MSN News: Police: TV show reminded man that girl was in car

http://news.msn.com/crime-justice/police-tv-show-reminded-man-that-girl-was-in-car

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A child crying on the television show "Game of Thrones" jogged a foster parent's memory that he had left a 10-month-old girl inside a sweltering car while he and his partner smoked marijuana at their house, a police affidavit released Monday says.

Seth Jackson, 29, is charged with first-degree murder in the July 24 death in Wichita. No charges have been filed against his partner.
Police say the girl was inside the car with the windows up for more than two hours. It was around 90 degrees outside. An autopsy showed she died of hyperthermia due to heat exposure.
The affidavit says Jackson's partner told police that Jackson called that day to let him know he would be picking the 10-month-old up from the baby sitter after taking their 5-year-old adopted child to a doctor's appointment. Jackson told police that when he arrived home, he locked the car and went inside with his 5-year-old and the pizza.
Jackson's partner said he and Jackson watched one and a half episodes of "Games of Thrones" and smoked marijuana Jackson had picked up that day, according to the affidavit. The partner told police Jackson realized he had left the 10-month-old outside in the car when he heard a child crying on the TV show.
The men rushed outside, Jackson unlocked the vehicle and his partner removed the child.
The partner told investigators the girl was hot and stiff when he grabbed her from the car and carried her into the house. As he called 911, Jackson attempted CPR but could not get the child's mouth open, according to the affidavit filed by Wichita police detective Ryan Schomaker.
Officers who responded found Jackson still on the phone when they arrived, making calls and repeatedly stating, "I left her in the car, she's dead, she's dead," according to the affidavit.
Meanwhile, the girl was unresponsive and lying on her back on the couch. Firefighters moved the girl from the couch to the floor once they arrived and attempted to revive her.
Later in an interview at police headquarters, Jackson's partner told detectives he and Jackson had been foster parents to the 10-month-old girl since she was 2 weeks old. Police have not released the child's name and documents in the case only use her initials.
Although the girl died of hyperthermia, Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said the first-degree murder charge was warranted because the child died during the commission of an inherently dangerous felony, aggravated endangering of a child. The case is not charged as intentional murder.
In addition to the 10-month-old, who they were trying to adopt, Jackson and his partner had five other children in their care. They had three other foster children ages 3, 5 and 18, and two adopted children ages 5 and 7. The two younger foster children were visiting other relatives at the time the 10-month-old died.
Prosecutors and Jackson's attorneys agree the circumstances are entirely different than a widely publicized case in Georgia, where a father faces murder and child cruelty charges on suspicion of intentionally leaving a 22-month-old boy inside a hot car last month as he went to work.

Affidavit: Both Wichita foster parents smoking pot while baby in hot car

http://www.kansas.com/2014/08/04/3581618/affidavit-both-wichita-foster.html#emlnl=Afternoon_Headlines_Newsletter

By Tim Potter

The Wichita Eagle

 

