"Round my Indiana homestead wave cornfields,
In the distance loom the woodlands clear and cool.
Often times my thoughts revert to scenes of childhood,
Where I first received my lessons, nature's school..."
These lyrics are from the Indiana State Song, "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" by Paul Dresser.
I was struck by the songwriter's reference to childhood. Like so many authors, "childhood" has this romantic notion -- a bliss-filled naivety, a simple world, a wonderous time. But for many of the children in Indiana, and across the country childhood is a time of terror. They live in an abusive or neglectful household, barely getting their needs met and facing daily challenges. In 2007, Indiana ranked eighth nationally in the rate of child abuse and neglect deaths.
I found it interesting that it was not in my daily poring over the Indiana Star that I learned about a state initiative to try and help the abused children of Indiana. Rather it was in the Journal Gazette online in an article by Angela Mapes Turner where I first heard about the state's abuse hotline.
According to state officials, prior to the launching of this hotline, calls reporting alleged cases of child abuse or neglect were being handled in 380 different ways across the state. Depending on time of day and the county of origin, calls could be handled by administrative assistants, law enforcement agencies or outsourced phone banks.
According to Ann Houseworth, spokeswoman for the Indiana Department of Child Services, the hotline will be staffed by specially trained family case managers. Department of Child Services Director James W. Payne states that at least 13 other states are known to have a central hotline for the reporting of child abuse and neglect, many for a decade or more. Officials did work with representatives from those other hotlines in crafting the new system, which aims to improve uniformity of receiving, interpreting and decidion-making related to reports taken by hotline staff. Providing field family case managers more time to focus on following up reports and partnering with families is also an additional goal.
Some are critical of the increased complexity centraliziation can bring, including Allen County Superior Court Judge Stephen Sims. "You've put in an extra layer, because the parties that respond are going to have to be local." Allen County Superior Court Judge Charles F. Pratt added, "It becomes increasingly difficult to hold people accountable [when] you widen the crack in which people can be lost."
The state is piloting the service in Marion County, hoping to add at least another region next month. However, as a Marion County resident interested in the subject... I don't know the number.
Friday, January 8, 2010
So why do this?
As I talk with friends and tell them about my plan, they inevitably ask, "Why?" To tell you the truth, I don't really know why.
I've had the idea for a couple of years now. Originally it stemmed from my furor at the difficulty single people and gay couples have when they want to adopt a child. I wanted to show the world that these people are not a "risk" to the children of our country. Those at-risk live with parents who fundamentally don't want them or aren't prepared to parent.
However, as I geared up to really "get 'er done" in 2010, my goal has simplified to just telling the story and starting a conversation. How can we end child abuse? It's an impossible task; but that doesn't mean that it's not a task to be tackled.
I've had the idea for a couple of years now. Originally it stemmed from my furor at the difficulty single people and gay couples have when they want to adopt a child. I wanted to show the world that these people are not a "risk" to the children of our country. Those at-risk live with parents who fundamentally don't want them or aren't prepared to parent.
However, as I geared up to really "get 'er done" in 2010, my goal has simplified to just telling the story and starting a conversation. How can we end child abuse? It's an impossible task; but that doesn't mean that it's not a task to be tackled.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Oh boy - What have I done?
Day 6 of the New Year. My file folder of child abuse stories is filling up, and my brain is filling up too. I am having a hard time shaking the stories I have read. I still believe that we need to look at these stories and look at the systems involved, for this story is bigger than any one individual and will require multiple "solutions" if we truly want to cure our country of this evil.
Twenty more stories to talk about... and one amendment.
In an earlier post, I mentioned that we need to look at mental illness when we talk about child abuse. Certainly, the majority of abusers are not likely to qualify as mentally ill, and certainly the majority of folks who are mentally ill are not child abusers. I mentioned that perhaps the mom who was living in filth, and duct taped her child to a car seat to sleep in was mentally ill. However, as new information comes to light, I dismiss this explanation.
The police chief reports that an unidentified person contacted police after seeing photos on a computer in the home showing the boy wrapped in duct tape. The cell phone images captured several months ago, show the child with duct tape on his face, torso, arms, wrist and legs. The mother's male cousin and female roommate were "watching" the boy for his mother.
One of the 20 new stories from yesterday and today does not quite fit the definition of child abuse as in the stories from previous days. However, I am trying to look at all aspects of stories about this topic so I thought I would include the highlights. In Greeley, Colorado after a man unknowingly broke into a home where his own children were being cared for, he was charged with child abuse.
