stefanie rodriguez social worker now
Gabriels eyes seemed to ask Martinez for help. Towards the end of January, when Gabriel came to class, there was no more laughing. She was right. It was very clear that this was no accidental fall. A few days later, Gabriel came to school with a split lip from Pearl punching him in the mouth. 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 trials of Gabriel Fernandez also points to the failings of the Los Angeles Child Services and the four social works in charge of the Gabriel case. During the seven months when caseworkers were ostensibly watching over Gabriel, evidence of his abuse steadily accumulated. Pearl rushed out of the office with her children, blocking Martinez view of Gabriel as she did. In June 2018, Lomeli sentenced Isauro Aguirre to death for the boys first-degree murder and a special circumstance allegation of murder involving torture. The question today is whether the felony counts against four social workers will be dismissed, reduced or stand. ast September, I arranged a ride-along with caseworkers from the Palmdale office of the Department of Children and Family Services. On February 26th 2020, Netflix released a documentary called The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez. He occasionally took books off the shelf, copied sentences in his own hand, and took them to Garcia. News coverage of child fatalities has often been a catalyst for a renewed focus on safety: When a child dies at the hands of a guardian, an outraged public will demand more proactive interventions to prevent such a tragedy. Authorities later determined that his mother and her boyfriend had tortured him for at least five days. Instead, Rodriguez walked a few cubicles away to consult with a caseworker named Darlene Starr in the Family Preservation unit, a small team led by Greg Merritt. Track SoCal rain with LIVE Megadoppler 7000 HD, DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES. He died on May 24, 2013, and in 2018, Pearl and Isauro were found guilty of first-degree murder with an additional special circumstance of intentional murder by torture. A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge dismissed charges against social workers who were accused of child abuse and falsifying records related to the death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez. The trial of the former DCFS workers has been on hold for more than a year. She coached him: My mom cut it like that. 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. (Le Norgant also called 911. But Merritt was proud of his work, especially his efforts to keep together families that might otherwise be separated. Merritt assigned supervision of Gabriels case to a member of his team named Pat Clement, who would become the fourth person from the agency to face criminal charges. Rodriguez assured the teacher she would investigate, but matters got worse for Gabriel in November 2012. 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. Well, yeah, she told him, recalling that she herself had been spanked as a child. Do you have more infomration about Stefanie A Rodriguez? All rights reserved. He died. Instead, she said the one thing she thought he could count on: One day, youre going to be 18. stefanie rodriguez social worker nownyproduktion mlnlycke. Please exercise caution when reading this, as there are accounts of very brutal abuse amounting to torture and a child victim. The family called this cabinet the cubby. Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami claimed that Aguirre hated Gabriel because he thought he may be gay. Pearl Sinthia Fernandez was sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading to first-degree murder and admitting the torture allegation. He told me he winced whenever he read in child-death cases that his employees had interviewed a child with the alleged perpetrator nearby, or had halted their inquiry when a child recanted a claim of abuse. After school, Garcia called the countys child-abuse hotline. 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. Gabriel was either tardy or absent a lot. Merritt couldnt remember much about Gabriel, one of about 180 children whose cases he had been overseeing. She was a 27-year-old newcomer with a bachelors degree in psychology and no academic credentials in social work. 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. 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. (During this period, foster care was in such short supply that DCFS routinely used a conference room to house children overnight.) HBO 2020 release schedule: Whats new on HBO in March 2020? Justice Francis Rothschild wrote: 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 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. The case became the subject of a PBS documentary, and media attention made Logan a symbol of child-protective services overreach. Overall employment of social workers is projected to grow 9 percent from 2021 to 2031, faster than the average for all occupations. Corona said she wanted to help but was only filling in. They alleged the officials failed to take appropriate steps to protect the boy. Stefanie Rodriguez Found 287 people in California, New York and 39 other states View contact information: phones, addresses, emails and networks. She reported that Gabriels face and hands had bruises from strikes with a belt buckle. Gabriel's mother, Pearl Sinthia Fernandez, was sentenced to life in prison, while her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, was sentenced to death. 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. Find 181 people named Stefanie Rodriguez along with free Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok profiles on PeekYou - true people search. Garcia thought they seemed hardened and meanpossibly dangerous. Instead, she punished him by sending him to school in girls clothing the next daya tiny pink shirt and tight polka-dot leggings. Stefanie. Despite the softwares assessment, Merritt had recently signed off on a request to close the case, satisfied that Gabriel was safe. 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, 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. Its not part of your duties.. We further conclude that the petitioners were not officers within the meaning of Government Code section 6200. Track SoCal rain with LIVE Megadoppler 7000 HD, DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES, Uncle breaks silence on Gabriel Fernandez 7 years after his death, Prosecutor in Gabriel Fernandez case was a victim of child abuse himself, DCFS asks for public's help amid sharp drop in possible child abuse reports. He is currently awaiting execution in San Quentin State Prison. They turned to the tools they used regularly on him: a BB gun, pepper spray, coat hangers, and a wooden baseball bat. Bom had managed to start a new career as a custody evaluator in divorce cases, but he lost that job after the criminal charges were filed. Hed whisper in Gabriels ear to fall to the ground quickly when he hit him. Shortly before his death, Gabriel spent most of his time at home in the cubby with no access to food or water and no bathroom breaks. In a series of conversations over the past year, Merritt told me that for months he was so crippled by guilt and shame over his role in Gabriels case that he rarely left the house. His new address meant a new school, too. 