Both foster parents of a 10-month-old girl who died after being left in a hot car were smoking marijuana while she remained in the vehicle outside, a Wichita police affidavit says.
The affidavit, filed in Sedgwick County District Court and released Monday, provides new details about what led up to the July 24 death, including that one of the foster parents realized that the baby remained in the car when he heard a baby crying on a television show they were watching.
They rushed outside, but her body was hot and already stiff, and she was unresponsive, the court document says.
Seth Jackson, 29, the parent who left the girl in the car according to police, has been charged with first-degree murder. The affidavit spells out the alleged facts upon which authorities are basing their prosecution of Jackson.
The affidavit, signed by homicide unit Detective Ryan Schomaker, gives this narrative: At about 6:41 p.m. July 24, officers were dispatched to an unknown call for police and arrived at 1525 S. Topeka and were let into the home by the other foster parent, identified in the affidavit by his initials. An officer saw Jackson on the telephone and the baby, identified as K.P.J., lying on her back on the couch and not breathing.
Wichita fire personnel arrived and moved the baby to the floor to use lifesaving techniques.
The other foster parent told the officer that he estimated that the baby had been left in the car about two hours. The other parent said he ran to the Dodge Charger, parked on the street, and found the baby in the back passenger seat and took her inside, where “they tried performing CPR but could not get her mouth open,” the affidavit says.
Another officer arrived and saw Jackson standing in the front yard. Jackson made about four phone calls and said, “I left her in the car, she’s dead, she’s dead.” Jackson told the officer that he had gotten home after getting the girl from the baby sitter in his silver Dodge Charger and picking up pizza, that when he arrived home, he locked the car and went inside with the pizza and a 5-year-old child, the affidavit says.
Jackson told the officer that after about two hours, he realized the baby had remained in the car, the document says. He and the other parent ran together to the car and carried the child inside.
Schomaker and Detective Robert Chisholm interviewed the other foster parent at police offices at City Hall and found out that he and Jackson had been foster parents to the baby since she was 2 weeks old. They also learned, according to the affidavit, that Jackson had taken a 5-year-old child to a doctor’s appointment scheduled for 2:30 p.m. that day. Jackson called the other parent at about 3:30 and told how the appointment went. Jackson told the other parent he was going to pick up the 10-month-old from the baby sitter and drive home, the affidavit says.
The other parent told the detectives that he had been working in the backyard and went inside, where he found Jackson. It was 4 to 4:15 p.m., and the other parent said he thought Jackson had just gotten home. They decided on leftover pizza for dinner and went into their room on the main floor and watched one and a half episodes of “Game of Thrones.”
The other parent told one of the detectives that “they smoked marijuana that Seth (Jackson) had picked up that day,” the affidavit says.
When watching the show, the other parent said, Jackson heard “a child crying on the television show and that is when Seth realized that K.P.J. was still inside the vehicle.” The other parent ran to the car as Jackson unlocked it from the front porch, reached in and unbuckled the baby from a rear car seat, the affidavit says.
The other parent said the girl “was hot to the touch and stiff when he grabbed her,” the document says. The 10-month-old was unresponsive. He called 911 while Jackson tried to do CPR.
A coroner’s official who did an autopsy on the girl listed the cause of death as “hyperthermia due to environmental heat exposure due to enclosure inside a vehicle outdoors,” the affidavit says.

Reach Tim Potter at 316-268-6684 or tpotter@wichitaeagle.com.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2014/08/04/3581618/affidavit-both-wichita-foster.html#emlnl=Afternoon_Headlines_Newsletter#storylink=cpy

 

DA: Foster father using marijuana when baby left in car

http://www.kansas.com/2014/08/01/3577493/da-foster-father-using-marijuana.html#emlnl=Afternoon_Headlines_Newsletter

Why doesn't the State do drug testing on foster placements??

Seth Jackson

By Tim Potter

The Wichita Eagle

The foster father charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 10-month-old girl who had been left in a hot car had been consuming marijuana earlier that day and went into the home to use more when he left her, District Attorney Marc Bennett said.
The disclosure came at a court hearing Friday afternoon in which Seth Jackson’s attorneys were seeking to modify his bond.
In giving some background for how prosecutors have approached the case, Bennett said that on the day of the child’s death, Jackson allegedly had been using marijuana in the morning and ran out.
Jackson had been transporting a 5-year-old and the 10-month-old. He allegedly went to a drug dealer’s house and bought more of the drug and went into the house to consume more marijuana, Bennett said.
Prosecutors believe Jackson was getting high during the 2 1/2 hours that the baby remained in the car, Bennett said.
Jackson, 29, was charged with first-degree murder Wednesday. The count alleges the girl’s death occurred within the commission of an inherently dangerous felony, according to the criminal complaint filed against him. The underlying crime alleged is aggravated endangerment of a child. The endangerment allegation means recklessly causing or permitting a child to be in a situation where his or her life is in danger, Bennett said Wednesday.
Also Friday, Judge Dave Dahl agreed to modify the conditions of Jackson’s $250,000 bond. The modification means basically that Jackson would have to pay a bondsman $5,000 instead of $25,000 to get out of jail.
Dahl also ruled that on or before Aug. 7, he would decide whether to release an affidavit that might provide more information about the allegations. The document, known as a probable cause affidavit, requires authorities to provide enough information justifying their case against a person. Neither the prosecutors nor the defense attorneys objected to the release of the full contents of the document.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2014/08/01/3577493/da-foster-father-using-marijuana.html#emlnl=Afternoon_Headlines_Newsletter#storylink=cpy

Reach Tim Potter at 316-268-6684 or tpotter@wichitaeagle.com.

