The case became the subject of a PBS documentary, and media attention made Logan a symbol of child-protective services overreach. Social worker Stefanie Rodriguez and other representatives of child protection agencies visited Gabriel's home on a number of occasions. View our online Press Pack. People there told me over and over that they didnt think about Gabriels case and didnt even know much about itthey werent sure exactly what had happened or what mistakes had been made. He is currently awaiting execution in San Quentin State Prison. Unprecedented charges against L.A. County social workers were filed following the death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez. Others had witnessed the abuse, too. The seriousness of the charges appeared to concern the panel. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. As Children'S Social Worker at Los Angeles County, STEFANIE A RODRIGUEZ made $49,663 in total compensation. Gabriel told her that the bruises on his face were because he had fallen while playing tag. Arturo Martinez, a security guard at the welfare office had also noticed Gabriels injuries and also tried to report his concerns. . Their case marks one of the few times social worked have been charged in a child abuse case in the US. The majority of children killed by their guardians are 3 or younger. Money Confidential is a podcast that dives into all aspects of money with expert Stefanie O'Connell Rodriguez. Garcia called Rodriguez again, pressing her about what she was doing to help Gabriel. 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. The term battered-child syndrome entered the national lexicon. At the heart of the case is a question of accountability: Was their failure to protect Gabriel an isolated onethe fault of four employees so careless and neglectful that they allowed a child to suffer despite a series of glaring warning signs? She said she had been assigned to investigate and told Garcia to call her directly if she noticed anything suspicious in the future. Case dismissed against social workers charged in death of . 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. That was a mistake, the school secretary, Pam Howell, told Evans. His one solace was a mens group at church, where he felt he was able to make his case to a higher power. In 2004, a relative filed a complaint with CPS claiming that Pearl was beating that son. (Hons.) Despite their risk level being very high, Merritt manually changed the level to moderate and closed the case. 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. 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 . 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. 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 . Negligent child welfare workers may face prison time in connection with the death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez. Youll be able to move out. The two of them paused for a moment, imagining what that might be like. The two 29-year-old women locked eyes in uneasy silence. 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. Gabriel would cry at the end of the day because he didnt want to go home. Gabriels grandmother told two sheriffs deputies that Pearl had a history of neglecting and abusing her children, but they didnt believe her. Would it be fair to say that you dont want to remember? the prosecutor, Jon Hatami, asked at one point. He had a masters degree from the University of Southern Californias prestigious School of Social Work, and was known as a fastidious micromanager who marked up his subordinates notes with questions and correctionsall of which makes his handling of Gabriels case even more baffling. Social worker 22,700 followers . Some of his teeth had been knocked out. When I first called Starr, in November, she quickly excused herself and got off the phone. Corona said she wanted to help but was only filling in. 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. We further conclude that the petitioners were not officers within the meaning of Government Code section 6200," wrote Justice Francis Rothschild. The DCFS Internal investigation found that neither Rodriguez or her supervisor Bon reviewed information regarding Pearl and her history with the DCFS. On May 23, 2013, this grim assembly line paused at Greg Merritts cubicle in the Palmdale branch office. Former colleagues told me he now mows lawns. Prosecutors argued the four minimised evidence of abuse and violated multiple policies. Get notified about new Licensed Clinical Social Worker jobs in Chevy Chase, MD. Lomeli also presided over the trial of Fernandez killers, his mother and her boyfriend. 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 . But the deputy director who oversees the region, Maryam Fatemi, told me she didnt think the trial was on staffers minds, partly because the high churn rate meant that many of them had joined the department after Gabriels death. 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. His mommy, she told them through tears, hurt him really bad.. He called the non-emergency line to report. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. Then the department moved on.. They turned to the tools they used regularly on him: a BB gun, pepper spray, coat hangers, and a wooden baseball bat. Those injuries included hits to the face, punches, and even bullets by a BB gun. The area had seen an influx of poor families, and the number of calls to the child-abuse hotline was rising faster there than anywhere else in Southern California. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. But a senior child-abuse prosecutor told me that if the victim is a child, a quick log entry will suffice. The county medical examiner who performed his autopsy told the grand jury that he had never witnessed so many skin injuries on a child. Do you have more infomration about Stefanie A Rodriguez? Pearl and Aguirre asked no questions and offered no pleasantries. 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.. But Pearl noticed Martinez studying her son and abruptly grabbed Gabriel and his siblings and left, blocking Martinezs view of Gabriel on the way out. I live Coram Deo, he said. She recalls Rodriguez saying that Pearl Fernandez had once spanked Gabriel harshly but did not present an immediate safety threat, and that both Pearl and Gabriel had issues. For PR Pros . 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? Garcia called Gabriels caseworker, Rodriguez, on two different numbers and left messages. 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. She stated that on two occasions, Gabriel himself asked her, Can you call that lady? The social workers case is set to be heard Jan. 14 in Lomelis court. 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. View Stefanie Rodriguez's business profile as Collection Manager at GBMC HealthCare. Aguirre would call him gay, punish him if he played with dolls, and even made Gabriel wear girls clothing to school. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. This investigation was ongoing when Gabriel died. In 2016, they were each charged with one felony count of child abuse. But the consequences of needlessly separating children from their parents, while less visible, can be devastating too. Long Term Disability Premiums, Life Insurance Premiums and Employer Medicare Tax. Multiple calls had been made to the child-abuse hotline, but a caseworker ended the investigation after Anthony recanted his claims of abuse. She called the hospital, asking if she could visit. This created a financial incentive to reduce the use of foster care. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. Garcia lost hope that DCFS would offer any rescue. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 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. 2017 toyota corolla wheel torque specs stefanie rodriguez social worker now Gabriel Fernandez: Is Gabriel Fernandezs killer still alive? 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. Los Angeles County social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, Patricia Clement, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt, were charged with two felony counts in relation to the death of Fernandez on April 7,. 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. The program said Gabriel was at very high risk. More at IMDbPro Contact Info: View agent, publicist, legal on IMDbPro. Since then, the number of children removed from their home in any given year has risen or fallen according to pendulum swings in child-protective-services agencies, which have alternated between erring on the side of child safety and erring on the side of family preservation. Doctors took him off life support on May 24, 2013. Rodriguez assured the teacher she would investigate, but matters got worse for Gabriel in November 2012. He said he wouldnt hesitate to remove a child if he knew there to be true danger, but he also acknowledged that he recognized such situations less often than others did. Later that month, Gabriels case was closed. 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. He did, and he labored over every detail. (This policy was changed in 2011, allowing social workers to use their professional judgment to determine how many witnesses were necessary.). Get email updates for new Licensed Clinical Social Worker jobs in Chevy Chase, MD. RELATED: Prosecutor in Gabriel Fernandez case was a victim of child abuse himself. 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. Strictly star bags life-changing EastEnders role as part of new family, Baby's body found after huge search as cops quiz Constance Marten & lover, Bianca Gascoigne reveals very unusual name for her newborn daughter, I took pic of son, 18, before his first night out then the worst thing happened, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. CNBC - Fri, 08 Apr 2022 . ' in reference to the social worker. Social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, 34, and Patricia Clement, 69, were charged along with two supervisors, Kevin Bom, 40, and Gregory Merritt, 64, with one felony count each of child abuse and . During Red Ribbon Week, when teachers talk to children about staying drug-free, Gabriel mimicked snorting cocaine and knew it was a drug. It was Gabriel. On January 29, 2013 Rodriguez made a final visit to Fernandezs home. As Garcia started reviewing Gabriels progress, his mother blurted, I dont hit my kids.. 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