She said yes because some parents spank their children, but asked him again about it at recess. We have been six years fighting this battle," says the boy's cousin Olivia Rubio. 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. Garcia asked what had happened. 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. You do it like this, he said, holding his nostril as if he were snorting a line. Pearl Sinthia Fernandez was sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading to first-degree murder and admitting the torture allegation. She visited again two weeks later, and wrote that Pearl Fernandez described herself as the victim of a mother who never showed any real love or positive feelings about her. Clement noted that Pearls boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, was a very pleasant person. Despite Gabriels steady absences, Clement wrote: The children are attending school regularly and doing well., Soon after Clements first visit, Gabriel wrote several notes saying that he wanted to kill himself. Counselor Barbara Dixon testified that while working at Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services, which handled Gabriels case, she did not report suspected abuse despite being legally required to report these suspicions. The NPI number of this provider is 1396366688 and was assigned on April 2020. He walked into class with his head down. 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. Is it normal for moms to hit their kids? he asked. ast September, I arranged a ride-along with caseworkers from the Palmdale office of the Department of Children and Family Services. View our online Press Pack. See full bio . The appellate opinion noted that although they may have failed in their duties as social workers there was no probable cause for a criminal case. LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Unprecedented charges against Los Angeles County social workers were filed following the death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez of Palmdale. In June 2018, Lomeli sentenced Isauro Aguirre to death for the boys first-degree murder and a special circumstance allegation of murder involving torture. Justice Victoria Gerrard Chaney concurred that the four could not be charged with child abuse, but wrote a dissent arguing that they could be prosecuted as public officers under the relevant government code section. But, as Garcia later recalled, before Gabriel drew near, the principal told him, Its okay, son. Stephanie joined the Alliance in 2015. Isuaro and Pearl even pepper sprayed Gabriel the night before he died. On the wall behind the jury box, dark oily blotches had formed over the years behind the heads of countless weary jurors. Stefanie Rodriguez. Even though the server responded OK, it is possible the submission was not processed. He saw that a caseworker had used a computer program to score Gabriels likelihood of being abused. After school, Garcia called the countys child-abuse hotline. For years, Greg Merritt would call headquarters for help on a case only to be told hed reached the wrong office, because the person who answered didnt know that Palmdale was in Los Angeles County. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office had filed the charges of child abuse and falsifying records against social workers Stefanie Rodrigez, 35, and Patricia Clement, 59, as well as . DON'T MISSGabriel Fernandez: Who is Michael Lemos Carranza? But the pressures of the job, she said, pushed her out anywayshe went on extended medical leave and eventually agreed to retire. When her students arrived, she braced herself to give them the news. Select this result to view Stefanie Denise Rodriquez's phone number, address, and more. But a senior child-abuse prosecutor told me that if the victim is a child, a quick log entry will suffice. Four Los Angeles County social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, 30; Patricia Clement, 65; Kevin Bom, 36; and Gregory Merritt, 60 have been charged with child abuse and falsifying public. None of the Gabriel Fernandez social workers faced trial. Executive Business Partner at Lyft . He rarely went outside during recess, and when he did, Garcia sometimes saw him alone on the playground, kicking a wall. He was a devout Christian, and to him this wasnt just a job. 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 . Scalp, Face, Neck, Ears and Shoulder Injuries Documented at Trial (diagam) | Autopsy Injury Diagram (drawing). His one solace was a mens group at church, where he felt he was able to make his case to a higher power. This time she reached her, and pressed her about what she was doing: How did Pearl Fernandez explain the injuries? No one could protect them alland he felt frustrated that both administrators and the public expected him to do the impossible. Other Payments such as Shift Pay, Allowances and Bonuses. 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. Chippewa Valley Museum in need of Summer volunteers. Prosecutors are holding four Los Angeles County social workers criminally responsible and have charged them with child abuse. The other children were silent. 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. Shed spent the summer preparing to teach fourth grade at Palm Tree Elementary, in the high-desert town of Palmdale, north of Los Angeles. Prosecutors argued the four minimised evidence of abuse and violated multiple policies. Whether he tried or even had time to follow up on this claim is unknown. This fall, Merritt and three of his colleagues will stand trial for criminal charges of falsifying records and child abuse, which carry up to 11 years in prison. A familys prior history is one of the most reliable measures of the need for future intervention, and in the past 10 years, at least four hotline calls had been made alleging that Pearl Fernandez was neglecting or abusing her children. They reportedly moved to Des Moines soon after their wedding. Yet, despite the obvious and visible signs of abuse, documentation by both Rodriguez and Clement downplayed the injuries. Administrators admit that prioritizing one of these goals over the other is a false choicetheyre supposed to