Another story appears to illustrate the fine line between adult: adult relationships and adult: teen relationships. In Easton, Pennsylvania a 38-year old former ROTC instructor is accused of engaging in sexual acts with a 15-year old female student during a fundraising event.
However, 18 other stories from across the country follow the heartbreaking hallmarks of child abuse.
We go back to Florida where Mario James, from Ft. Lauderdale, punched his 4-week-old son in the head, fracturing his skull and causing three different areas of brian bleeding. In Jackson County 23-year old David Kirkland and 28-year old Sara Kirkland argued in a moving vehicle. The mother unstrapped the child "in an attept to get David to slow down." The father began punching the mother, losing control of the car and causing the mother to drop the baby. Oh yea, there was a meth lab in the car too. In Manatee County, 20-year-old Nathan Hurst was arrested after he struck his two-year -old boy multiple times. This was the second child abuse arrest for Hurst, although the child was placed with "other family members" after the first.
Let's move to Maryland, where a 46-year old sex offender Rodney Earl Key has been charged with fondling an 11-year old girl in a church. It is not clear from the report if the child was "officially" in the man's "care." Another sex offender, 25-year-old Kenneth Lloyd Bowser, Jr. sexually abused a six-year old victim over a couple of months.
In Massachusetts, Dwight Fishlock, 50, was arrested on charges of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14. Also in Massachusetts two former soccer coaches have been arrested on forcible child rape charges. The Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone states that Roger Lau , 26, and Thomas Heinz (26) used "their position in order to inappropirately contact, entice and manipulate this vulnerable victim into forging a sexual relationship."
In Pennsylvania, Charles R. Koons II, age 40, is charged with molesting 17 boys from 2002 to 2008. Dauphin County Chief Deputy District Attorney Sean McCormick says, "The idea of a man lurking in a dark alley to molest kids is not realistic. The reality is it's someone who has access to kids, who is friendly, and at least on the surface, appears to be fun."
In the midwest, stories emerge from Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois In Kenosha, WI 34-year old Ernest Claiborne is accused of neglecting a 2-year-old boy. The toddler was found in a dark room, strapped in a car seat with a dirty diaper. Claiborne and his mother are also accused of chaining Claiborne's mentally and physically disabled sister to a weight bench.
Armando Kosta, 36, from Sterling Heights, Michigan is facing a felony child abuse charge after a drunken car crash. When Kosta drove off the road, he forced his 4-year old daughter and 2-year old son to walk a half-mile in the snow and below-zero temperatures. The 2-year old had only one shoe on and the other foot was bare!
In Albion, Ill Randall S. White (22) and Bethany Jo Mendehall (20) face child abuse charges for breaking the limbs of their 2-month-old son. The child was taken to the ER for treatment of a possible broken arm. While being examined for this injury, doctors found evidence that the child previously had sufferend fractures of both arms and one leg. This child was TWO MONTHS OLD!
While Montana may be the land of the big sky, it too has its share of child abusers. Christopher Lowmand, 23, pleaded no contest to charges that he abused his 5-month old daughter. The daughter received treatment when Lowman crushed her leg with his full weight, at which time the doctors found several healing fractures of her skull and ribs. Also in Billings, Lanita Fawn Walking Bear received a three-year deferred sentence for her felony convictions of assualt on a minor. Fueled by alcohol, she repeatedly kicked her 9-year-old daughter in the local park. The girl now lives with her father and the mother is not allowed even supervised visits.
In Aberdeen, South Dakota 21-year old Travis Zerr was sentenced for breaking a baby's arm. He also must undergo chemical dependency and mental health evaluations.
LaRhonda McCall and Steve Vern Hamilton face charges stemming from the abuse of the woman's 15-year old son. The boy stated that the adults beat him, tied him up and set him on fire over a period of four years. He and SIX other minors from the home are now in foster care.
In Texas, 32-year old Lois Renee Wiltz and 31-year old Carlton Prejean face child abuse charges when Prejean whipped their infant daughter with a wire clothes hanger. He also whipped Wiltz's 12-year old son with an extension cord. he is not the father of this child. Beatings began in October 2005 and investigators intervened on Dec. 14. Wiltz, a nurse at a local jail in Harris County admitted that she failed to ask about the injuries to her son becaue "she does not want to see how bad her son is injured." She "made the decision that if she did not see them, then it did not happen," according to court records.
Out of Utah comes our last two stories. In Cedar City news reports tell of the transfer of a 2-month old infant to a long-term treatment facility, after he suffered a traumatic head injury while in the care of his father. Twenty-five year old Andy Roy Gorecki remains in jail. In Lehi, Jameson L. Reid, 24, was jailed for abusing his 3-year old stepson. Officers found the boy naked on the floor with bruises all over his body. A doctor reported bleeding on his brain. Reports state that the boy told ambulance personnel "Daddy hurt me" on the way to the hospital.