Where Is Adam Herrman? $50,000 reward offered in Butler County disappearance of 11-year-old Adam Herrman

December 20

BY AMY RENEE LEIKER

The Wichita Eagle

EL DORADO — A $50,000 cash reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the disappearance of a Towanda boy in 1999, Butler County Sheriff Kelly Herzet announced Friday.

The reward is being posted by an anonymous donor who “would like to see some closure for the family” of Adam Joseph Herrman, Herzet said at a news conference in El Dorado.

Adam was 11 when he went missing, but authorities didn’t learn he had vanished until late 2008, when his older, adoptive sister shared concerns about him with law enforcement.

The boy’s adoptive parents, Doug and Valerie Herrman, did not report him missing. They later were declared suspects in the case by the county’s chief prosecutor, Jan Satterfield, who said the investigation could result in first-degree felony murder charges.

As of Friday, though, Adam’s whereabouts remain unknown to authorities. The last tip, Herzet said, came in months ago.

Adam would be 26 now.

“We’ve not had any contact with anyone who’s called and said, ‘Hey I’m Adam Joseph Herrman. I want to come talk to you,’” Herzet said. “It’s an open case here in Butler County, and we’re still trying to get to where we need to be to on getting some closure – finding him, his whereabouts, his remains, whatever it may be.”

He called the case “very frustrating.”

“We’re hoping with a reward, this might make somebody call.”

Anyone with information about Adam Herrman is asked to call the Butler County Sheriff’s Office at 316-322-4257 or 866-484-5924 or El Dorado Crime Stoppers at 316-321-1080.

Tipsters also can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s hotline at 800-THE-LOST (843-5678).

Doug and Valerie Herrman have not faced charges connected to Adam’s disappearance. They claim he ran away from the family’s Towanda trailer home after Valerie spanked him one night.

The couple have said they did not report him missing out of fear they would lose custody of their other children.

Relatives have said that the Herrmans told family that Adam, a home-schooled child, had been returned to state custody.

After learning of the disappearance, authorities dug for Adam’s body in the Towanda mobile home park where he’d lived but turned up nothing. A search of nearby wooded areas also yielded no clues.

In 2011, Doug and Valerie Herrman pleaded guilty to felony theft for continuing to accept a state subsidy to help them care for their adoptive son after he vanished. They were ordered to pay $15,488 in restitution — the amount they pleaded guilty to wrongly accepting — and a fine of $2,500 each.

The couple received the $700 monthly subsidy until Adam’s 18th birthday, in 2005.

Butler County District Judge David A. Ricke also ordered Doug Herrman to serve nine months in prison for the theft and gave Valerie Herrman a seven-month prison term.

Herzet, who was the lead investigator on the case before becoming sheriff that year, said at the time that he was “focused on working this case as a homicide.”

“The Herrmans still are, in my eyes, suspects,” he said in 2011, “and we’re going to continue to work the case as the leads come in, and I hope we can resolve the case in the very near future and arrests are made.”

On Friday, he echoed similar resolve.

“A lot of my detectives have pictures of Adam hanging in their office. He’s not going to go away, and the case isn’t going to go away.

“ ... Every time we get a lead or something comes up, one of the detectives assigned to the case jumps right on it, and we follow it through to the very end.”

Contributing: Tim Potter of The Eagle.

 Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/12/20/4704909/butler-county-sheriff-expected.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/12/20/4704909/butler-county-sheriff-expected.html#storylink=cpy

Brandon Blackmon, Court: Man deserves trial over use of restraints

Link to the lawsuit

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCOURTS-ksd-6_05-cv-01029/pdf/USCOURTS-ksd-6_05-cv-01029-3.pdf

"The court noted that the Supreme Court had held that the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of due process prohibits any punishment of presumptively innocent individuals awaiting trial. It said there is "ample evidence" in the case that the defendants at least sometimes used the chair to punish the boy"...."The problem is that the evidence also suggests that the boy was shackled to the chair for long stretches when there was no hint he posed a threat of harming himself or anyone else, according to the decision. On one occasion the boy was stripped out of his clothes and forced to wear a paper gown while restrained in the chair."

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2013/11/08/3104560/court-man-deserves-trial-over.html#storylink=cpy

Previous lawsuit

Kansas Reaches Settlement to Pay for CPS Abuse $875,000 "The Rev. Thomas Campbell, former vice president at St. Francis, predicted Blackmon “would be 'fresh meat’ and the 'target of sexual predators,’” court records say."http://kscpsabuselawsuit.blogspot.com/2009/07/state-agrees-to-pay-875k.html

State agrees to pay $875K "Blackmon, 23, alleged his civil rights were violated by SRS employees who had him sent to a residential facility serving adolescent male juveniles convicted of sex crimes. He also asserted SRS didn’t respond appropriately to abuse he suffered at the center." http://cjonline.com/news/state/2009-07-07/state_agrees_to_pay_875k

So What?? Judge Henderson wants the State to review adoption recommendations

Are people really that gullible to believe this story? http://www.kansas.com/2013/11/04/3097090/judge-asks-state-to-review-some.html#emlnl=Morning_Headlines_Newsletter

This looks more like a cover up as the state will investigate itself, it's contractors, the DA's who prosecute the cases for the state and the Judges. Does anyone really expect the state to find wrong doing? After all the state would then be liable.

What about Judge Henderson? 

Let's not forget the mother that was jailed and her child who was shackled

http://bhazenwasjailedmotherinsedgwickcounty.blogspot.com/

The family that filed a complaint against Judge Henderson 

http://taoprotectchildreninks.blogspot.com/2013/06/complaint-against-judge.html

Daniel Gilyeat vs Wyandotte County Unified Government

Kansas Marine Hero Loses Children To CPS

Kansas Foster Care IS Rampant With Secrecy, CoverUPS, Forced Illegal Services

Per the article below, SRS/DCF wants families who have complaints about Faith Builders to contact the State. I would contact Rick Plumlee at 316-268-6660 or rplumlee@wichitaeagle.com. Follow him on Twitter: @rickplumlee.

Can you really have faith in a system that falsifies records to steal children? Are you concerned that the State files allegations against parents to remove children, then places the children in State custody with an agency with no oversight? ""Gilmore she said that DCF doesn’t have a contract with Faith Builders. DCF contracts with St. Francis in the Wichita region to provide foster care and family preservation services, she said. St. Francis contracts with DCCCA, a Lawrence-based organization, which works directly with Faith Builders, she said.""

Does anyone really believe that SRS Secretary Phyllis Gilmore is going to do something about violations of children and parental rights when she was over the KSBSRB and refused to investigate social workers when parents and families made complaints to the KSBSRB? http://changingkansas.blogspot.com/2012/02/phyllis-gilmore-secretary-of-srscps-is.html

What about these legislators who have known about these issues and have done nothing to help children and families? Our State lawmakers have written laws that give immunity to State workers with no consequences for violations of law by these individuals. When Don Jordan was the SRS Secretary he was recorded in a closed meeting stating that the Sedgwick County DA Nola Foulston's office bullied social workers to alter records to place children in foster care. The State did an audit, found this to be true, then dropped the ball. What was the purpose of the audit and multiple hearings over the years except to cost the tax payers money and fund the legislators retirements.

As for Brownback, he made promises to improve the foster care system and failed. Under his watch, more children are being removed from their parents custody each year that he has been in office. At this point, anyone would be a better option than Brownback.

