She received a Letter of Instruction in April 2019 for not adhering to the reporting policy in July 2018. This situation often raises questions about what are my rights during a DCF investigation. Dayton police started investigating after school staff reported potential sexual abuse, as per the Dayton Daily News report. Dayton police say the investigation is ongoing, though the allegations extend back to 2018.
The governor ordered a review of 1,200+ Montgomery County Children Services cases in the past six months. The agency faces increased scrutiny and calls for transparency after the recent deaths of local children, including 10-year-old Takoda Collins. The boy died in December after extreme abuse, despite multiple reports of danger, according to the police.
Dayton police removed the siblings in 2017 due to domestic violence; placing them there was unjustifiable, said Holly Schlaack.Schlaack emphasized the need for greater accountability and transparency in child services agencies due to police report allegations. In July 2018, a 4-year-old told her mother about abuse by her grandfather, but the caseworker didn’t act.
Employee disciplined
Montgomery County Children Services officials conducted an internal review but won’t release the outcome due to confidentiality laws. She received a Letter of Instruction in April 2019 for not following the reporting policy in July 2018. She remains employed at the agency. If an agency employee learns of child abuse or neglect, they must promptly contact the intake screening unit. It says they must then immediately fax over a report and notify a supervisor.
The organization hired the caseworker in February 2016, Jane Hay, president of the union representing Montgomery County Children Services caseworkers, declined to comment on the allegations. They follow the law and agency rules, so Dayton Daily News found no records of disciplining Children Services employees. Really find this hard to believe.
Multiple rape allegations
The police report says Children Services became involved in this case because of a domestic violence situation. The report ensured child safety, protecting them from witnessing violence in a home where the mother was also a victim. The report ensured child safety while protecting the mother, a non-violent victim, from adult male violence. The caseworker placed the kids with the grandfather due to previous babysitting and the mother’s preference, despite past concerns.
In 2006, Dayton police accused a grandfather of raping a prostitute he offered a ride, claiming he had a gun. Police were able to track him down because she remembered his vanity license plate, the report says. He faced rape charges, but the grand jury didn’t indict, leading to dismissal.In 2007, he faced multiple serious charges, but a jury found him not guilty. The grandfather’s 2007 misdemeanor domestic violence conviction involved his son
In 2011, his ex-girlfriend alleged he came to her house, forced his way in and sexually assaulted her. The case closed when the alleged victim withdrew their complaint, according to the police report. In 2014, a woman celebrating her birthday in Dayton faced abduction, assault, and abandonment in the Oregon District. The authorities conducted a rape kit on the victim and discovered the grandfather’s DNA. The investigation stayed open for years. They conducted a rape kit on the victim and discovered the grandfather’s DNA.
Teen accused elsewhere
The teen moved for safety after an alleged assault on a 5-year-old family member in another county. The victim underwent a rape kit examination, which revealed the presence of the grandfather’s DNA. The caseworker and her supervisor approved placing children with sexual assault suspects, per the police report. The home study didn’t include the teen’s past, a crucial step before placing children in the home.
The police investigator noted in the report that this raised a significant concern in the investigation. The detective noted that Child Services rarely places kids with rape accusations unless the offender poses no reoffending risk. County officials reported completing multiple background checks before placing a child in a home. Their policy prohibits placing children with individuals convicted of recent felonies or misdemeanors for spousal abuse or sexual assault. The agency must consider pending criminal cases when placing children, but it’s unclear if they knew about the grandfather’s cases.
Allegation of abuse
In July 2018, the girl told her mother her genitals hurt, alleging her grandfather’s inappropriate touching The mother said she checked her daughter and said she was bleeding. Her son then entered the room and confirmed the allegations. According to court documents, the grandfather has not faced any charges related to child abuse. The mother emailed Children Services on July 25, reporting her child’s sexual assault, as per the police report.
In the email, the mother mentioned that the child’s detailed account of what happened raised her concern. Sure, here’s a revised version of the sentence “They conducted a rape kit on the victim and discovered the grandfather’s DNA.” She left a voicemail for the Children Services employee after trying to call her a day earlier. The report shows the employee contacted her supervisor, doctor, and suspect before speaking with the mother and child.
The caseworker contacted the suspect of a sexual assault without informing the police, risking evidence tampering. The report mentions a caseworker’s failure to schedule a required forensic interview at Care House. The report says it took the caseworker six days after the email to visit the children. The child’s shyness prevented them from discussing the sexual assault with the caseworker, a common reaction among young victims.
However, the brother disclosed that he saw (the grandfather) touching (the girl),” the police report said. But the report says the caseworker still had the children continue to live with the grandfather. The school staff became involved when the mother expressed concerns to a therapist about court-ordered visits and her daughter’s safety. The school staff became involved when the mother expressed concerns to a therapist about court-ordered visits and her daughter’s safety. The school staff got involved when the mother expressed safety concerns to a therapist about court-ordered visits. The school staff became involved when the mother expressed concerns to a therapist about court-ordered visits and her daughter’s safety.”