be able to protect children in danger without unnecessarily splitting up families. Cigarette burns covered his feet and genitals. Garcia called the principal to have him look at Gabriels head. In her notes, she reported that shed observed the children to be appropriately dressed, visibly healthy, and did not have any marks or bruises., The following week, Garcia made multiple calls about Gabriels haircut and busted lip. We have, in effect, encouraged DCFS and its social workers to cover their tracks if they stumble on the cracks in the system.. In 2017, social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, Patricia Clement, and supervisors Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt, were charged with child abuse and falsifying public records. Apply via Dice today! Browning believed the field of child-abuse prevention needed a set of reforms similar to those that had been introduced throughout the country to better address domestic violence of romantic partnerssuch as mandatory-arrest laws, which require police officers to arrest an alleged perpetrator whenever there is probable cause, regardless of the victims wishes, and no drop prosecution policies, which mandate the prosecution of domestic-violence perpetrators whether or not their victims want to press charges. It is this [workers] assessment that mother is overwhelmed with her own emotional pain, she is unwilling to continue counseling at this time, Clement wrote. Found insideWith the introduction of new sections and additional information, the fourth edition should prove highly useful for the students. Reid took detailed notes, and Garcia soon received a phone call from Stefanie Rodriguez. / KCAL News. The law requires all reports to go through the hotline, the lawyer noted. The second best result is Stefanie Denise Rodriquez age 40s in Fort Worth, TX. Three weeks later, on a Tuesday, Rodriguez returned for a follow-up visit. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. He died two days later. One week before his death, Gabriels school, Summerwind Elementary, asked a sheriffs deputy to investigate, but he received the wrong address. Stefanie Rodriguez is an actress, known for Phil the Alien (2004). 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. In his view, caseworkers should get more oversight, not less. If. Your email address will not be published. She was right. But Judge Mary Lou Villar was not persuaded. It was a calling. Gabriel, did not directly physically abuse Gabriel and did not have the "duty" required by the child abuse charge. Any savings could be spent on programs aimed at keeping families intact. We further conclude that the petitioners were not officers within the meaning of Government Code section 6200," wrote Justice Francis Rothschild. She said she had been assigned to investigate and told Garcia to call her directly if she noticed anything suspicious in the future. Corona was only filling in that day and, though reluctant, talked to a supervisor who told her not to get involved. 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. Theres hardly a night I dont dream about the department, she told me. 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. READ MOREGabriel Fernandez: What happened to Gabriel Fernandezs parents? Whoops! "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). He pressed, and she reluctantly went to ask a supervisors permission. They could have properly documented Gabriels injuries. The pendulum swung, and the United States saw a nearly 25 percent drop in the number of children in foster care from 2002 to 2012. The question today is whether the felony counts against four social workers will be dismissed, reduced or stand. Gabriels mother, Pearl, was already known to the authorities following previous child abuse-related incidents. Stephanie Rodriguez. Silver Spring, MD. This in addition to other instances of violent physical, mental, and emotional child abuse. [INFO]Gabriel Fernandez: Is Pearl Fernandez still in prison? Dixon claimed she did report an allegation of sexual abuse by someone outside the home. When social workers interviewed him about that allegation, Pearl was present, and Gabriel took back each of his stories. His father, Arnold Contreras, was in and out of jail but thought Gabriels maternal grandparents would be watching over him. Debates over child-protective services often scramble traditional political divisions, and Casey Family Programs, which has championed a number of progressive causes, had powerful political allies in religious conservatives, who pushed George W. Bushs administration to limit government intrusion on parental authority. This investigation was ongoing when Gabriel died. RELATED: Uncle breaks silence on Gabriel Fernandez 7 years after his death. This created a financial incentive to reduce the use of foster care. It was Gabriel. Mind your own business. He finally admitted that Pearl shot him in the face with a BB gun. Let me stop you there. Garcia threw it in the trash in disgust and frustration. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. View Stefanie Rodriguez's business profile as Global Manager, Accounting at ALM. Gabriels grandmother told two sheriffs deputies that Pearl had a history of neglecting and abusing her children, but they didnt believe her. All rights reserved. Stefanie Lohaus. Sign in to create your job alert for Licensed Clinical Social Worker jobs in Chevy Chase, MD. arlene Starr, the worker who accepted Gabriels case into the Voluntary Family Maintenance program, was one of Greg Merritts closest confidantes at work. Aguirre would call him gay, punish him if he played with dolls, and even made Gabriel wear girls clothing to school. We just report what we see. Garcia called Rodriguez and left messages on two different numbers the caseworker had given her. But doing so requires a highly trained workforce with the resources to carry out a thorough investigation in every case. I tried to feel his heart, Aguirre said, and nothing is moving.. They did nothing. 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). Merritt was on antidepressants, and he rarely left the house. ' in reference to the social worker. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. This time, the caseworker didnt pick up or call back. She claimed to social workers that she had concerns about how he was being treated but family members say she wanted Gabriels welfare benefits. Usually, promoting a case meant petitioning a judge to mandate services such as rent stipends or anger-management classes for parents, or seeking a judges approval to place the child in foster care. That would be reportable. She also told Reid that during Red Ribbon Week, when teachers talked about staying away from narcotics, Gabriel had announced that cocaine was a drug. [INFO]White House Farm ending: Where are they now? (In 2013, Los Angeles County had roughly 3,000 caseworkers and more than 200,000 calls to its child-abuse hotline.). On November 26th, 2012 Gabriel showed up to class late. He occasionally took books off the shelf, copied sentences in his own hand, and took them to Garcia. About 74,700 openings for social workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Her 8-year-old son Gabriel fell and hit his head on a dresser, and now he wasn't breathing. They each faced up to ten years in prison if found guilty. Gabriel suffered a fractured skull, broken ribs, a broken nose, and many missing teeth. Jennifer Garcia began calling social workers in 2012. But many of the children in his caseload had that designation. The therapist, a woman named Barbara Dixon who worked for an outside contractor, saw Gabriel often in the months leading up to his death and had grown concerned that he was being abused. For Jennifer Garcia, the 201213 school year was off to a disappointing start. Stefanie Guerrero is a provider established in Raleigh, North Carolina and her medical specialization is Social Worker with a focus in clinical . Garcia felt reassured; the agency seemed to be taking the matter seriously. About STEFANIE M GUERRERO . Please apply today or contact me directly:Dana Laghezza Director, Practice Development LifeStance Health, Inc. (e) Dana.Laghezza @LifeStance.com (p)lt;br> We offer Licensed Therapists (LCPC, LCSW . Instead, Rodriguez walked a few cubicles away to consult with a caseworker named Darlene Starr in the Family Preservation unit, a small team led by Greg Merritt. Rodriguez made no entry in the case file to reflect the call. Rodriguez recommended that Gabriel and Pearl take part in Voluntary Family Maintenance, which allows children to remain in the home while the family works to resolve their issues. Contact Stefanie, search articles and Tweets, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place. I drove around aimlessly for a while and lost track of time.. The provider is registered as an individual and her NPI . But five years on, he believes he has the distance to see that he performed as well as anyone could have, under the circumstances. She remembered how hard hed worked on it, even after she told him he didnt have to. In that time, at least 143 children in Los Angeles County have died from abuse or neglect after having some prior history with DCFS.. Adding that the two should have better documented the escalating violence and lack of cooperation by the family. His new address meant a new school, too. As soon as a call came in from a hospital, caseworkers would be dispatched to interview any surviving siblings and remove them from the home. Like, You aint got nothing else to do? he told me. Looking for Stefanie Rodriguez online? The dismissal was long expected after an appellate panel ruled in January that the social workers should not face charges for failing to prevent the torture and killing of the Palmdale boy. His testimony lasted hours; he was unable to recall many details and had to constantly refer to transcripts of prior testimony. Pearl and Aguirre eventually called 911. Again, information traveled in one direction: Rodriguez wouldnt tell Garcia what she was doing to protect Gabriel, or whether she planned to remove him from his home. He did, and he labored over every detail. Payments for Straight and Premium Overtime. The charges against the four social workers will be dropped Thursday, the Los Angeles County district attorneys office said. She later learned that Gabriel had been declared brain-dead by the time shed called. I wanted to go there and hold his hand and say, Youre going to be okay. But when she told Steve Reid, the caseworker who answered, about the belt buckle and the blood, he said, Okay. If you spent time with Pat, you just knew.. Schlesinger has heard these stories before: "A baby boomer, who's maybe taken on their kids' debt and gotten their kids through college, but has come up short and is 60, 63 years old and says, I guess I'll just have to work forever," she says. Find contact's direct phone number, email address, work history, and more. Stefanie Rodriguez, 35; Patricia Clement, 69; and their respective supervisors, Kevin Bom, 41; and Gregory Merritt, 64, were charged in 2016 with one felony count each of child abuse and. She believed in the mission of the Family Preservation unit, and tried to see herself in the shoes of her adult clients and become more tolerant and understanding. He called 911, but the operator said the situation didnt sound like an emergency and gave him the number for nonemergencies. Its over now. But the operator wouldnt give her any information. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. Social worker Stefanie Rodriguez and other representatives of child protection agencies visited Gabriel's home on a number of occasions. The court stated: Although there may be consequences to social workers who fail to fulfil their duties, the consequences do not include criminal liability for child abuse., In the documentary, Merrit said: Those of us who were working the case seems to have done what we could have done. At recess someone lent him a baggy boys shirt to cover himself. You survived. The case made against the four social workers never made it to trial. Reid took detailed notes, and Garcia soon received a phone call from Stefanie Rodriguez. Yet time and again, caseworkers from child-protective services failed to help him. 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