Attorney: Caged Kids Getting Bad Treatment in Foster Care

Attorney: Caged Kids Getting Bad Treatment in Foster Care

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

CLEVELAND — An attorney for a couple who kept some of their 11 adopted
children in cages at night said Wednesday the youngsters have been
placed with foster parents unequipped to take care of their special
needs.

Attorney David Sherman said one child found a razor blade in his
foster home and shaved patches of his head, and a set of twins has
been separated because their foster family couldn't handle them.

The children, ages 1 to 14, suffer from ailments such as autism, fetal
alcohol syndrome , HIV and pica, an eating disorder in which children
compulsively eat nonfood items such as dirt and rocks.

They were taken from Michael and Sharen Gravelle last month and placed
in foster homes while authorities investigate why the couple put some
of the children in homemade wooden cages to sleep and as punishment
during the day.

The couple have denied harming the children, and no charges have been
filed.

Sherman recently released photographs showing the children with the
Gravelles, laughing and playing in a home full of toys. He said the
children were not caged but kept in "enclosures" built around bunk
beds to stop them from doing things such as setting fires, eating
batteries and cutting themselves.

The enclosures "were approved by licensed social workers," he added in
a statement.

The Gravelles had a two-hour visitation with the children on Saturday,
which Sherman said was videotaped by case workers. He said the
children were in tears following the visit because they didn't want to
return to the foster homes.

A message seeking comment was left for the director of the Huron
County Department of Job and Family Services.

The state is investigating the adoptions, including who placed the
children with the Gravelles, whether rules were followed and whether
Huron County responded appropriately once the cages were discovered.

Prosecutor Russ Leffler is awaiting psychological exams of the
children before going to a grand jury. The children were not
physically abused, but the evaluations will determine whether they
suffered emotionally, he said.

A custody hearing in juvenile court is scheduled Dec. 6.
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