Interview with police
When school staff called police, a criminal investigation was launched, according to the police report. The report doesn’t give a time period for when the investigation started. The police report criticized the investigation’s flaws and questioned the children’s safety in that env. The caseworker said she had spoken with the family doctor, who had said the mother never told her that the child was sexually assaulted. The caseworker said she was notified that the child had skin irritation but said the doctor was never notified about any sexual assault.
The report later confirms that the doctor did not receive an explanation from the mother regarding why she wanted her daughter to be checked. The caseworker said she tried numerous times to set up a forensic interview at the Care House but no one answered the phone and she was unable to leave a message. The report’s author mentioned that the phone number had received hundreds of calls in the past, and people could leave messages. The caseworker didn’t explain why she didn’t keep trying to schedule a forensic interview or make a police report.
Caseworker doubts child
According to the police report, the Care House interviewed the children after police became involved. The girl told investigators, according to the police report, that the grandfather touched her multiple times. The brother also disclosed that he saw the man touching his sister, the report says. Despite a very detailed disclosure by both children of alleged sexual assault that took place on Oct. 30, 2018, by November 20, 2018, (the caseworker) still had not filed anything with the courts attempting to prevent the court-ordered visitations with the children and (the grandfather),” the report says. “It was not until Nov. 28, 2018, that anything was filed with the court to prevent the court-ordered visitation with (the grandfather).”
Law enforcement spoke to assistant prosecutor John Amarante about a custody case involving the family and the assistant prosecutor told police that the caseworker had told him that the children did not make a disclosure of sexual abuse during the Care House forensic interview. I informed John that was highly inaccurate and I got him a copy of the interview so he could witness it himself. After watching the interview, John informed me that what was disclosed in the interview was very different from how (the caseworker) had described it to him when preparing for court,” the police report says.
The police report also says investigators reviewed an email sent by the Children Services employee to a co-worker where she claimed she interviewed the children and the girl would not “corroborate” what the mother was saying about sexual assault. The police report states that the caseworker mentioned in an email that the ‘older brother was obviously coached by the mother’ about what to say. It’s worth noting that the mother told me that there were no problems between her and the grandfather before these allegations were disclosed. Urthermore, when the allegations came out (the mother) was almost about to have her children fully back in her custody so there really wasn’t a clear reason as to why (the mother) would have made this allegation up.
Furthermore, it is based on my opinion as well as the opinion of the forensic interviewer from training and experience after conducting hundreds of forensic interviews, that the children’s disclosures appeared to be honest and too detailed to have been coached especially for their age and intellectual capability.”
‘Accountability and transparency’ needed
The police report obtained by the Dayton Daily News focused on the actions of Children Services and whether a violation of endangering children or failure to report was committed. The status of the criminal investigation into the girl’s assault is unclear. Neither Dayton police nor the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office will comment on the case. This silence leaves many questioning the DCF investigation process and parents’ rights against DCF, as these proceedings often involve complex legal and familial dynamics.
Because it’s more than a year old, the case wouldn’t automatically be included in a review ordered by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine of Montgomery County case files from the past six months. DeWine ordered the review after two deaths of young children. In one case, Children Services closed the case of a child born with marijuana in its system after 12 days. The child later died. In the Takoda Collins case, school employees and others say they reported suspected abuse multiple times before the child died.
Timeline: The tragic life and death of Takoda Collins
Takoda’s death led the local grassroots group Takoda’s Call to form, demanding more accountability from Children Services, including the establishment of some sort of independent, outside review of cases. Schlaack, the author and child welfare advocate, said such oversight is sorely needed to help the public understand what’s happening in children services agencies across the state. If you don’t have accountability and transparency, it’s a brick wall and you can’t penetrate it,” she said.
Source: daytondailynews.com
DISCLAIMER
You find yourself in this situation, it’s advisable to seek legal representation from a qualified attorney, like those at the Law Office of Kevin Seaver, who can advocate for your rights and guide you through the complex process of a DCF investigation.
Remember that the ultimate goal of DCF is to ensure the safety and well-being of children while supporting families in crisis.
Please note that this article does not create an Attorney-Client relationship between our law firm and the reader and is provided for informational purposes only. Information in this article does not apply to all readers.
Readers should not rely on this information as legal advice and should seek specific counsel from the attorney based on personal circumstances. Thank you.
Kevin Patrick Seaver is a Massachusetts DCF Defense Lawyer who represents parents against false child abuse allegations.
Massachusetts DCF Defense Lawyer Kevin Seaver has been successfully fighting false child abuse allegations since 1991.