the privacy of surviving relatives, but he did say the department is looking into how the matter was handled.



Authorities would not specify the nature of the abuse. Police are still investigating both the shootings and the girl’s allegations.



When children bring accusations of abuse, he said, the department tries to place them where they will be comfortable.



“When these things happen, it’s not like we spirit them away,” he said. “The parents know where the kids are ... unless there’s some extreme case, an indication that something could befall the child.”



Christopher Milburn, 34, did not have a criminal history.



Neighbor Frank Hipps said Milburn was good friends with the foster father, 46-year-old Todd Randolph. The two had even vacationed together in Las Vegas.



Neighbor Charles Wootton, who called 911, recalled hearing gunshots Sunday night and seeing Randolph lying in his yard across the street. A neighbor who was a nurse tried to perform CPR while holding a towel to the bullet wound in the man’s neck, he said.

Marina
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Postby Marina » Sun Jan 03, 2010 9:58 am

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http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009 ... w-resigns/

Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009
Juvenile judge critical of Tennessee law resigns

By: Associated Press


CLINTON, Tenn. — A juvenile court judge in East Tennessee who has been critical of a state law that caps the amount the state will pay toward foster care has resigned.

The Knoxville News Sentinel reports Anderson County Judge April Meldrum's resignation was effective Saturday.

In a news release, Meldrum said that by resigning she will be able to "openly sound the alarm against the laws, policies and practices within the child welfare system that do not serve to protect our children, and in many circumstances actually cause them harm."

A new state law allows the Department of Children's Services to bill counties for the cost of foster care if judges there commit children at a rate more than three times the state average.

Meldrum's rate of committing children to state custody for 2008 was four times the state average.

A lawsuit by a third party that seeks to block the new law claims it could endanger children by pressuring judges to leave them in dangerous situations to avoid saddling their counties with the costs of foster care that would normally be paid by the state.

In a court hearing, Tennessee Assistant Attorney General Doug Dimond has argued the new law was meant to cut costs, not to influence judges.

Judges are ethically bound to consider only the facts of the cases before them and the welfare of the children, he said, not how their decisions will financially impact their counties.

In a Sept. 29 deposition in the case, Meldrum said that after the law was enacted she felt pressured to seek alternatives to state custody that she felt were not in the best interest of the children.

In the statement announcing her resignation, Meldrum wrote that her ability to protect children has been curtailed "by state laws and policies that are specifically designed to improve statewide statistics, instead of providing protection, shelter, services and treatment for the children of Anderson County."

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