Twenty more stories to talk about... and one amendment.
In an earlier post, I mentioned that we need to look at mental illness when we talk about child abuse. Certainly, the majority of abusers are not likely to qualify as mentally ill, and certainly the majority of folks who are mentally ill are not child abusers. I mentioned that perhaps the mom who was living in filth, and duct taped her child to a car seat to sleep in was mentally ill. However, as new information comes to light, I dismiss this explanation.
The police chief reports that an unidentified person contacted police after seeing photos on a computer in the home showing the boy wrapped in duct tape. The cell phone images captured several months ago, show the child with duct tape on his face, torso, arms, wrist and legs. The mother's male cousin and female roommate were "watching" the boy for his mother.
One of the 20 new stories from yesterday and today does not quite fit the definition of child abuse as in the stories from previous days. However, I am trying to look at all aspects of stories about this topic so I thought I would include the highlights. In Greeley, Colorado after a man unknowingly broke into a home where his own children were being cared for, he was charged with child abuse.
Another story appears to illustrate the fine line between adult: adult relationships and adult: teen relationships. In Easton, Pennsylvania a 38-year old former ROTC instructor is accused of engaging in sexual acts with a 15-year old female student during a fundraising event.
However, 18 other stories from across the country follow the heartbreaking hallmarks of child abuse.
We go back to Florida where Mario James, from Ft. Lauderdale, punched his 4-week-old son in the head, fracturing his skull and causing three different areas of brian bleeding. In Jackson County 23-year old David Kirkland and 28-year old Sara Kirkland argued in a moving vehicle. The mother unstrapped the child "in an attept to get David to slow down." The father began punching the mother, losing control of the car and causing the mother to drop the baby. Oh yea, there was a meth lab in the car too. In Manatee County, 20-year-old Nathan Hurst was arrested after he struck his two-year -old boy multiple times. This was the second child abuse arrest for Hurst, although the child was placed with "other family members" after the first.
Let's move to Maryland, where a 46-year old sex offender Rodney Earl Key has been charged with fondling an 11-year old girl in a church. It is not clear from the report if the child was "officially" in the man's "care." Another sex offender, 25-year-old Kenneth Lloyd Bowser, Jr. sexually abused a six-year old victim over a couple of months.
In Massachusetts, Dwight Fishlock, 50, was arrested on charges of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14. Also in Massachusetts two former soccer coaches have been arrested on forcible child rape charges. The Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone states that Roger Lau , 26, and Thomas Heinz (26) used "their position in order to inappropirately contact, entice and manipulate this vulnerable victim into forging a sexual relationship."
In Pennsylvania, Charles R. Koons II, age 40, is charged with molesting 17 boys from 2002 to 2008. Dauphin County Chief Deputy District Attorney Sean McCormick says, "The idea of a man lurking in a dark alley to molest kids is not realistic. The reality is it's someone who has access to kids, who is friendly, and at least on the surface, appears to be fun."
In the midwest, stories emerge from Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois In Kenosha, WI 34-year old Ernest Claiborne is accused of neglecting a 2-year-old boy. The toddler was found in a dark room, strapped in a car seat with a dirty diaper. Claiborne and his mother are also accused of chaining Claiborne's mentally and physically disabled sister to a weight bench.
Armando Kosta, 36, from Sterling Heights, Michigan is facing a felony child abuse charge after a drunken car crash. When Kosta drove off the road, he forced his 4-year old daughter and 2-year old son to walk a half-mile in the snow and below-zero temperatures. The 2-year old had only one shoe on and the other foot was bare!
In Albion, Ill Randall S. White (22) and Bethany Jo Mendehall (20) face child abuse charges for breaking the limbs of their 2-month-old son. The child was taken to the ER for treatment of a possible broken arm. While being examined for this injury, doctors found evidence that the child previously had sufferend fractures of both arms and one leg. This child was TWO MONTHS OLD!
While Montana may be the land of the big sky, it too has its share of child abusers. Christopher Lowmand, 23, pleaded no contest to charges that he abused his 5-month old daughter. The daughter received treatment when Lowman crushed her leg with his full weight, at which time the doctors found several healing fractures of her skull and ribs. Also in Billings, Lanita Fawn Walking Bear received a three-year deferred sentence for her felony convictions of assualt on a minor. Fueled by alcohol, she repeatedly kicked her 9-year-old daughter in the local park. The girl now lives with her father and the mother is not allowed even supervised visits.
