11 children in Huron County Ohio

[toonertoo]

I have only heard of this on AM radio, as I was in my truck til now..........
Exactly how does something like this slip through the cracks. These people are getting checks for these poor children, obviously they were not in school, how do they become little lost people in the system???
Are adoptions not followed up on??? Are foster children not checked on? I know Dannyboy, has had foster children. Im just wondering and saddened at how this can happen. This is in my state, it makes me wonder if people are just taking the easy way out instead of reporting and following up on things that just dont look right. Surely they had neighbors of some sort, or friends?

 

[susiedriver]

tooner,

The neighbors said the kids looked/acted normal.

from the article:

The Gravelles have said a psychiatrist recommended they make the children sleep in the cages, Huron County Prosecutor Russell Leffler told the Norwalk Reflector. The parents said the children, including some who had mental disorders, needed to be protected from each other, according to a search warrant on file at Norwalk Municipal Court.

In any case, it sure seems wierd at first glance. Maybe there is more to the story. I wonder who the 'psychiatrist' is?

 

[dannyboy]

Like every other story you read in the papers, there are always other sides. And of course, the object is not to report the news, but to sell papers.

As a foster parent, I am appalled by this type of behavior. One of the children I adopted has mental deficiencies, knew it before we did it. And knew it would be a lifetime decision. And now 18 years down the road, it still was the right thing to do, although it has been a bit trying at times. At no time was that type of behavior ever considered.

But then again, there were the two teenage girls that hated each other and would not have anything to do with each other, until they spent the whole weekend with the right hand of each handcuffed to the other. That might have been considered cruel, but it worked. Nothing like having to work together to do anything. And having them face the opposite direction the whole weekend made them do that. For years they have joked about it when we have our family get togethers. And they were deep friends until one was killed when she did not wear her seatbelt and hit a tree. She and I were at her bedside the whole week until she died.

Being a foster parent is a thankless job, and you have to control the situation by the seat of your pants. And sometimes foster parents go overboard when they have difficult children to deal with. But in no instance do they ever allow more than 6 children in a home at one time, at least in this state, unless there is a large group of siblings to place.

d

 

[dannyboy]

Oh and tooner, while I was on the state foster parents association, we were trying to sue the state to shorten the time children were in fostercare. They need stability in their lives. At that time there were a bit over 6500 in care at any time with the average length of 13.5 years in care.

Now it is almost 23,000 in care and the length is still over 13 years. And many have 2 to 8 foster homes during that time, and not all of the moves are the fault of the children.

Foster children are disposable children in the states eyes. Foster parents get a certain amount for the upkeep of a child. The last we got was for a child less than a year old and the monthly ammount was $139.00. That was not even enough for formula and diapers (she was a real ter if you know what I mean.)

The state pays that out to the foster parent, the natural parent gets money for the child through welfare, and gets support to try to get the child back. As long as they visit with the child a couple times a year for 10-15 minutes each time, they can not take the child from the natural parent. With some of the ones we have had it was 10 minutes for the childs birthday and 20-30 minutes for christmas. And we had them for years without the state being able to terminate parental rights.

So the system sucks, and the children are caught in the crossfire. And the states make money on the whole thing, becuase they get funding from the federal government. So they dont have any incentive to adopt a child out. Unless the child is over 6, then it becomes a special needs adoption because they are harder to place. But then that is a whole different ball game.

d

 

[toonertoo]

Oh I know you foster parents get no thanks, and we only hear about the bad, never the success stories as you have to share with us.
It just didnt seem right to me that children and that many should be caged. Or in one household. Im also wondering why no one has been charged, this is not a natural way to raise kids, or I would have been caged also.
I sure we will hear more, in the days ahead, I just wanted to express my sorrow for these poor children and hear from someone with your expertise.

 

[toonertoo]

Thanks susie, I finally had time to look it up.
But heavy smell of urine, no bedding, and the kids seem "normal".!!!!!!!!!!!! sounds like a big coverup coming to me.

 

[wannabeups]

Sounds like some of Saddams torture tactics should be applied to these people.

 

[toonertoo]

Thats a really good idea. Make a child sleep in a bathtub because they wet the bed. My Mom put rubber sheets on the bed when we were little. Wonder why she never thought of that one?
And they arent being charged as of yet, they were just "overwhelmed". How sad! How did they get overwhelmed ? Did dcs just keep dropping off the little orphans without checking in?? Wasnt there a record of how many children were warehoused there.

 

[dannyboy]

Tooner

The state of Tennessee used to have a limit of 6, unless the number of children in one family that was removed was greater, and in the interest of keeping family together, they would waive that limit.

Then of course there was the "if you are on welfare as a foster parent" exemption. Someone came up with a brain storm that figured if you were on welfare, you would have plenty of time or resources to nurture foster kids, so there were no restrictions on how many they could have at one time. Never did figure out that line of thought.

d

 

[toonertoo]

Yes I guess the people on welfare would have the time, but how about the motivation to raise them properly? And at least give them a chance.
I was listening to a discussion of which I am notorious among these young girls at a coffee place the other day. One was bragging about how she was having her 4th child in March, and she just turned 18. She was there visiting her older sister.
I guess I lost some favor that day, when I said, yeah its great until you grow up and have to start supporting them. And she told me she couldnt actually go out and work she has babies to take care of. I asked where they were right now, and she said with the babysitter, as she had an appointment to get her hair and nails done. Duh, what was I thinking.........I work 10 hrs a day, make 60k plus and dont have time for those niceties. But I paid for my kids, and quit having them when I couldnt take care of them. And never beat them, (not real bad anyway), locked them in a cage, or made them sleep in a bathtub. It is absolutely disgusting at least you can neuter an animal, these human beings just keep breeding, and dont even get the quality of life issue. And the cycle just keeps on rollin. And we keep paying and the kids keep suffering. What is the answer? They dont even realize how lucky they are not to be on a street corner, selling pencils and gum like the families without support systems do in Mexico. OK rant over.....