2008 March 18, 2008, SRS Secretary Don Jordan said the Social Workers were bullied into falsifying records: "But in Sedgwick County oftentimes we end up writing things because it's what our social workers get bullied by the district attorney's office ( Sedgwick County) into writing. So they really have no belief in what it says." "The reality comes down to, you send a 25-year-old social worker into a room with a 15-year county ADA who is willing to yell at them, cuss at them, scream at them and threaten them," Jordan said. Don Jordan said, “I am working on our staff that we do our assessments properly and we not get bullied into writing things we don’t believe” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2BhDnnC2x4
Jun. 08, 2008, Concerns arise over SRS files' validity, BY TIM POTTER, The Wichita Eagle ""For years, some families have complained that court documents filed by social workers that result in children being removed from the home have contained false or fabricated information. " Now, some say they have proof. The head of the state's child welfare agency was recorded in a meeting with a family advocacy group saying that Sedgwick County prosecutors have "bullied" social workers into putting information they don't agree with in affidavits....But critics of the state child custody system and some legislators say the remarks by Don Jordan, secretary of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, raise questions about the affidavits' validity. "" http://groups.google.com/group/alt.support.child-protective-services/browse_thread/thread/3db7b9c96116196d/8ae03d3a4852077d?lnk=gst&q=nancy+berry#8ae03d3a4852077d
Child removal inquiry's focus Posted: Friday, October 31, 2008 The Legislative Post Audit Committee last month approved the SRS probe after statements by SRS Secretary Don Jordan that the Sedgwick County prosecutors "bullied" social workers to put things in affidavits that they didn't truly believe. Jordan since has backed off those statements, and Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston has denied the accusation. But lawmakers still pushed for an investigation — saying they had heard such allegations even before Jordan's widely publicized statements. Senator Schodorf said she asked for the audit after Kansas Attorney General Stephen Six declined to investigate, citing Jordan’s retraction of his statements. http://cjonline.com/stories/103108/kan_350202188.shtml

For the current story, read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2013/10/24/3076954/kansas-dcf-halts-placements-with.html#emlnl=Morning_Headlines_Newsletter#storylink=cpy

Kansas DCF halts placements with foster-home operator Faith Builders pending review

 By Rick Plumlee The Wichita Eagle Published Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013, at 5:21 p.m.

Legislators criticize DCF for keeping report secret Results of internal review of Kansas agency for children, families won’t be disclosed DCF's letter to legislators In a letter to state legislators, the secretary of the Kansas Department for Children and Families said her agency wouldn’t place children at foster homes operated by Faith Builders until a review of ongoing concerns is completed.

Phyllis Gilmore wrote in the letter dated Thursday, “I want you to be aware that in an abundance of caution, I have instructed our contractors and sub-contractors to do no further placements with homes associated with Faith Builders.”

Faith Builders and its association with DCF’s regional office in Wichita became a topic of concern among legislators. Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, D-Wichita, contacted DCF staff in August, prompting the initial review.

She cited such concerns as the agency’s Wichita office directing children to Faith Builders’ foster care homes, improperly providing confidential information to Faith Builders and Faith Builders circumventing the court process on parental rights.

That review was completed and given to Gilmore on Oct. 10, but Gilmore would not release the results publicly, citing attorney-client privilege. That resulted in a bipartisan group of legislators calling for the review to be made public, which prompted Gilmore’s letter.

Theresa Freed, a DCF spokeswoman, said the letter was sent to eight legislators who have spoken publicly to the media about the issue. The letter will be sent to additional legislators, if they request it.

Diane Bidwell resigned last week as director of the Wichita office. DCF officials have said the resignation was voluntary.

Gary Ayers, attorney for Faith Builders, said Thursday he wasn’t aware of the content of the letter until a copy was provided by The Eagle.

“I was trying to reach our client,” he said. “I don’t know if Faith Builders has received any notification from DCF. This comes as a surprise.”

Ayers said Faith Builders has 25 foster homes in Wichita. Since it began operation in 2007, he said, it has helped many families by providing food, cribs, rent, furniture, respite and foster care.

When he met with the DCF investigator during the preliminary review, Ayers said: “We asked if Faith Builders had done anything wrong.

The DCF investigator said no. “The DCF investigator also indicated there had been no family complaints,” he added. “It seems the only complaint has come from a politician.”