In Aberdeen, South Dakota 21-year old Travis Zerr was sentenced for breaking a baby's arm. He also must undergo chemical dependency and mental health evaluations.
LaRhonda McCall and Steve Vern Hamilton face charges stemming from the abuse of the woman's 15-year old son. The boy stated that the adults beat him, tied him up and set him on fire over a period of four years. He and SIX other minors from the home are now in foster care.
In Texas, 32-year old Lois Renee Wiltz and 31-year old Carlton Prejean face child abuse charges when Prejean whipped their infant daughter with a wire clothes hanger. He also whipped Wiltz's 12-year old son with an extension cord. he is not the father of this child. Beatings began in October 2005 and investigators intervened on Dec. 14. Wiltz, a nurse at a local jail in Harris County admitted that she failed to ask about the injuries to her son becaue "she does not want to see how bad her son is injured." She "made the decision that if she did not see them, then it did not happen," according to court records.
Out of Utah comes our last two stories. In Cedar City news reports tell of the transfer of a 2-month old infant to a long-term treatment facility, after he suffered a traumatic head injury while in the care of his father. Twenty-five year old Andy Roy Gorecki remains in jail. In Lehi, Jameson L. Reid, 24, was jailed for abusing his 3-year old stepson. Officers found the boy naked on the floor with bruises all over his body. A doctor reported bleeding on his brain. Reports state that the boy told ambulance personnel "Daddy hurt me" on the way to the hospital.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Four Days; Four More Stories
The police differentiate between child abuse and child neglect. But I won't. If we are to create a society that values our children and protects them at all costs, we must examine all these stories to find the cures.
Out of Amherst, Virginia we learn about 19-year-old Sandrina Mae Busick whose eight-month-old son ended up in the hospital with severe burns. This, and the fact that the mother is being held in the Amherst County Jail without bond, is all that the report shares.
In Tahlequah, Oklahoma 19-year old Amber Walker and 18-year old Henry Carey were literally having a tug-of-war with their two-month-old daughter when her leg broke. However, an examination at the hospital revealed that the child had suffered inujries two other times. This child is TWO MONTHS OLD!
In Johnson County, Texas a 33-year old man faces allegations of domestic violence and child abuse after threatening an assaulting two of his three children. Details are scarce.
I cannot write about child abuse without writing of sexual abuse of children. Only four days into 2010, and we learn about Jared Mohler who is accused, along with his father and three brothers, of sexually abusing children on the family farm in Bates City since the 1980s. Deplorable. How can five men abuse child after child for DECADES?!
Out of Amherst, Virginia we learn about 19-year-old Sandrina Mae Busick whose eight-month-old son ended up in the hospital with severe burns. This, and the fact that the mother is being held in the Amherst County Jail without bond, is all that the report shares.
In Tahlequah, Oklahoma 19-year old Amber Walker and 18-year old Henry Carey were literally having a tug-of-war with their two-month-old daughter when her leg broke. However, an examination at the hospital revealed that the child had suffered inujries two other times. This child is TWO MONTHS OLD!
In Johnson County, Texas a 33-year old man faces allegations of domestic violence and child abuse after threatening an assaulting two of his three children. Details are scarce.
I cannot write about child abuse without writing of sexual abuse of children. Only four days into 2010, and we learn about Jared Mohler who is accused, along with his father and three brothers, of sexually abusing children on the family farm in Bates City since the 1980s. Deplorable. How can five men abuse child after child for DECADES?!
From West Virginia to Oregon
While the news outlets were quiet about child abuse on January 2nd, the quiet doesn't mean calm.
Five stories about child abuse emerged January 3rd, ranging from West Virginia to Oregon. Again we see parents who can't be bothered with their children when parents left a 12-year old to attend to five other children in Nacogdoches, Texas. Police found the parents drunk at a local bar.
We also see parents with whom we might be able to sympathesize if we learn more about their story. There is the couple from Albuquerque, New Mexico who face charges of child abuse for shoplifting with their children in tow.
Out of Charleston, West Virginia comes a story of a mother who might be mentally ill as we learn of 24-year old Jessica McClure who strapped her son into a child's vehicle safety seat to sleep on the floor of their garbage-strewn home. McClure did acknowledge the unsafe conditions inside the apartment.
But then we must face the horrific. Tales that cannot be excused. Another report out of Albuquerque tells of a 3-month old whose "parents" admitted to taping a pacifier to her mouth and to "tossing" the baby more than a foot and a half in the air onto the bed to stop her from crying. The father, 20-year old Jacob Nichols also confessed to striking the child "When he had had a bad day." The mother is 19-year-old Ashley Gibson.
