One day, he stole Garcias iPod and took it to his mom, trying to please her. His one solace was a mens group at church, where he felt he was able to make his case to a higher power. Get email updates for new Licensed Clinical Social Worker jobs in Chevy Chase, MD. They would later become the second and third workers, after Merritt, to be charged with child abuse and falsification of records. Scalp, Face, Neck, Ears and Shoulder Injuries Documented at Trial (diagam) | Autopsy Injury Diagram (drawing). The caseworker I shadowed was one of the new arrivals; she held the same job Stefanie Rodriguez had once had. (During this period, foster care was in such short supply that DCFS routinely used a conference room to house children overnight.) Mistakes were inevitable when department leaders and county politicians gave workers so little support, she said. During their trials, it came to light that Isuaro Aguirre forced Gabriel to eat spoiled food and cat feces as well as his own vomit, and locked him in a cabinet with a sock in his mouth and handcuffs around his ankles to sleep. As he read on, Merritt learned that Gabriel had written suicide notes. If found guilty, they will be among the first caseworkers from a child-welfare agency to go to prison for their lapses on the job. Little round bruises dotted his face. Such was the case with 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez and his first-grade teacher Jennifer Garcia. Gabriel at School Just Before Mother's Day. Despite their risk level being very high, Merritt manually changed the level to moderate and closed the case. The practitioner's primary taxonomy code is 1041C0700X with license number P014141 (NC). On May 23, 2013, this grim assembly line paused at Greg Merritts cubicle in the Palmdale branch office. (Le Norgant also called 911. Clement paid her first visit to Gabriels home on February 13, but her notes contain few details. Reid took detailed notes, and Garcia soon received a phone call from Stefanie Rodriguez. When the other children turned to look at him, they laughed and pointed at what they saw: Someone had haphazardly taken chunks of hair from his head, and scabs had formed on his scalp. A few days later, when Pearl Fernandez came in for a previously scheduled parent-teacher conference, Garcia propped the classroom door open, wary of being alone with her. He walked into class with his head down. Rodriguez made one last visit, on January 29, 2013, after Garcia reported that Pearl Fernandez had shot Gabriel in the face with a BB gun. Stefanie's work & advice has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Cosmopolitan, Glamour and Oprah Magazine. MORE: Palmdale woman, boyfriend sentenced in 8-year-old's torture killing. On Friday, December 20, the former Counting On star revealed she'd "chopped off" more than a foot of her long locks and she looks like a whole new woman. Even though the server responded OK, it is possible the submission was not processed. In 1962, the Journal of the American Medical Association published the results of the first national survey of hospitals about child abuse. Fernandez pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty and received a sentence of life in prison without parole. He died in the hospital days after the brutal attack. As we sat in her living room, she told me that working for Merritt had made the job tolerable; he always had her back, and would encourage her to take a lunch break or work from home when he sensed that the pressures of the job were getting to her. Track SoCal rain with LIVE Megadoppler 7000 HD, DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES. That means every day I live before the face of God, and thats what keeps me sane.. Rodriguez assured the teacher she would investigate, but matters got worse for Gabriel in November 2012. Garcia lost hope that DCFS would offer any rescue. Visit the Career Advice Hub to see tips on interviewing and resume writing. Meanwhile, the rate of child abuse remained steady during that period; according to a Yale study, at least one out of eight American children will be abused by age 18. Due to confidentiality rules, Rodriguez could say nothing. 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. By the departments own count, since Gabriels death, at least 143 children in Los Angeles County have died from abuse or neglect after having some prior history with DCFS. 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. At recess someone lent him a baggy boys shirt to cover himself. "We need to stand up to fight. 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. The social worker Garcia contacted, Stefanie Rodriguez, 31, another social worker, Patricia Clement, 66, and two of their supervisors, Kevin Bom, 37, and Gregory Merritt, 61, are now facing charges of one felony count each of child abuse and falsifying records in relation to this case. 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 . Speaking to The Atlantic, Rodriguez explained that during the time she supervised Gabriels welfare, other children in her caseload seemed to her to be in equal or greater danger.. Later investigations revealed Rodriguez had never received information which showed Pearl Rodriguez had abused and neglected her other children. Statistical mechanics is the theory underlying condensed matter physics. She delivered her testimony with plaintive wails and required frequent recesses to gather herself. Stephanie Rodriguez. In January 2020 California 2nd District Court of Appeals threw out the charges against the four former social workers. Social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, 35 and Patricia Clement, 69, and supervisors Kevin Bom, 41, and Gregory Merritt, 64, had each been charged with one felony count of child abuse and one felony count of falsifying public records. He said he couldnt work with people who had refused to help Gabriel. 