In January 2013, Rodriguez visited the family home after Ms Garcia reported Gabriel had been shot in the face with BB gun. You can unsubscribe at any time. He whispered to Garcia that he didnt know what to say when they asked what had happened. I still have nightmares. About 74,700 openings for social workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Afterward, Pearl found Gabriels sister Virginia on the edge of her bed, where shed sat frozen throughout the beating. The woman they knew was profane, ill-tempered, and prone to yelling at clients. Check for a confirmation email, and then you're all set with MyNewsLA.com! Payments for Straight and Premium Overtime. Pearl and Aguirre asked no questions and offered no pleasantries. Dixon and Hathaway-Sycamores also handled the very similar case in 2018 when 10-year-old Anthony Avalos died after his mother and her boyfriend abused him. Martinez called his own supervisor and was told the same: Thats not your job. Each of the four defendants, she said, should have noticed that Gabriel was in danger and filed a petition for his removal from the home, or at least ordered a medical examination. Likewise, detectives must forward allegations of romantic-partner abuse to prosecutors whether or not they recommend criminal charges. HBO 2020 release schedule: Whats new on HBO in March 2020? She had lost custody of a son named Arnold Jr and had abandoned her youngest daughter, Destiny. His eyes were swollen, his face dotted with bruises. But doing so requires a highly trained workforce with the resources to carry out a thorough investigation in every case. Business . The appellate court could also dismiss the charges or reduce them to misdemeanors. Its destroyed a lot of lives. Garcia lost hope that DCFS would offer any rescue. Express. In July 2015, according to Los Angeles Times, prosecutors looked into giving both Fernandez and Aguirre the death penalty to repent for their horrific actions. Almost three years had passed since Gabriels death, and many people had all but forgotten that a criminal review was under way. Social Work Intern Sarah Vretas, M.A., LPC Clinical Fellow Mariah Willis, B.A., CT Clinical Counseling Intern Counseling and Consultation Service - Office of Student Life CCS Main Office: Younkin Success Center (4th Floor), 1640 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201 . This in addition to other instances of violent physical, mental, and emotional child abuse. After school, Garcia called the countys child-abuse hotline. Stefanie Rodriguez. invisible stranding in knitting. With Pearl again present, Gabriel said that the little bruises on his face had formed after he fell while playing tag with his brother and sister. Sadly, Gabriel Fernandez was subjected to months of brutal torture at the hands of his mother Pearl and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre. On file we have 129 email addresses and 83 phone numbers associated with Stefanie in area codes such as 813, 347, 718, 281, 256, and 32 other area codes. Hed been living with his maternal grandparents, with whom he was close, but his mother, Pearl Fernandez, wanted Gabriels welfare benefits, so she brought him to live with her for the first time in his life, over his grandparents strenuous objections. Contact Stefanie, search articles and Tweets, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place. I wanted to go there and hold his hand and say, Youre going to be okay. ( Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The card was shaped like a house and said Open the door to see who loves you. He pasted his picture inside. Advocates for family preservation have at times lamented that they lacked the kind of horror stories that could galvanize support for their position. According to DCFSs internal investigation, neither Rodriguez nor Bom reviewed the information related to these calls. The sheer number of rules caused many workers to consider them just suggestions that no human could ever fully absorb. But the Palmdale branch couldnt afford to be picky. The two 29-year-old women locked eyes in uneasy silence. It had expanded because of the funding changes instituted during the Bush administration. Despite the softwares assessment, Merritt had recently signed off on a request to close the case, satisfied that Gabriel was safe. Garcia called Gabriels caseworker, Rodriguez, on two different numbers and left messages. Its not part of your duties.. Neither got far past the idea stage. Doctors took him off life support on May 24, 2013. LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge dismissed charges against social workers who were accused of child abuse and falsifying records related to the death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez. DCFS has since made some vital improvements: It has hired more than 1,000 additional caseworkers, provided staffers with much-needed smartphones, introduced new training methods, and tightened the standards for acceptance into the Voluntary Family Maintenance program. Garcia told the court Gabriel showed up with chunks of hair missing and bloody scabs on his head. She decided to call Rodriguez again, and again got voicemail. Case dismissed against social workers charged in death of . Additionally, all four were fired from their jobs following an internal investigation into the group's actions leading up to Gabriel's death on May 23, 2013. Yet she also noticed that ideas came easily to Gabriel, and he seemed to gain a small measure of dominion over his surroundings with a pencil in hand. At recess someone lent him a baggy boys shirt to cover himself. Prosecutors allege Rodriguez and later Clement the latter took on the case after Garcia was shot in the face falsifiedrecords. Once, when another student was struggling with a reading assignment, Gabriel jumped in to help her, pushing her to take