They say Blucker exerted pressure on the Washington County DHS office on behalf of Justin Harris to facilitate the adoption. Harris is vice chairman of the panel. In reality, when they are doing it in these illegal ways, whatit is is child abandonment and neglect, Lestino said. He then added: 'You don't know what we've been through this past year. He said he thought hed found the perfect solution in handing the girls over to Stacey Francis, a longtime friend of his wifes, and her husband, Eric Cameron Francis. Now imagine that happening three different times. March 12, 2015 8:00 am. Therapeutic foster parents are trained to deal with the intense demands of traumatized children and nudge them toward healing and bonding with intentional, careful steps. See Photos. Our daughters are a precious gift from God and truly a blessing to each one of our lives and our extended family and friends. Wallis left DHS in fall 2012. Reuters An Arkansas state legislator who sent his adopted daughters to live at the home of a former. Contact info Agent info Born in Hollywood FL, Justin R Harris, from a diversely mixed background of German with Jamaican influence; black American. The child abuse hotline soon thereafter received a call from an individual concerned for the girls safety, and investigators found the children in the care of a woman in a house with multiple adults who tested positive for meth; one man at the home had been sexually abusing both Jeannette and Mary, and he is now serving a 120-year sentence. What happened next led to months of what the couple said were "terrified, sleepless nights" and a dispute about whether they should have taken the little girls in the first place. The Harts reject Harris claim that the family didnt want the oldest child. ABC News "20/20" has declined to name the biological mother and the three girls out of respect for their privacy. And they knew [Mary] had been sexually assaulted, and she would have some anger issues. The former DHS employee the Times contacted for this story independently confirmed this account of the Valentines Day meeting. The teen claimed she would watch the girls for a few hours every day after school for several months -- a length of time disputed by the Harrises. To both Young and the Harrises, it must have seemed like providence. As a legislator, Harris knew Blucker personally and has some influence over her budget. Thats something I didnt want for my girls. We're at our wits' end. In fact, a past DHS employee at the time came to us and confirmed that the plan at DHS was to seek abandonment charges if we returned the girls.. We had a dog, a little Bichon, that they were around all the time and there was never once any issue with her abusing an animal. Fired GMA host buys $650 David Yurman promise ring and slips it on Tiffany chain ahead of Amy Robach's 50th, as pals say they're 'more in love than ever', White House claims Americans are in a 'better position' under Biden and his economic plan is working - despite poll saying a record number think they are WORSE off in the last two years, Just 37% of Democrats want Biden to run in 2024 - and 62% of Americans think he's done 'little or nothing', damning new polls reveal: Voters are concerned by his gaffes and COUGHING. When DHS takes children from a home, its usually assumed to be temporary the eventual goal being reunification with the birth family but the agency will move to terminate parental rights if it determines the birth parents are unfit. The sisters were supposed to be moving out of neglect and chaos and into the stability of their forever home. Rep. Harris also said in that interview with Arkansas Onlinethat Francis and his wife had three adopted children that they obtained internationally, and that he trusted them as they had passed those background checks. The story first . The comments below have been moderated in advance. Justin Harris. This is God's plan. After several months with the eldest girl, who was 6 at the time of the trial period, the Harrises didnot finalizeher adoption due to her behavioral issues, Harris said at a news conference last week. Justin Harris was born on 1975, is a Preschool owner and operator. Mary and Annie stayed in the Harris home for no more than 14 months (not two years, as Harris said at the Friday press conference). Goldsborough said the exorcism was performed by specialists from Alabama who came to the house to orchestrate the event. The friend went on to sexually assault one. Cyber Monday: Save big on the Creative Cloud All Apps plan for individuals through 2 Dec. Justin Harris said they took Marys toys away from her at the suggestion of professionals from Ozark Guidance. The adoption involves three little girls, who ranged in age from 9 months to 4 years old when it started. The Harts also said the adoption was allowed to proceed despite their objections because of the direct intervention of Cecile Blucker, head of the Division of Children and Family Services, the arm of DHS responsible for child welfare. He also offered another explanation in an interview with Arkansas Onlinesaying: 'When our adoption became final, we went to the court, the whole family, exchanged teddy bears and everything - and it was like a light bulb suddenly flipped on for the girls. She called Justin and Marsha Harris to take her daughters. When news of the rape came out in April 2014 and Harris was questioned about his former employee, he told the Times hed fired Francis for a poor work record. Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, Thousands Support Creation Of Child Abuse Registry In Michigan, Canada's Trudeau Denies Report That Liberals Told To Drop Candidate Over China Ties, After Italian Migrant Boat Wreck, Police Arrest Three Alleged Traffickers, 14 Chinese Military Aircraft Tracked Around Country, China's Annual Parliament To Implement Xi's Tightening Grip. Asked about the death of the guinea pig, Wells, the Harrises lawyer, said via email, A family pet, which was a guinea pig, was crushed to death by one of the children. They played with my adopted son in my home.. So, sure, higher-ups will get into discussions about what is best and what is not., However, a source familiar with the workings of state-level DHS informed the Times that Blucker supposedly remarked in 2012 that Harris threatened to hold up the budget for the division if he didnt get to adopt those girls.. State officials also did not act when they learned that theHarrises had given the girlsto another family, according to the Times, until it was too late. Tweet. They said she exerted pressure on people in the local DHS team on Harris behalf. On Tuesday, shortly before this story went to print, Harris sharpened his accusations, telling KTHV-TV, Channel 11, that Blucker the states top official for child welfare knew he gave the girls to another family and did not report it. West Fork, Arkansas, is represented in state government by Republican Rep. Justin Harris. FOLLOW MORE IBT NEWS ON THE BELOW CHANNELS, IBT Fast Start - Let the best of International News come to you. Chelsey Goldsborough, who regularly babysat for the Harrises, said Mary was kept isolated from Annie and from the rest of the family. When asked if Blucker had prior knowledge of the rehoming, Webb, the DHS spokesperson, said the agency could not comment due to the confidentiality of adoption cases. Arkansas House Speaker Jeremy Gillam meanwhile said that Rep. Harris will face no repercussions for rehoming the two young girls. For about half of that time, from the end of 2012 to summer 2013, Goldsborough would babysit the Harris boys, Annie and, in an unconventional sense, Mary. Although the Francises also already had three children, just as the Harrises did, if Justin Harris worried that the girls might harm the Francises . Police only learned that Eric Francis had raped the girl because of an anonymous tip. The girls remained with the Francises until February or March of 2014 a month or two after Francis stopped working at the Harrises daycare. About us - Harris Residential. They never once called us.. The three sisters taken in by Justin and Marsha Harris had already lived with atoxic mixture of neglect and abuse. Harris also placed some of the blame on officials in the Arkansas Department of Human Services, whom he said misled them as to the abuse suffered by the girls. I'm appalled. Count 2: Felony Murder. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. Unless he gave them guns, they werent dangerous., He felt especially offended at Harris statement in the press conference thatthey had to medicate the middle child to prevent her from hurting her sister. He said Mary displayed only affection and kindness toward her younger sister. The idea that someone could use the foster care system to treat their adopted children like basketballs, tossing them from family to family is horrible. Why would anyone go to the trouble of adopting a child and then give the child away?'. They followed the techniques in a book called 'When Love Is Not Enough: A Parent's Guide to Reactive Attachment Disorder,' by Nancy Thomas, who is a recognized expert on therapeutic parenting techniques, said Jennifer Wells, the couples attorney. And in court, Cheryl Hart recalled, something strange happened: Everyone on the DHS team that had previously opposed the adoption changed their recommendations. The ex-wife of a Georgia dad on . DHS ultimately placed the child into a hospital after just a few months of living with the family, and the Harrises did not proceed with the planned adoption. Months later, the Francises transferred the girls to yet another family. He said DHS threat to charge him with abandonment could have cost him custody of his three biological sons (and, though he did not say so, could have cost him his business as well, Growing Gods Kingdom preschool). But parents cannot use normal parenting. Goldsborough also alleged the family would keep the middle child isolated in her bedroom for long periods of time and blast Christian music at her doorway to help keep away demons. An Arkansas state legislator who sent his adopted daughters to live at the home of a former employee, who in turn later sexually abused one of the girls, has defended his decision. He also mentioned Cecile Bluckers name, but this time not in a congenial context. Harris said the girls suffered from reactive attachment disorder, which led them to have social and emotional problems and become violent, according to the Times. Just rage, screamin' nonstop. He holds a Master's . And the Harts said they weren't the only ones who opposed the adoption. Justin Harris told 20/20, "We are Southern Baptist. Here was a young, desperate mother pleading for help, seeking a home for her three little lost girls. After one of the two younger girls crushed a family pet to death, Harris said, he and his wife were advised by a therapist, a psychiatrist and a pediatrician to remove the children from the Harris home. I never signed any parental rights away to DHS. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. Among them: two foster families who cared for the girls prior to the Harris adoption, the girls biological mother, a former DHS employee familiar with the proceedings and a former babysitter at the Harrises West Fork home. The former DHS employee confirmed this account. Republican Justin Harris, who gave away his two adopted daughters, aged three and five, to a man who later sexually abused one of them, is facing calls to resign State representative Justin. But regardless of the facts of this particular case, DHS is often culpable in failed adoptions, she said. Harris, who has three biological sons, said the eldest girl, who was eight, said she would 'kill everyone in the family'. They initially took in the third. Arkansas State Rep. Justin Harris and his wife held a press conference to address the fallout related to his adoption of three young girls. First, the children. Find your friends on Facebook. CC image courtesy of Flickr, Ivailo Djilianov.. 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