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. They just couldnt wrap their heads around it, she told me. 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. Arturo Martinez, the security guard, asked to transfer to another office because he could not continue to work with the same people who had refused to help Gabriel. 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.. WORK WITH STEFANIE. 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 falsifying public records. DON'T MISSGabriel Fernandez: Who is Michael Lemos Carranza? Pearl ordered her 11-year-old daughter to help them clean blood off the floor. RELATED: Prosecutor in Gabriel Fernandez case was a victim of child abuse himself. As soon as a call came in from a hospital, caseworkers would be dispatched to interview any surviving siblings and remove them from the home. ), When Clement paid a third and final visit, on March 6, Pearl said she didnt want to have any further involvement with the agencyand Clement accepted her decision. About STEFANIE M GUERRERO . Social workers Stefanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement, as well as their supervisors, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt, were each charged with one felony count of child abuse and one felony. But in October, after classes were already under way, word came that the school districts planning had once again failed to keep pace with Palmdales population boom. Thats why its so crushing to see him treated this way, she said. Your email address will not be published. Pearl told the operator that Gabriel wasnt breathing, and Aguirre blamed the injuries on Gabriels roughhousing with Ezequiel. She explained that hearing the name Gabriel Fernandez had sent her into a daze. Reid took detailed notes, and Garcia soon received a phone call from Stefanie Rodriguez. Isuaro and Pearl even pepper sprayed Gabriel the night before he died. In a short conversation, Rodriguez told me that during the time she supervised Gabriels welfare, other children in her caseload seemed to her to be in equal or greater danger. Ultimately, the social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, 34, and Patricia Clement, 69, and two supervisors, Kevin Bom, 40, and Gregory Merritt, 64, all faced charges in connection with the death of Gabriel, with prosecutors alleging they minimized evidence of Gabriel's abuse. A motion to appeal the 2nd District Court of Appeals decision was denied in January 2020. - nbcnews.com. All four of the caseworkers had been fired. She said yes because some parents spank their children, but asked him again about it at recess. Rodriquez and Bom decided not to remove Gabriel from the home or order a medical evaluation. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Judge George Lomeli had previously denied a motion to dismiss the charges against the social workers. He rarely went outside during recess, and when he did, Garcia sometimes saw him alone on the playground, kicking a wall. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. A three-justice panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal issued an opinion Monday directing a lower court to dismiss child abuse and other charges against four social workers in the killing of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez. Social workers Stephanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement visited the Fernandez family home on multiple occasions but both workers claimed they never saw signs of abuse that would require Gabriel to be moved out of the family home. Multiple calls had been made to the child-abuse hotline, but a caseworker ended the investigation after Anthony recanted his claims of abuse. He called 911, but his situation was not an emergency. On the rare occasion he went outside during recess, he stood alone on the playground and kicked a wall. 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. Still, Rodriguez examined his body for marks and noted a bruise on his left buttocks. In a gruesome twist, Logan was placed in the custody of a former caseworker, who disciplined her by gagging her with duct tape and leaving her in the basement, where she died. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or . The mother and her boyfriend were convicted of the torture murder. 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. Martinez approached the window where Pearl had been talking with a clerk, Maricela Corona, to ask whether she was going to report Pearl to the authorities. Gabriel at School Just Before Mother's Day. Its destroyed a lot of lives. Martinez returned to his desk in disbelief. The practitioner's primary taxonomy code is 1041C0700X with license number P014141 (NC). 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. Garcia testified she repeatedly reported suspected abuse to social workers who failed to prevent his death. SOURCES: The Atlantic | LA Times 1 | LA times 2 | LA Times 3 | LA Daily News | Oprah Magazine | NBC LA | ABC | Bom et al. Garcia called Rodriguez yet again. Other Payments such as Shift Pay, Allowances and Bonuses. Doctors took him off life support on May 24, 2013. The law requires all reports to go through the hotline, the lawyer noted. 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. On March 28, an arrest warrant was issued for Stefanie Rodriquez, Patricia Clement, Kevin Bom, and Gregory Merritt. charged with child abuse and falsifying public records, Pearl Sinthia Fernandez, was sentenced to life in prison, while her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, was sentenced to death. His testimony lasted hours; he was unable to recall many details and had to constantly refer to transcripts of prior testimony. His classmates laughed and pointed when they saw him. LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge dismissed charges against social workers who were accused of child abuse and falsifying records related to the death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez. Silver Spring, MD. READ MOREGabriel Fernandez: What happened to Gabriel Fernandezs parents? t Summerwind Elementary, the weeks dragged on. They would later become the second and third workers, after Merritt, to be charged with child abuse and falsification of records. All six episodes of The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez are available to stream and download on Netflix now. Claim your profile Get in touch with Stefanie. The program allowed children to remain in the home while the family worked to resolve their issues. 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. One, addressed to his mother, said, I love you so much that I will die. Others stated he wanted to kill himself. Parents spank their children, but matters got worse for Gabriel in November 2012 efforts to keep together families might... 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