another look and keeping her well after the other kids finished. That changed in 2001, with the case of Logan Marr, a 5-year-old girl from Maine whod been removed from her home by the states grossly interventionist child-protective-services agency. Still, Pearl received custody of Gabriel. He died two days later. An unfiltered extrovert known as Mama Starr, she put Merritt, a stoic introvert, at ease. An arrest warrant filed March 28 identifies the four Los Angeles social workers as Stefanie Rodriguez, 30, Patricia Clement, 65, Kevin Bom, 36, and Gregory Merritt, 60. Pearl Fernandez had a history of mental-health problems, which gave the family two points. Merritts attorney even accused Gabriels teacher, Jennifer Garcia, of not doing enough to protect him, because she had followed Rodriguezs instructions to call her directly when she had concerns. In 2006, Sanders left the agency for the powerful Casey Family Programs, a $2.4 billion foundation that provides assistance to child-protective-services agencies nationwide. It was stated that there was no probable cause connected to child abuse or falsifying documents in a 2-to-1 opinion. Stefanie Rico, Registered Social Worker, Toronto, ON, M4V, (647) 492-8197, Stefanie works with youth and adults experiencing diverse mental health needs, most often supporting individuals in the . She became a caseworker in her 50s, after spending much of her career as a counselor at the church where her husband was a pastor. Unprecedented charges against L.A. County social workers were filed following the death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez. It will always be Gabriel's number. Gabriel has a black eye, there were lumps on the back of his head, and his skin was almost yellow. The jurors deliberated for five hours before finding Aguirre guilty of torture and murder. The next day, Pearl Fernandezs attorneys proposed a deal to accept life in prison without the possibility of parole or appeal if the prosecution would agree to drop its push for the death penalty. In 2016, Stefanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement, two former LA County social workers, as well as two supervisors, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt, were charged with one felony count each of child abuse and falsifying public records. That means every day I live before the face of God, and thats what keeps me sane.. Social workers Stefanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement and supervisors Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt are charged with felony child abuse and falsifying public records in the 2013 beating and torture. His skin was almost yellow, like hes been starving or something.. Wellington, Wellington Region, New Zealand, Senior PR and Communications Officer - British Consulate General Sydney, Information Technology Service Management Analyst, Manager, Corporate and Marketing Communications, SSC Malaysia - Finance Team Lead - Bill & Pay, Techtronic Industries Australia & New Zealand, Volt - International (An Innova Solutions Company). Instead, she said the one thing she thought he could count on: One day, youre going to be 18. For Jennifer Garcia, the 201213 school year was off to a disappointing start. After the death of Gabriel Fernandez, LAC DCFS terminated four social workers for their failure to help him. stefanie rodriguez social worker nownyproduktion mlnlycke. Name. Garcia threw it in the trash in disgust and frustration. Children's Social Worker (CSW) The representative who works with the family who is in receiving services from the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Lomeli also handled the social worker case and in 2018 had denied a motion to dismiss the charges, saying the boy's death was "foreseeable.". Later investigations revealed Rodriguez had never received information which showed Pearl Rodriguez had abused and neglected her other children. Track SoCal rain with LIVE Megadoppler 7000 HD, DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES. A three-justice panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal issued an opinion Monday directing a lower court to dismiss child abuse and other charges against four social workers in the killing of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez. The filing followed the Palmdale boys death in May 2013 from a beating by his mothers boyfriend and reports of months of torture prior to that. ' in reference to the social worker. The Family Preservation unit would now be expected to send a caseworker to the Fernandez home every two weeks, and to supplement those visits with family and individual counseling sessions. Visit the Career Advice Hub to see tips on interviewing and resume writing. A red eye; his face, neck, and ear marked and bruised; his forehead skin was peeling. In 2018, after Pearl and Isauros sentencing, prosecutors opened an investigation into the four social workers who had been assigned to Gabriels case. But Browning, who left the department in 2017, acknowledged over email that these reforms could not guarantee that the department wouldnt see another death like Gabriels. Their case marks one of the few times social worked have been charged in a child abuse case in the US. You survived. Social worker Stefanie Rodriguez and other representatives of child protection agencies visited Gabriel's home on a number of occasions. Multiple calls had been made to the child-abuse hotline, but a caseworker ended the investigation after Anthony recanted his claims of abuse. Patricia Clement and Stefanie Rodriguez were discovered to be two of the social workers who had neglected their responsibility. Aguirre pleaded not guilty, however, the jury found him guilty and recommended he be sentenced to death. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. In my opinion, no crime was committed and I did not commit a crime., The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez is streaming on Netflix now. As he read on, Merritt learned that Gabriel had written suicide notes. The case became the subject of a PBS documentary, and media attention made Logan a symbol of child-protective services overreach. The disclosed employee information includes last name, first name, middle initial name, position title, department, fiscal year, earnings and benfits. Pearl ordered her 11-year-old daughter to help them clean blood off the floor. In the end, it all added up to very high risk, meaning that the caseworkers had no choice but to promote the case for further attention. We processed them for discharge, he said. All he knew was that Gabriel was old enough to be in school, which meant he had teachers who were required by law to report signs of abuse. If. Did he ever have to eat anything weird? Hatami asked. Learn More{{/message}}. In 2010, a department study showed that the evidence caseworkers gathered was often insufficient to accurately judge a situation. Find Stefanie Rodriguez's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading people search directory for contact information and public records. Overall employment of social workers is projected to grow 9 percent from 2021 to 2031, faster than the average for all occupations. An investigation into the eight-month period leading up to his death discovered that his mother doused him with pepper spray, locked him in a closet with a sock forced in his mouth, and forced him to eat his own vomit. The haircut? and upload a portfolio of your best work. As time went on and new injuries kept appearing, I started to feel like nothing was happening (with the case), Garcia testified. Dice is the leading career destination for tech experts at every stage of their careers. To fill it, the department required new recruits to start thereincluding Stefanie Rodriguez, who sat in a cubicle within earshot of Merritt. When the paramedics arrived, Ezequiel guided them wordlessly inside. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. If the case went to trial and Rodriguez, Clement, Bom, and Merritt had been found guilty, they could have faced up to 10 years in prison each. Justice Francis Rothschild wrote: We conclude that the petitioners never had the requisite duty to control the abusers and did not have care or custody of Gabriel for purposes of Penal Code section 273a, subdivision (a). Former colleagues told me he now mows lawns. When Barbara Dallis, one of the departments assistant regional administrators, showed up at Merritts desk that morning asking for the Gabriel Fernandez case file, he didnt immediately understand that something terrible had happened. . After they found the file and Dallis left, Merritt said a silent prayer for the boy. t Summerwind Elementary, the weeks dragged on. She had abandoned her youngest child, a daughter named Destiny, and lost custody of a son named Arnold Jr., who was a year older than Gabriel. Rodriguez never went to the school or talked to the neighbors. Well, yeah, she told him, recalling that she herself had been spanked as a child. In late April, Gabriel appeared in class looking worse than Garcia had ever seen him. We have been six years fighting this battle," says the boy's cousin Olivia Rubio. His new address meant a new school, too. In a gruesome twist, Logan was placed in the custody of a former caseworker, who disciplined her by gagging her with duct tape and leaving her in the basement, where she died. BB pellets pockmarked his skin. Fernandez pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty and received a sentence of life in prison without parole. Rodriguez was able to answer the programs multiple-choice questions based almost entirely on information that had been logged into the agencys files before she began her investigation. Get email updates for new Licensed Clinical Social Worker jobs in Chevy Chase, MD. Breaking news for Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. It was a calling. His loyalties were with his colleagues in the branch office, the ones who would gather for after-hours parties known as howls, where theyd hoot and holler, with bonfires and country musica release valve for the stresses of a difficult job. The girl later said that her mother asked her to help soak up blood from the floor. SOURCES: The Atlantic | LA Times 1 | LA times 2 | LA Times 3 | LA Daily News | Oprah Magazine | NBC LA | ABC | Bom et al. There were cigarette burns on his neck, feet, and genitals and ligature marks on both ankles. Reid took detailed notes, and Garcia soon received a phone call from Stefanie Rodriguez. As a general rule, caseworkers worry most about children who arent seen by people outside the home. In California, the downturn in foster care began even before Logans death, and was steeper than the national one. He told Le Norgant that he was serious. The case made against the four social workers never made it to trial. students of physics. Gabriels grandmother objected, telling deputies that Pearl neglected and abused her children. Neither Rodriguez nor Bom thought the bruise warranted a doctors visit or Gabriels removal from the home, though they did ask Pearl and her boyfriend to undergo drug testing the next day, because of Garcias report that Gabriel had demonstrated how to snort cocaine. Wake Forest, NC 27587 Gabriels mother, Pearl, was already known to the authorities following previous child abuse-related incidents. Towards the end of January, when Gabriel came to class, there was no more laughing. Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt were their supervisors on the case. Reid took detailed notes, and Garcia soon received a phone call from Stefanie Rodriguez. he temperature outside was already in the 80s on the morning last fall when Ezequiel and Virginia testified in Isauro Aguirres murder trial. This time, the caseworker didnt pick up or call back. County Pension (Defined Benefits) Contributions. It became his mantra. Le Norgant informed social worker Patricia Clement and Palmdales LAC DCFS supervisor Greg Merritt. For other inquiries, Contact Us. His father, Arnold Contreras, was in and out of jail but thought Gabriels maternal grandparents would be watching over him. Three weeks later, on a Tuesday, Rodriguez returned for a follow-up visit. During the seven months when caseworkers were ostensibly watching over Gabriel, evidence of his abuse steadily accumulated. During the trial, it was revealed that Gabriel had been starved, kept in handcuffs, shot with BB guns, doused with pepper spray, forced to eat his own vomit and locked in a cabinet with a sock stuffed in his mouth to muffle his screams. Gabriel told her he had fallen off his bike and begged her not to send him home early. The psychologist replied that there were no services available and provided a brochure that Garcia could send to Gabriels mother on how to cope with behavioral problems. All rights reserved. For PR Pros . They were informed of suicide notes written by Gabriel but they took no additional action. Gabriels attendance was sporadic. They turned to the tools they used regularly on him: a BB gun, pepper spray, coat hangers, and a wooden baseball bat. Pearl Sinthia Fernandez was sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading to first-degree murder and admitting the torture allegation. His hair cut was awful and sloppy, and chunks of his scalp had scabbed over. They would later become the second and third workers, after Merritt, to be charged with child abuse and falsification of records. After school, Garcia made yet another call to Rodriguez. She then called Pearl Fernandez to pick Gabriel up. The documentary looks into the failures of the Los Angeles County DCFS system. I could hardly walk. They have also lived in Springtown, TX and Bridgeport, TX. Management had to impose a ban on transfers out just to keep the branch staffed. But the pressures of the job, she said, pushed her out anywayshe went on extended medical leave and eventually agreed to retire. Her 8-year-old son Gabriel fell and hit his head on a dresser, and now he wasn't breathing. In a 2-1 opinion, the three-justice panel concluded there was no probable cause to hold the two social workers and their supervisors on the charges. Merritt told me that despite Clements weaknesses, he had to rely on her to be his eyes and ears, so he signed off on her recommendation without reading the file. This button displays the currently selected search type. Each week, O'Connell Rodriguez answers some super common and everyday questions about . The card, shaped like a house, said Open the door to see who loves you with his picture glued inside. Thats why its so crushing to see him treated this way, she said. Two years before Gabriel was born, Pearl was investigated after she and Gabriels older brother were in a car accident where her son suffered a head injury because he wasnt wearing his seatbelt. Still, Mondays events nagged at Garcia. She didnt want to tell him everything would be okaythat felt like it might not be true. But, as Garcia later recalled, before Gabriel drew near, the principal told him, Its okay, son. This created a financial incentive to reduce the use of foster care. / KCAL News. She later learned that Gabriel had been declared brain-dead by the time shed called. In January, the Palmdale teacher testified that she reported Gabriels physical injuries as well as his allegations that the injuries were at the hands of his mother. They could have communicated with one another better, or pulled up the case history in the computer system. But when she told Steve Reid, the caseworker who answered, about the belt buckle and the blood, he said, Okay. She returned a few minutes later, saying she had been ordered not to get involved. Under California law, teachers must report any suspected child abuse, but even those who report are not always heard. She was impressive in many waysdeeply empathetic, very thoroughand had even been a foster child herself. Garcia thought they seemed hardened and meanpossibly dangerous. On November 26th, 2012 Gabriel showed up to class late. She was a 27-year-old newcomer with a bachelors degree in psychology and no academic credentials in social work. Two social workers, Stefanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement, as well as two of their supervisors, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt, were each charged with one felony count of child abuse and falsifying public records. Some of his teeth had been knocked out. The information disclosed includes compensations paid to employees of Los Angeles County in the form of earnings and fringe benefits. Most agencies dont have those resources. Judge Lomeli denied an automatic motion to reduce the jurys recommendation of a death sentence for Aguirre to life in prison without the possibility of parole, citing the repeated beating, binding, burning and starving of Gabriel. Mind your own business. he next day, the principal at Summerwind called Garcia into his office to tell her that Gabriel was dead. The prevalence of bone fractures, brain bleeds, and other injuries linked to caregivers showed that beatings were a recurring aspect of family life in many homes. This investigation was ongoing when Gabriel died. Martinez told Pearl to quiet down. Learn More{{/message}}, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. Workers is projected to grow 9 percent from 2021 to 2031, faster than the average for all occupations other... Them wordlessly inside 27587 Gabriels mother, Pearl, was already in the computer system which showed Pearl Rodriguez abused! 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