OT: Baby snatching by Arlington County

[T-Bone]

It's sad that so many children need protection from abuse and yet many "agencies" always claim that their hands are tied, but then on the complete flipside, they can pull this shit whenever they wish


Baby snatching by Arlington County


There’s an empty highchair sitting in the kitchen of the Arlington home of Nancy Hey and Christopher Slitor. It’s their daughter Sabrina’s highchair. But it’s been empty for two years because thieves disguised as Arlington County social workers and judges took her from her parents. She was stolen with no public scrutiny or accountability. Arlington County social workers used unproven allegations of neglect in April 2005 to justify removing then-3-week-old Sabrina from her parent’s home. Her parents were accused - anonymously - of starving Sabrina. And they were deemed unable to care properly for their daughter, even with the frequent help of Nancy Hey’s mother and a full-time nanny. After more than two years of legal wrangling with the county’s Child Protective Services (CPS), Arlington Circuit Court Judge James Almand terminated the couple’s parental rights in June 2007.

But nine months earlier, Sabrina’s parents were completely exonerated by Virginia CPS hearing officer George Walton, who noted in his official report that, despite the baby’s worrisome 10-ounce weight loss soon after her birth by Caesarian section, nothing in the her medical record indicated she had ever been in danger. There was also no evidence, Walton added, that Sabrina’s “failure to thrive” resulted from parental neglect.

In fact, the record showed the opposite: Nancy Hey – who suffers from a developmental disorder that makes it difficult for her to recognize non-verbal signals from others – and her husband fully cooperated with medical professionals and CPS workers throughout their ordeal. In any case, Sabrina was at her proper weight when she was taken away by county officials, two days after her parents told social worker Dana Zemke that they were retaining a lawyer. Arlington Judge Esther Wiggins Lyles signed the removal order with neither Hey nor Slitor even aware of the proceedings, much less being present to contest the decision. Sabrina went to a politically influential local professional couple with no training as foster parents, despite CPS requirements that foster couples be trained before being entrusted with children.

Judge Almand later used the baby’s inappropriate removal to justify making the separation permanent, saying it would be too “traumatic” to return Sabrina to her natural parents. So, when Sabrina turned 3 April 3rd, she didn’t blow out her birthday candles in the kitchen where her heart-broken parents still keep her empty highchair. Even after spending $350,000 in legal fees, they have not given up hope. They’ve asked the Virginia Court of Appeals to return their child. Meanwhile, every Arlington County employee involved should be put under oath and questioned in public about their role in this outrage.

[piecesofeight]

Not than any of the bad/sad stories that you..or anyone else post here are worse than another..but I also heard last night that a baby..just hours old was found in a TRASH CAN!


Again..not that one/any of these stories are worse than another..but this one/sort of thing..I REALLY cannot wrap my head around..or putting a baby in a microwave..these sort of things anger me more than any thing else..unreal and beyond even trying to attempt wrapping the head around..

[SteveForever]

Seriously it makes you stop and realize how blessed we are. I pray for Mindy and others on this board
daily who struggle with autistic children, my heart goes out to them. Here they are taking care of children that
have so many issues and love them with all their heart= and people abuse perfectly healthy kids, its so gross.

[piecesofeight]

Seriously it makes you stop and realize how blessed we are. I pray for Mindy and others on this board
daily who struggle with autistic children, my heart goes out to them. Here they are taking care of children that
have so many issues and love them with all their heart= and people abuse perfectly healthy kids, its so gross.

EXACTLY! My sister has an autistic child who is just the coolest and she just loves him to death and is such a great mom to him..

We have people who can't have children..or who lose children.. then we have people treating them like crap or literally discarding them..just unreal..

[amaron]

I live in CT.

I have TWO autistic children, ages 3 and 4.

I have been investigated TWICE by DCF since August of 2007, and been cleared both times.

I have a 'Abuse and Neglect' hearing a week from today. Seems that they don't like my wife and I getting pissed off and fighting the bullshit they try to push on us. So, even though we've been found NOT GUILTY of any type of abuse or neglect, we STILL have to go to court.

People, please think twice before you make anonymous phone calls to CPS/DCF.

[Melissa]

Makes me wonder about them using the term "failure to thrive", I'm a ped nurse & that is an actual medical condition for some babies that has nothing to do with how the parents are taking care of the child.

[piecesofeight]

Makes me wonder about them using the term "failure to thrive", I'm a ped nurse & that is an actual medical condition for some babies that has nothing to do with how the parents are taking care of the child.

Especially if they have undiagnosed Celiac disease..

[piecesofeight]

Just heard that there is another video of a toddler smoking pot in front of it's parents..or at least it's mom..

To even do that..then video tape it..

Until they come down harder on people for these sort of things..it will continue..breaks my heart..