The thing she loves most about working at the Alliance, is connecting with caregivers. Villar also stated that the defendants should have documented Gabriel Fernandezs injuries and that their actions were incompatible with the proper regard for human life.. 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. When social workers interviewed him about that allegation, Pearl was present, and Gabriel took back each of his stories. Pearl and Aguirre asked no questions and offered no pleasantries. Under California law, teachers must report any suspected child abuse, but even those who report are not always heard. She turned the conversation back to Gabriel. Near the end of January, Garcia was reading to a group of students when the door opened. During the seven months when caseworkers were ostensibly watching over Gabriel, evidence of his abuse steadily accumulated. Martinez ultimately asked to be transferred to another office. Due to over 60 complaints filed against Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre between 2003 and 2012, there were 8 investigations of them by the LA County Child Protective Services and the Department of Children and Family Services. 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 . Merritt started going back through the notes on his computer, and saw that Gabriels first-grade teacher had, in fact, regularly called one of Merritts colleaguesa young caseworker named Stefanie Rodriguezwith disturbing reports. 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. Ezequiel, who was now 16, had a faint mustache and a face shaped like Gabriels. Meet the Poldark actor, The trials of Gabriel Fernandez is streaming on Netflix now, White House Farm: Bizarre reason Jeremy Bamber won awards' in prison, White House Farm: Who is Cressida Bonas? As Children'S Social Worker at Los Angeles County, STEFANIE A RODRIGUEZ made $49,663 in total compensation. 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. Is it normal for you to bleed?. I wanted to go there and hold his hand and say, Youre going to be okay. This was deemed unfounded. But the consequences of needlessly separating children from their parents, while less visible, can be devastating too. He asked her to put an A on the paper in the hope that his mother would be impressed. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. One judge asked, "Were there any other charges that you could have brought?". She called the hospital, asking if she could visit. "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). On May 23, 2013, this grim assembly line paused at Greg Merritts cubicle in the Palmdale branch office. 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. Social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, Patricia Clement, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt were ordered today to stand trial on falsifying records and child abuse charges involving the death of Gabriel Fernandez, an 8-year-old Palmdale boy who died in 2013 after prolonged child abuse. 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. His hair cut was awful and sloppy, and chunks of his scalp had scabbed over. Nor did she ever interview Gabriel or his siblings alone, as is required by department policy because many children who fear additional abuse recant their stories if the perpetrator is present. I dont think theres anything else I could have done, he told me, with the soft voice and slumped shoulders of a man whose fate is now in the hands of others. 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. Social worker 22,700 followers . He wanted to, and worked very hard on it. Stefanie Rodriguez. They asked the lawyer representing the L.A. County District Attorney about the term "duty," and the liability of workers. The results came back negative. If Merritt and his colleagues had dug deeper, or simply paid closer attention to what they already knew, they might have uncovered the familys secret: that Gabriel spent days and nights with a sock in his mouth, shoelaces knotted around his hands, a bandanna shrouding his face, handcuffs locking his ankles, trapped inside a cabinet in his mothers bedroom. 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. Stefanie Rodriguez's lawyer states that there were three subsequent supervisors, two subsequent social workers, one subsequent emergency response worker, two other mental health professionals, and two law enforcement officers all of whom are mandatory reporters as well. After they found the file and Dallis left, Merritt said a silent prayer for the boy. In 2018, after Pearl and Isauros sentencing, prosecutors opened an investigation into the four social workers who had been assigned to Gabriels case. Gabriel, he later testified, turned around and made eye contact with me and I noticed he had a greenish-bluish eyea black eyeand lumps on the back of his head. Lets talk about this at recess., When recess came, he pressed on: Is it normal for your mom to hit you with the part of the belt that has that metal thing on the end?, Yeah, he said. Stefanie A Rodriguez is an employee working in Children & Family Services. Those injuries included hits to the face, punches, and even bullets by a BB gun. On February 26th 2020, Netflix released a documentary called The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez. 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.". They were informed of suicide notes written by Gabriel but they took no additional action. We further conclude that the petitioners were not officers within the meaning of Government Code section 6200. Garcia called the principal to the room to take a look at Gabriels head. He lied because whenever a social worker would visit his punishments would increase. Fishpond Hong Kong, Statistical Mechanics, Third Edition by R K Pathria . Fernandez pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty and received a sentence of life in prison without parole. Still, she agreed to let me interview her at her new home, on the edge of a golf course in Californias Coachella Valley desert. Scalp, Face, Neck, Ears and Shoulder Injuries Documented at Trial (diagam) | Autopsy Injury Diagram (drawing). 