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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Posts: 27256
Location: United States of America
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 Tue Sep 13, 2005 3:03 pm Children Found In Cages |
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| Quote: | Eleven Children Found in Cages in Ohio Home
By M.R. KROPKO, AP
WAKEMAN, Ohio (Sept. 13) - Sheriff's deputies removed 11 disabled children from a home where some of the youngsters were made to sleep in cages less than 3 feet high, authorities said.
The children's adoptive parents, Mike and Sharen Gravelle, denied during a custody hearing Monday that they'd abused or neglected the children. No charges had been filed as of Monday night, and telephones at the county prosecutor's office repeatedly rang busy Tuesday morning.
One official agreed that there was no sign of abuse.
"The impression that we got was that (the parents) felt it was OK," Lt. Randy Sommers of the Huron County Sheriff's Office told The (Lorain) Morning Journal.
He said a baby slept in a small bed and two girls used mattresses, and the remaining children slept in the cages.
The Gravelles said a psychiatrist recommended they make the children sleep in the cages at night, County Prosecutor Russell Leffler said. The cages, averaging about 30 inches high, 40 inches wide and 40 inches deep, were stacked in bedrooms on the second floor of the house, officials said.
The children, ages 1 to 14, were described as having conditions that included autism and fetal alcohol syndrome.
Deputies were called Friday by a children's services investigator who visited the home and spotted a face peering out of one of the cages, Sommers said. The investigator was sent after the county received a complaint, said Erich Dumbeck, director of the Huron County Department of Job and Family Services. He would not say who complained.
Some of the cages were rigged with alarms, Sommers said, and one had a dresser in front of it. One boy said he'd slept in the cage for three years, he said.
The children were placed with four foster families Monday and were doing well, Dumbeck said. He said he saw them hugging their new foster parents and they seemed relieved.
"We're still trying to figure out what happened in that home," Dumbeck said Tuesday. "We don't have any indication at this point that there was any abuse."
The family has lived in Huron County for 10 years but most of the children were adopted through other Ohio counties, and two through other states, Dumbeck said. He said his agency was trying to determine how the adoptions originated.
"I don't believe there were any caseworkers checking in with this family," he said. "These kids were home schooled and they lived in the country where neighbors were spread out."
Dumbeck said it was unclear whether the Gravelles received adoption subsidies, which can range from $100 to $1,000 a month.
A woman who identified herself as Sharen Gravelle's mother but refused to give her name said the children were happy and loved. "This year they have played and had fun and laughed like no other children have, which they have never been able to do," she said.
The Gravelles do not have a listed telephone number. No one answered knocks at several doors Tuesday and the house was dark.
Dozens of toys were scattered around the yard Tuesday. A black potbellied pig, chickens and dogs roamed the property. A storage shed housed seven bicycles piled on top of each other, while a box on the patio held numerous pairs of children's shoes and boots.
Sommers said there were no apparent signs the children had been malnourished or beaten, but they were sent to a hospital for examination. Their conditions were not available Monday.
09/13/05 13:18 EDT
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. |
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Lord Borg
Fleet Admiral
Joined: 27 May 2003
Posts: 11214
Location: Vulcan Capital City, Vulcan
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| Tue Sep 13, 2005 3:21 pm |
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How sick!! these people dont deserve to have kids
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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Posts: 27256
Location: United States of America
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| Tue Sep 13, 2005 3:25 pm |
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I'm not so sure. After reading the article, I mean, I just can't form a difinitive opinion yet.
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
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| Tue Sep 13, 2005 5:37 pm |
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I'm still open to a change in opinion, but as of now I am disgusted by this. There is NO reason to put kids in cages. They're not criminals. They're KIDS, for Cripe's sake!
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magenta
Commander
Joined: 24 May 2005
Posts: 404
Location: AUSTRALIA
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| Tue Sep 13, 2005 10:42 pm |
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 Maybe they locked the disabled children up at night so they wouldnt wander around and get hurt.Or hurt the other kids?
A very extream measure,not a good way to do things,they should have put a screen door on their rooms to lock at night.
It would be hard to sleep at night for the foster parents if they know that they might get up to no good.
Wait till more details come out!
A girl I knew as a kid was locking her 5yr old boy in his room with a padlock on the door at 7pm every night!He had no furniture,all his clothes were all over the floor.He had only a matress on the floor with no sheet on it.One blanket to keep him warm,the matress was putrid with urine from him wetting his bed over and over.Her house[government houseing]was filthy,she had 2 drug addict guys living there with her.They all smoked pot,drank alcohol and did drugs every night of the week!
Her older son was made a ward of the state at age 6 and was in a foster home.
I rang child welfare to 'dob' her in,they said not much would be done as they were overloaded with cases. As long as he was not in immediate danger they couldnt do anything!!!   
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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Posts: 27256
Location: United States of America
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| Wed Sep 14, 2005 8:55 am |
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I agree that on the surface it's cruel, etc..., but w/out knowing? And did we read the rest of the article? The children were clearly well cared for, had plenty of toys, so they played, and were loved. Maybe there is a reason we don't know of yet. If I'm wrong, and the parents are beasts, so be it. But I'd really like more information before rushing to judgement.
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Alucard
Vampire
Joined: 06 Nov 2004
Posts: 2780
Location: Caaaaaanada
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| Wed Sep 14, 2005 1:29 pm |
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| Theresa wrote: | | I agree that on the surface it's cruel, etc..., but w/out knowing? And did we read the rest of the article? The children were clearly well cared for, had plenty of toys, so they played, and were loved. Maybe there is a reason we don't know of yet. If I'm wrong, and the parents are beasts, so be it. But I'd really like more information before rushing to judgement. |
Yeah more info= better.
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webtaz99
Commodore
Joined: 13 Nov 2003
Posts: 1229
Location: The Other Side
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| Wed Sep 14, 2005 8:27 pm |
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Those people may not be outright evil, but they are obviosly maladjusted. I'm not saying they're monsters or anything like that, but all "reasons" aside,
you just don't keep people in cages. Period. End of discussion.
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LightningBoy
Commodore
Joined: 09 Mar 2003
Posts: 1446
Location: Minnesota, U.S.A.
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| Thu Sep 15, 2005 10:29 pm |
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These people have adopted several special needs children so that they could get the government funding for doing it, then they neglegted them. They showed these peoples' house on Fox News today, and you can tell they're grifters. They don't have a phoneline, They haven't sent any of these kids to school, they have animals running all over, and they collect nearly $80,000 a year in federal money for "storing" these kids.
I hope these people get life.
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