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. But the consequences of needlessly separating children from their parents, while less visible, can be devastating too. He was 8 years old, and the signs of abuse were obvious. Corona then gave Martinez the familys name and contact information, telling Martinez to save this kid. He called DCFS twice, but could not navigate the automated system. Stefanie Rodriguez is an actress, known for Phil the Alien (2004). However, in November 2012, things appeared to get worse. Stefanie Rodriguez in Texas. This seemed like the perfect case for us, Starr told me. As Garcia started reviewing Gabriels progress, his mother blurted, I dont hit my kids.. ( Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. / KCAL News. Instead, she asked Gabriel whether he really wanted to do that days assignment: making a Mothers Day card. The information disclosed includes compensations paid to employees of Los Angeles County in the form of earnings and fringe benefits. Evidence at trial indicated months of beatings and torture. Around this time, Gabriel came to class looking even worse than he ever had before. They reportedly moved to Des Moines soon after their wedding. Username. Stefanie Rodriguez Found 287 people in California, New York and 39 other states View contact information: phones, addresses, emails and networks. Rodriguez told her that confidentiality rules prevented her from saying. This was deemed unfounded. Gabriel told the teacher that his mother hit him with belt buckle until he bled and asked whether such bleeding was normal. The petitioners actions here prevented the system from working in whatever way it might have had they done their jobs honestly, and offers no incentive for either DCFS or individual social workers to work to reform and repair the parts of the system that may fail the children it is intended to protect, Chaney wrote. RELATED: DCFS asks for public's help amid sharp drop in possible child abuse reports, Brunt of storm moving out of SoCal on Wednesday; showers will linger, Children jump for joy at seeing snow flurries in Canyon Country, RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan is denied parole for 16th time. Whether he tried or even had time to follow up on this claim is unknown. It's time to end gun violence now. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. - nbcnews.com. In a video shared to the Dillard family's. The charges against the four social workers will be dropped Thursday, the Los Angeles County district attorneys office said. He died. In her report, Rodriguez described the lesion on his lip as an open blister.. They additionally contend that supervisors Bomand Meritt knew or should have known that the reports were false as they contradicted physical evidence of Gabriels deteriorating physical health. Sign in to create your job alert for Licensed Clinical Social Worker jobs in Chevy Chase, MD. She reported that Gabriels face and hands had bruises from strikes with a belt buckle. Unlike the couple, the attorney for Department of Children and Family Services supervisor Kevin Bom argues that Bom never saw. Wake Forest, NC 27587 Right, Mrs. Garcia? he asked, as if he needed confirmation. The next year, California passed the first state law mandating that doctors report suspected child abuse and neglect. Once again, Rodriguez and Bom decided not to remove him or order a medical exam. After Jennifer Garcia called the hotline, it fell to Rodriguez to investigate and assess Gabriels safety. I just dont want to remember it.. 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. View our online Press Pack. Stephanie Rodriguez Social worker Greater Sacramento 7 followers 7 connections Join to view profile Department of Child, Family, and Adult Services Sonoma State University Experience Human. "Allowing a social worker to evade liability for falsifying a public document would incentivize social workers to put their own interests in avoiding liability for their misdeeds above the purpose of the state's child welfare statutory scheme, which is child safety," Chaney wrote in her concurring and dissenting opinion. Three weeks later, on a Tuesday, Rodriguez returned for a follow-up visit. An autopsy showed that Gabriel had a fractured skull, several broken ribs and burns over much of his body. Anchor | Reporter . The term battered-child syndrome entered the national lexicon. Rodriguez made no entry of this call. Multiple calls had been made to the child-abuse hotline, but a caseworker ended the investigation after Anthony recanted his claims of abuse. Martinez ultimately asked to be transferred to another office. Various defense attorneys argued that the abuse and torture escalated months after a file on the boy had been closed and that there was insufficient evidence to take him away from his mother. They acted in a way that was incompatible with the proper regard for human life. Later this year, a jury will reach its own conclusions. Towards the end of January, when Gabriel came to class, there was no more laughing. The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services sent a statement on Thursday responding to the dismissal of charges, which said: We respect the court's decision. His skin was almost yellow, like hes been starving or something.. Rodriguez, Clement, as well as two of their supervisors, Bom and Merritt were charged with one felony count of child abuse and falsifying public records in April 2016. Martinez returned to his desk in disbelief. But we spoke again later that day. 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