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, by contrast, had a striking innocence. Gabriel had a fractured skull, fractured ribs, BB pellets lodged in his chest and pelvic region, and a penetrating burn above his groin. Click the link in the email we sent to to verify your email address and activate your job alert. Unprecedented charges against L.A. County social workers were filed following the death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez. Like, You aint got nothing else to do? he told me. When she was finally alone with him at recess, she asked what had happened. Your email address will not be published. When he reached Pearl on the phone she told him that Gabriel had moved to Texas with his grandmother. One week before his death, Gabriels school, Summerwind Elementary, asked a sheriffs deputy to investigate, but he received the wrong address. y then, Gabriels siblings later testified, he was spending almost all of his days and nights in the cubby. Ezequiel said he sometimes tried to crack open the padlocked door to sneak Gabriel a banana. When it was time to leave at 5 oclock, I left, whether I had a mound of paperwork in my cubicle or not. The job was hard, and one of the things that angered him most was when a subordinate worked unpaid hours. But then someone told her Gabriel was at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, and she thought maybe there was still hope. They have also lived in Springtown, TX and Bridgeport, TX. arlene Starr, the worker who accepted Gabriels case into the Voluntary Family Maintenance program, was one of Greg Merritts closest confidantes at work. Track SoCal rain with LIVE Megadoppler 7000 HD, DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES. She told Pearl that he was a good writer and that he was smart, but Pearl seemed skeptical. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. On the rare occasion he went outside during recess, he stood alone on the playground and kicked a wall. One day, he stole Garcias iPod and took it to his mom, trying to please her. Mistakes were inevitable when department leaders and county politicians gave workers so little support, she said. 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. 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. They each faced up to ten years in prison if found guilty. Prosecutors opened an investigation into the social workers assigned to Gabriel's case after his mother Pearl Fernandez and stepfather Isauro Aguirre's were found guilty of his murder in 2018. There is, therefore, no probable cause to hold them on charges of violating those laws and the trial court should have granted the motions to dismiss.. This dataset includes compensation information of about one hundred thousands employees working in Los Angeles County, provided by the Auditor-Controller office of Los Angeles County as required by public disclosure laws. Gabriel at School Just Before Mother's Day. ( Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Do you have more infomration about Stefanie A Rodriguez? In her report, Rodriguez described the lesion on his lip as an open blister.. Three weeks later, on a Tuesday, Rodriguez returned for a follow-up visit. MARIA EVELYN RODRIGUEZ-ZIERER (NPI# 1801829239) is a health care provider registered in Centers for Medicare & Medicaid . . Garcia called Rodriguez yet again. On the wall behind the jury box, dark oily blotches had formed over the years behind the heads of countless weary jurors. Check social media profiles, places of employment, resumes and CV, work history, photos and videos, arrest records, news, business records and publications . 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. Gabriel would cry at the end of the day because he didnt want to go home. They turned to the tools they used regularly on him: a BB gun, pepper spray, coat hangers, and a wooden baseball bat. Their case marks one of the few times social worked have been charged in a child abuse case in the US. When Fernandez called 911 on May 22, 2013 to report her son was not breathing, she told sheriff's deputies who responded that Gabriel had fallen and hit his head on a dresser. The 2nd District Court of Appeal advised that the lower court dismiss the charges against the social workers. If the victim is a child, a detective can end the investigation with no review by prosecutors. Back in her classroom, Garcia saw the Mothers Day card on Gabriels desk. 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. and M.Sc. My mom punched me in the mouth, he said. This seemed like the perfect case for us, Starr told me. On walks, he lagged at the end of the line, saying that his arms and legs hurt. 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. Sleeping Pods. We did our own thing out there, he told me. This created a financial incentive to reduce the use of foster care. For Jennifer Garcia, the 201213 school year was off to a disappointing start. Prosecutors say that the four minimized evidence of abuse and violated multiple policies, reporting that safety programs at Gabriel's home were working at the time abuse was escalating. Stefanie Rodriguez Executive Business Partner at Lyft New York, New York, United States 478 followers 476 connections Join to connect Lyft University of San Francisco Activity Career Update! Martinez called his own supervisor and was told the same: Thats not your 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 . His neck had been stripped of a layer of skin. 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 . 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. I drove around aimlessly for a while and lost track of time.. The program allowed children to remain in the home while the family worked to resolve their issues. Each week, O'Connell Rodriguez answers some super common and everyday questions about . This one guy was talking to himself all the time. Merritt assumed he was mentally ill. 