Faust-Goudeau could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Gilmore said in her letter that the initial review has prompted her to request additional “work be done to address DCF’s association with Faith Builders.”

“I want to assure you, we are quickly and thoroughly reviewing each and every case in which Faith Builders has been involved,” she said. Information from the additional review will be shared with the legislators after it’s completed, she added.

Gilmore she said that DCF doesn’t have a contract with Faith Builders. DCF contracts with St. Francis in the Wichita region to provide foster care and family preservation services, she said.

St. Francis contracts with DCCCA, a Lawrence-based organization, which works directly with Faith Builders, she said.

Reach Rick Plumlee at 316-268-6660 or rplumlee@wichitaeagle.com. Follow him on Twitter: @rickplumlee.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2013/10/24/3076954/kansas-dcf-halts-placements-with.html#emlnl=Morning_Headlines_Newsletter#storylink=cpy

Results of internal review of Kansas agency for children, families won't be disclosed http://www.kansas.com/2013/10/18/3066320/results-of-internal-review-of.html

Legislators criticize DCF for keeping report secret http://www.kansas.com/2013/10/23/3074507/legislators-criticize-dcf-for.html

 DCF's letter to legislators http://media.kansas.com/smedia/2013/10/24/16/32/14wqUC.So.80.pdf

Wichita DCF Director Diane Bidwell Resigns At Same Time Her Office Is Being Investigated... Coincidence?

Diane Bidwell — who runs the DCF office in Wichita — and Rep. Forrest Knox in a photo posted on Twitter in early 2012 by the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.

"DCF officials in Topeka earlier this month confirmed that they were investigating complaints that the Wichita office was steering children at risk of entering the foster care system toward FaithBuilders, a faith-based group that some parents said was undercutting their efforts to be reunited with their children." "The accusations prompted Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, a Wichita Democrat, to ask DCF officials to investigate." read more here: http://www.hayspost.com/2013/10/15/head-dcf-official-in-resigns-amid-investigation/

Megyn Kelly With America Live Discusses Baby Sammy Wrongful Removal From Parents

116,991 Kansas Children "Served" In Out Of Home Placement Since 1997

http://www.dcf.ks.gov/services/PPS/Pages/FosterCareServiceFrequency.aspx

Where is Adam Herrman? Doug Herrman is incarcerated at the Ellsworth Correctional Facility

Where is Adam Herrman? Adam is the 11-year-old adopted son who disappeared from Valerie and Doug Herrmans’ Towanda home in 1999. The Herrmans never reported him missing, yet they continued to accept state money for his care. Valerie Herrman was sentenced to 7 months in prison (only served 6 months) for theft of $15,488 in state adoption subsidies.  http://www.kansas.com/2011/08/01/1957039/herrmans-face-prison-time-at-sentencing.html

Valerie Herrman was released on Jan 27th, 2012.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/82831684/Where-s-Adam-Herrman-Valerie-Herrman-Was-Released-From-Prison-Jan-27-2012

Doug Herrman is still incarcerated at the Ellsworth Correctional Facility. Earliest possible release date is March 20, 2012. This date could be affected by the parole board decision or good time and/or program credit.  

Adam born Irvin Groeninger III on June 8th, 1987 in Wichita, KS, his bio mother and father’s parental rights were severed by the Sedgwick County DA’s office, Nola Foulston.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/82869465/Where-is-Adam-Herrman-Doug-Herrman-is-incarcerated-at-the-Ellsworth-Correctional-Facility

Kansas Family Rights Coalition News Letters

Click on the links below:

Jan 2012 Kansas Family Rights Coalition News Letter

http://www.scribd.com/doc/80042764/Jan-2012-Kansas-Family-Rights-News-Letter

Feb 2012 Kansas Family Rights Coalition News Letter

http://www.scribd.com/doc/80043249/Feb-2012-Kansas-Family-Rights-Coalition-News-Letter

Boy stabbed with nail at the Wichita Children's Home

WICHITA — A 17-year-old boy was taken to Wesley Medical Center in serious condition this afternoon after he was stabbed with a nail in the chest at the Wichita Children’s Home.
Emergency dispatchers said Wichita police were called to the home shortly after 2:30 p.m. and found the boy with a nail impaled in his upper chest. The injury was not considered to be life-threatening, dispatchers said.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2012/01/28/2194237/boy-stabbed-with-nail-at-childrens.html#storylink=cpy

Teen Impaled In Chest With Nail

When officers arrived at the scene they found the teen walking down the street with the nail sticking out of the left side of his chest.

