Police say man abused two foster kids
Miami-Dade police arrested a man they say abused two girls; the home
continued to operate after the first victim came forward.
BY CAROL MARBIN MILLER


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

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

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

Now, police say, there is a new victim.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

EARLIER CHARGES

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

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

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

RENEWED LICENSE

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

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

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

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

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

Miami Herald researcher Monika Z. Leal contributed to this report.




CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NSA / CIA
WIRETAPPING PROGRAM....

CPS Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.

every parent should read this .pdf from
connecticut dcf watch...

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com

Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS

*Perpetrators of Maltreatment*

Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13
Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5

CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING HUNDREDS OF INNOCENT
FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON...


BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...