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. In DCFSs Palmdale office, people liked to joke: Its not the end of the world, but you can see it from here. High-ranking administrators from headquarters in Los Angeles rarely made the long drive through the hills and canyons up to this community on the edge of the Mojave Desert, where buzzards circle and dust storms penetrate homes with a layer of grit that no amount of vigilance can keep out. But this didnt strike Merritt as particularly unusual or alarminghe remembered a child even younger who had made actual suicide attempts. erritts team officially took over Gabriels case on February 1, not long after Jennifer Garcia had called to report the BB-gun marks on his face. Stefanie Rodriguez. Username. Multiple calls had been made to the child-abuse hotline, but a caseworker ended the investigation after Anthony recanted his claims of abuse. Garcia was telling him he was lucky his mother loved himnot everyone had thatwhen Gabriel chimed in. This time, the caseworker didnt pick up or call back. Toggle primary navigation. 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. Its destroyed a lot of lives. RELATED: Prosecutor in Gabriel Fernandez case was a victim of child abuse himself. So what? The District Attorneys Office was unable to respond to an earlier request for information, and it was not immediately clear whether prosecutors intend to appeal the appellate court decision or refile the 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. Martinez called his own supervisor who explained that was not in his job description. None of the Gabriel Fernandez social workers faced trial. It was stated that there was no probable cause connected to child abuse or falsifying documents in a 2-to-1 opinion. Contact Stefanie, search articles and Tweets, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place. Yet, he remained in the custody of his mother, Pearl Fernandez, 33, and then-boyfriend Isauro Aguirre, 36, until his death on May 24, 2013. RELATED: Uncle breaks silence on Gabriel Fernandez 7 years after his death. Clement paid her first visit to Gabriels home on February 13, but her notes contain few details. Well, yeah, she told him, recalling that she herself had been spanked as a child. stefanie rodriguez social worker now. In June 2018, after five hours of deliberation, jurors found Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre guilty of murder and torture. All four were fired from the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services after an internal investigation into the boy's May 24, 2013 death. Everyone in the office knew that Palmdale had its share of caseworkers whom no one would choose to look after endangered children. He rarely went outside during recess, and when he did, Garcia sometimes saw him alone on the playground, kicking a wall. He was 8 years old, and the signs of abuse were obvious. Arturo Martinez, a security guard at the welfare office had also noticed Gabriels injuries and also tried to report his concerns. Yet, nothing appeared to resolve the home abuse. The position title is CHILDREN'S SOCIAL WORKER I. When the charges were announced, Browning made a statement describing Gabriels case as an isolated incident and describing the four defendants as outliers whose actions shouldnt reflect on the department as a whole. He called 911, but the operator said the situation didnt sound like an emergency and gave him the number for nonemergencies. Caseworkers were told to focus on services versus surveillance and to label a parent as being in need of services/support rather than as a perpetrator. The caseworkers and their supervisors would be the decision makers on any interventionno judge would second-guess them, and no lawyers would be appointed to argue for the best interests of the children. Following Gabriels death in 2013, Rodriguez, Clement, Bom and Merritt were fired from their positions at DCFS following an international investigation after Gabriels death in 2013. In 2017, social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, Patricia Clement, and supervisors Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt, were charged with child abuse and falsifying public records. She was particularly concerned with Gabriels behavioral problems, but she saw Pearls apparent willingness to participate in the Voluntary Family Maintenance program as an encouraging sign. 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. She coached him: My mom cut it like that. We just report what we see. Garcia called Rodriguez and left messages on two different numbers the caseworker had given her. Stefanie Rodriguez, 34; Patricia Clement, 69; Kevin Bom, 40; and Gregory Merritt, 64, were charged with child abuse and falsifying public records. STEFANIE A RODRIGUEZ Salary Overview. On Monday, November 26, Gabriel arrived late. Free college is now a reality in nearly 30 states. Evans had no authority to make a diagnosis or mandate further medical attention, but she wrote detailed notes, thinking that child-protective-services caseworkers might inquire about the incident. 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. A public employee's salary relates to a particular person, but it is a matter of public interest and not primarily a matter of the individual's private business. Merritt told me she was a little bit of a burnout case but good enough. Others remember her less favorably. Indeed, this summer a 10-year-old boy named Anthony Avalos was found unresponsive in his mothers apartment in Lancaster, California, just north of Palmdale. Children were interviewed alone in only two-thirds of cases. 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. . 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. He had internal injuries, including a lacerated liver. Chevy Chase, MD, Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Dice by 2x. Le Norgant informed social worker Patricia Clement and Palmdales LAC DCFS supervisor Greg Merritt. The seriousness of the charges appeared to concern the panel. Earnings for Regularly Scheduled Work Hours. Her 8-year-old son Gabriel fell and hit his head on a dresser, and now he wasn't breathing. Around this time, Gabriel came to class looking even worse than he ever had before. Yet, despite the obvious and visible signs of abuse, documentation by both Rodriguez and Clement downplayed the injuries. One of his eyes was a deep red. It was Gabriel. But of that 60%, 37% reported losing money and 21% said their relationship with the borrower was harmed. The family called it the cubby.. Other Benefits, Short Disability Insurance and Dependent & Health Care Spending Accounts.
Best Pick And Roll Players 2021,
Matt Fish Worship Leader,
Disneyland Hotel 2 Bedroom Junior Suite Layout,
Articles S