 

[dannyboy]

You go girl! Tell it like it is. Bring some reality to their fantasy world.

d

 

[wannabeups]

Yes I guess the people on welfare would have the time, but how about the motivation to raise them properly? And at least give them a chance.
I was listening to a discussion of which I am notorious among these young girls at a coffee place the other day. One was bragging about how she was having her 4th child in March, and she just turned 18. She was there visiting her older sister.
I guess I lost some favor that day, when I said, yeah its great until you grow up and have to start supporting them. And she told me she couldnt actually go out and work she has babies to take care of. I asked where they were right now, and she said with the babysitter, as she had an appointment to get her hair and nails done. Duh, what was I thinking.........I work 10 hrs a day, make 60k plus and dont have time for those niceties. But I paid for my kids, and quit having them when I couldnt take care of them. And never beat them, (not real bad anyway), locked them in a cage, or made them sleep in a bathtub. It is absolutely disgusting at least you can neuter an animal, these human beings just keep breeding, and dont even get the quality of life issue. And the cycle just keeps on rollin. And we keep paying and the kids keep suffering. What is the answer? They dont even realize how lucky they are not to be on a street corner, selling pencils and gum like the families without support systems do in Mexico. OK rant over.....

Well said, adults who abuse kids like this are the lowest form of life. I know what you mean about self-sacraficing. The self sacraficing is really not a a sacrafice at all when your 5 year old puts his arm around you and tells you you are the "best daddy"

 

[toonertoo]

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060320/DEVELOPINGNEWS/60320007

Maybe some hope for these poor kids.

 

[moreluck]

How much hope can there be for kids in Ohio when the damn judges keep letting child molesters off with no jail time?? Put some signatures to paper to get Megan's law passed there with some mandatory sentencing for the perverts. Lock 'em up and throw away the key !!

Sorry tooner....not directed at u...just needed to vent

 

[toonertoo]

You feel free to vent about that anytime you want. I am so sick of the kids being unprotected. When parents fail their should be some way to catch the ones falling through the cracks. We have written to the governor, others need to. This is sick! That judge needs to be shot. Did you see where he released probaly one of his drinking buddies, who had several DUI's and the guy killed two young people? Its such a tragedy. No appointments for life, thats my thought, too much can happen in a persons life to make them honorable one day, and deadly the next.

 

[moreluck]

In case anyone hasn't heard about this story, here's the memo........
Yes, the source is Bill O'Reilly, but the cause is a good one....

Judge Connor Memo from Bill O'Reilly

Judge Connor sentenced a child rapist to probation. No prison time at all. The rapist, Andrew Selva, admitted to abusing two boys in the worst possible way ages five and 12 repeatedly over three years, and Connor lets him walk. Why? Here is what Connor said:
"He's got a disease like I've got a disease. I don't know that prison would have helped, except for revenge and revenge is not in the sentencing guidelines."
Connor might be referring to his own alcohol problem. He has been convicted twice for DUI, arrested for that at least or possibly eight times. We can't nail it down. But that doesn't matter. Connor's life doesn't matter. The main problem is that that judge will not protect children or adults. He is simply unfit for the bench.
The two boys who were raped were poor. They are the immigrant children. Their parents are from Sri Lanka. If these boys had been rich, Connor never would have dared to give the child rapist probation. Connor could have given the predator 10 years, which is still not nearly enough for destroying two kids.
But again, Judge Connor does not believe in punishing adults who rape children. So what are we going to do about this? We have to do something.
In Vermont, public opinion forced Judge Edward Cashman, another loopy jurist, to up his sentence for a child rapist from 60 days to three years. You remember that the governor of Vermont, Jim Douglas, refused to get involved in the case and subsequently the Vermont legislature killed a proposed Jessica's Law. That is to Vermont's ever-lasting shame.
Will Ohio behave the same way? "Talking Points" is asking all Americans to get in touch with Ohio Governor Bob Taft and urge him to drive action against Judge Connor. You can reach Governor Taft by going to billoreilly.com where we have established a link directly to his office.
Those of you living in Franklin County, Ohio, where Connor presides, we urge you -- urge you -- to sign a petition to remove him. Again, billoreilly.com will have that information.
Ladies and gentlemen, enough is enough. We all have to get involved and send a message to every judge in America. Child rape is a brutal crime that must be punished harshly. Ignore that dictum at your peril.
That's "The Memo."

 

[toonertoo]

Good job, Moreluck. Did you hear the child on Oreilly tonight? he was afraid because it was a family friend who had helped them so much. Ruled them by fear and intimidation. Low life buddy*.

 

[moreluck]

WAY TO GO OHIO FOR PASSING JESSICA'S LAW !!