The Child Youth and Family Development office had visited the family on December 21st. The CEO of the homeless shelter where the family was staying indicates that they called CYFD multiple times with concerns for the welfare of this child.
Although the stories today feature three sets of "parents" and one single mother, we are all familiar with the "boyfriend" as abuser. However, this next story shines a light on the "girlfriend" as abuser. Out of Portland, Oregon police arrested 22-year-old Serenity Sanchez for stabbing her boyfriend's three-year old daughter. No more information is given.
Five stories about child abuse emerged January 3rd, ranging from West Virginia to Oregon. Again we see parents who can't be bothered with their children when parents left a 12-year old to attend to five other children in Nacogdoches, Texas. Police found the parents drunk at a local bar.
We also see parents with whom we might be able to sympathesize if we learn more about their story. There is the couple from Albuquerque, New Mexico who face charges of child abuse for shoplifting with their children in tow.
Out of Charleston, West Virginia comes a story of a mother who might be mentally ill as we learn of 24-year old Jessica McClure who strapped her son into a child's vehicle safety seat to sleep on the floor of their garbage-strewn home. McClure did acknowledge the unsafe conditions inside the apartment.
But then we must face the horrific. Tales that cannot be excused. Another report out of Albuquerque tells of a 3-month old whose "parents" admitted to taping a pacifier to her mouth and to "tossing" the baby more than a foot and a half in the air onto the bed to stop her from crying. The father, 20-year old Jacob Nichols also confessed to striking the child "When he had had a bad day." The mother is 19-year-old Ashley Gibson.
The Child Youth and Family Development office had visited the family on December 21st. The CEO of the homeless shelter where the family was staying indicates that they called CYFD multiple times with concerns for the welfare of this child.
Although the stories today feature three sets of "parents" and one single mother, we are all familiar with the "boyfriend" as abuser. However, this next story shines a light on the "girlfriend" as abuser. Out of Portland, Oregon police arrested 22-year-old Serenity Sanchez for stabbing her boyfriend's three-year old daughter. No more information is given.
New Year, same stories
On January 1st, Google News reported three child abuse stories ... all out of Florida.
Some stories show neglect. Parents who cannot be bothered with their children so they leave them alone while they tend to their own needs. In Tampa, a couple rang in the New Year playing the slots and leaving their 8-year old daughter alone for 7 1/2 hours in a hotel room.
In Clearwater a 50-year old mother abandoned her teenage child whom the report said has Asperger's Sydrome, a form of autism. After being evicted from their hotel, the mother -- who was drunk -- disappeared without a trace. Police did find her some time later.
While any parent can think of some justifications for the stories above, some stories defy any sort of rationalizations.
In Belle Glade (Florida still), a 23-year old man beat to death a two-year old. This story has many hallmarks of classic abuse scenarios, including that the man was the "boyfriend" of the mother, the abuse had been going on for some time, and the mother was aware of the beatings.
The "boyfriend," Antion Denard Lawrence said, "I don't beat him, I tap him on the butt every now and then with a belt or something but fist wise or pickin' up something heavy, no," according to the arrest report.
The autopsy showed the baby had a torn liver, wounded sternum, torn small bowel intesting, hemorrhage to the adrenal glad, deep bruising to the neck, bruises on the forehead, abdomen, back, scrapes on his penis and scrotum and "several" other injuries. Can you imagine the force that was used against this child?
Some stories show neglect. Parents who cannot be bothered with their children so they leave them alone while they tend to their own needs. In Tampa, a couple rang in the New Year playing the slots and leaving their 8-year old daughter alone for 7 1/2 hours in a hotel room.
In Clearwater a 50-year old mother abandoned her teenage child whom the report said has Asperger's Sydrome, a form of autism. After being evicted from their hotel, the mother -- who was drunk -- disappeared without a trace. Police did find her some time later.
While any parent can think of some justifications for the stories above, some stories defy any sort of rationalizations.
In Belle Glade (Florida still), a 23-year old man beat to death a two-year old. This story has many hallmarks of classic abuse scenarios, including that the man was the "boyfriend" of the mother, the abuse had been going on for some time, and the mother was aware of the beatings.
The "boyfriend," Antion Denard Lawrence said, "I don't beat him, I tap him on the butt every now and then with a belt or something but fist wise or pickin' up something heavy, no," according to the arrest report.
The autopsy showed the baby had a torn liver, wounded sternum, torn small bowel intesting, hemorrhage to the adrenal glad, deep bruising to the neck, bruises on the forehead, abdomen, back, scrapes on his penis and scrotum and "several" other injuries. Can you imagine the force that was used against this child?
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