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Miami-Dade, FL Police say man abused two foster kids
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... |
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