A teenager was hospitalized with serious injuries after he was found with a large nail impaled in his chest. Wichita police say the 17-year-old boy was found in the 800 block of North Holyoke Street around 2:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

When officers arrived at the scene they found the teen walking down the street with the nail sticking out of the left side of his chest. Officials say the victim was uncooperative and would not tell police what happened.

He was taken to a nearby hospital in serious condition. The incident is under investigation.

http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/Teen_Impaled_In_Chest_With_Nail_138266384.html

Kansas Family Rights Coalition News Letter January 2012, pg2

Kansas Family Rights Coalition News Letter January 2012

Lawrence, KS man hired to help Kansas children has been charged with sex crimes

Lawrence, KS man hired to help Kansas children has been charged with sex crimes, these crimes are against children that were placed by the court system in emergency care http://fox4kc.com/2012/01/13/counselor-for-homeless-teens-charged-with-sex-crimes/#ooid=tobGhhMzptcw2YhA8EQJ59WiObk6Khtl 

 

 

LAWRENCE, Kan. — A man who worked with troubled and homeless teens has been charged with sex crimes against two of the teens he was supposed to help.
Kirk Ferguson, 46, faces three charges including aggravated and indecent liberties with a child and criminal sodomy. According to police documents, the alleged crimes took place starting in October, when he was working at the Shelter, Inc. in Lawrence.
The shelter’s director, Judy Culley, told FOX 4 that Ferguson has been suspended from the organization.
The Kansas Attorney General’s office is handling the case, and at their request a judge on Thursday sealed almost all of the details in the case.
Loring Henderson, director of the Lawrence Community Shelter – which houses homeless families and is located just down the street from Shelter, Inc. – told FOX 4 that all agencies take precautions to ensure the safety of their workers and clients.
“We’re like all agencies that work with children, you try to make sure that you’ve done everything you can to be as thorough in your procedures to protect children who are present in your programs,” said Henderson, who says that while the charges are tragic, it’s important for the public to remember all the good these agencies provide. “I think that the general public understands that agencies certainly try and no one wants this kind of thing to occur.”
Henderson says that he did not know Ferguson and did not want to comment on the allegations, but he says that he has nothing but good things to say about Shelter, Inc., which has been providing services for children and families in Lawrence since 1981.
“I can say they’ve done tremendous good over the years they’ve been here for years serving the community of Lawrence and doing terrific programs,” said Henderson.

Glen Burdue, "Even one child needlessly traumatized or abused while in the SRS system is too many"

Jan. 3, 2012, Glen Burdue spoke before the South Central Legislative Delegation.

Glen asked the legislators for their support to provide new legislation to provide statistics and identify problems with child protective services.

Glen Burdue, "Even one child needlessly traumatized or abused while in the SRS system is too many". 

Protective Parent Valerie, "Children turned over to their sexual abuser, their father"

Jan 3, 2012, Protective Parent Valerie spoke on the wrongful removal of her children and how the state gave custody of her children to their abuser. Wichita Children's Home reported three times to EMCU and SRS that the children were being abused. The system has reinforced and helped the abuser retain custody of the children. Valerie's parental rights were severed for reporting what her children told her and professionals.

Marlene Jones, Penn State Sandusky Scandal Has Nothing On Sedgwick County

Jan. 3, 2012, Marlene Jones spoke before the South Central Legislative Delegation.

Marlene has been coming to the legislative forums for several years and speaking on the wrongful removal and failure to reunify the children with the parent.

Last year the citizens were told there was going to be a new committee to address these issues and that didn't happen.

Marlene requested that the legislators support and cosponser the protective parent act that will be reintroduced this year as protective parents are losing custody of their children after reporting abuse.