Arizona CPS Uses Police-State Tactics to Kidnap Safe Children

Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS), under fire for its skyrocketing rate of child removals in recent years, was just exposed for a new policy which allowed social workers to secretly record interviews with parents or caregivers suspected of crimes using a controversial and questionable technology meant to detect lying. The Computer Voice Stress Analyzer (CVSA), which a DCS spokesperson labeled a “new tool,” isn’t really new at all, and appears to have almost zero validity. One independent study found the lie detector was "no better than flipping a coin." The CVSA policy had only been recently implemented late last December. Gregg Woodnick, a Phoenix family law attorney whose practice defends families against DCS charges, unearthed the new policy and after confronting DCS legal counsel, notified local TV station 12 News. Woodnick said DCS was effectively performing polygraphs on people without their consent. After 12 News notified Arizona’s DCS they were doing a story on the secret recordings, an agency spokeswoman, Cynthia Weiss, said the policy was being "rescinded." The covert audio story, which broke March 20, ran a week after Health Impact News/Medical Kidnap interviewed Woodnick to discuss the state of Arizona’s DCS.

Massachusetts Senior Citizen and Attorney Medically Kidnapped – Estate Plundered – Represents National Epidemic

Retired lawyer Marvin Siegel of Boxford, Massachusetts, has lived an isolated and heavily-medicated existence, against his will and wishes, after court proceedings in August in 2011 resulted in his being placed under a court-appointed guardianship and conservatorship that his family considers to be unlawful. His meticulous estate planning has been eviscerated, and millions of dollars continue to be plundered from the 88-year-old’s estate. He is being held prisoner in his own home, under medical providers that his daughter has termed "24/7 guards." Meanwhile, his daughters Attorney Lisa Siegel Belanger and Devora Kaiser tirelessly advocate for him in the court system, despite those who are working vigorously to shut them out of their father’s life. At this point, those in charge of Mr. Siegel’s estate have drained half of the retired attorney’s approximate nine-million-dollar estate deceptively and fraudulently, according to Lisa. Further, as Lisa began to research her father’s case, she uncovered a network of corruption within the family and probate court system of Essex County, where the case is, as well as in other Massachusetts counties. The daughters’ court documents allege fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering, involving 40 litigants in the Siegel case alone. Lisa states that the medical kidnapping and plundering of senior citizens' estates is common, as they target poor and rich alike: "The scary part of it is that this is not an isolated incident. This is business as usual. It is a pattern of isolate. Medicate. Liquidate. It doesn’t matter the amount of a person’s estate, even if a person has virtually nothing to their name. The fact that an elder is receiving some sort of government benefit that automatically brings you into their clutches. People don’t realize that it affects basically everyone."

Arizona DCF Tries to Stifle Free Speech in Medical Kidnapping Case – Demands Our Stories of Coumpy Family be Taken Down

At the same time that Arizona lawmakers have rejected common sense bills to protect families from abuse of power by dishonest social workers, an Arizona mother is battling the Arizona Department of Children and Families (DCF) to get her children back. Aprilli Coumpy has completed everything asked of her, but her children are still not back home. It has been more than 2 years since her children were seized after what both Aprilli and her pediatrician termed an accidental incident, in which her toddler was burned when his 6 and 7 year old siblings accidentally spilled hot noodles on him when they decided to surprise their mommy with breakfast. Never in a million years did the single mom of 5 dream that the state could have so much power as to take all of her children away for something that could happen in any home in the world. Others connected with her case believe that the DCF case manager, Lisa Millett, simply does not like Aprilli Coumpy, thus nothing that the mother does appears to be good enough. Recently, Arizona DCF case manager Lisa Millett has demanded that Aprilli take down the Medical Kidnap articles from the internet. Apparently Ms. Millett does not understand that Freedom of the Press doesn't work like that. Such strong arm tactics by government employees may have been used in Nazi Germany or in Communist countries that desire to hide their actions from the public, but the U.S. still has something called The Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Parents don't publish the articles on MedicalKidnap.com, and they cannot take them down. Health Impact News interviews parents and publishes their stories under the protections of the 1st Amendment Freedom of the Press. We will, however, publish a copy of the email that we have received.

Arizona: Battleground for State-sponsored Child Kidnappings – Highest in the Nation

A fight is raging across Arizona – parents, foster parents, activists, lawyers and even the Arizona Republic are refusing to back down against the state’s apathetic resistance to real, meaningful solutions for its outrageous record as the top state in the nation for child removals. Arizona has taken children out of their homes at a rate far higher than any other state in the country. And Phoenix (Maricopa county) ranks as the city with the highest rate of child removals by CPS – higher than New York, L.A., or any other major U.S. city. The state’s shameful record goes back a decade or more, and frequently opposition has been disconnected or silenced. More and more families have been destroyed, children lost, and lives broken. But no more – activists, legislators and local media are gaining strength and momentum.

Arizona Lawmakers Block Bill To Protect Parents From Dishonest Child Protection Social Workers

House Republicans beat back an effort by Rep. Kelly Townsend to protect Arizona’s parents’ constitutional rights by amending SB1003. Townsend’s amendments would have prohibited Department of Child Safety caseworkers from lying to the court or withholding exculpatory evidence. Townsend asked her fellow lawmakers how they could oppose the amendments as they appeared to be preoccupied with their laptops and cellphones. The principles behind Townsend’s amendments were clear; parents have a right to due process and social workers cannot lie to parents.

Baby’s Health Rapidly Declines After Receiving 13 Vaccines at One Time – Mom Accused of Abuse for Disagreeing with Doctors

A young Georgia mother had no idea that a routine trip to the pediatrician's office for her son's 1 year check-up would change her son's life forever, and leave her fighting the state for custody of her own son. When the nurse-practitioner told her that her son was a little behind on his shots and they would need to catch up, Durenda Whitehead didn't question the need for the vaccines. She did, however, question the safety of giving 13 vaccines at once. Durenda's pediatrician assured her that it was fine: "I can give up to 20 at one time." She said that they told her at the pediatrician's office to give him some Tylenol, and to "play extra hard with him when he gets home." Over the next few days, Durenda reports that KJ was sleeping much more than usual, only waking to eat. She describes his rapid decline: "I noticed my son didn't attempt to follow me as usual and he started to cry. I called his name so he would come to me, but his cry only got louder. When I came back in the room to see why he wasn't coming, he leaned his body forward and reached for me... He had this 'help me' look in his eyes while he continued to cry." However, Durenda soon learned that doctors are reluctant to look at vaccines as a cause of harm, and she soon found herself in the hospital being confronted with law enforcement taking away her son because she dared to disagree with a doctor.

California Mom Who Lost New-born Baby at Hospital Cleared of Drug Charges, but Still Does Not Have Children Back

A beloved California schoolteacher is still fighting to get her children back 9 months after they were ripped away from her by Child Protective Services. Lori Ibrahim's two-day old breastfeeding baby was seized by Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) after Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center accused her of drug abuse. The only drugs in her system were properly prescribed medications, but social workers used the positive drug screen as grounds to seize baby Youssef and his 5-year old brother Kian. Since that time, Lori has allegedly cooperated with every demand that DCFS has placed on her, including submission to a gag order to be silent and take down her Facebook page. Social workers have created an image of the mother to present to the court which seems to serve their apparent agenda of keeping the family apart. The reports, however, from the psychologist and other therapists that Lori has been compelled to see paint a vastly different picture. That picture is consistent with the reports from those who have worked with Lori and the parents whose young children Lori has taught in school during her 15 year career, a career that is now closed to her because of the DCFS allegations. Lori Ibrahim presented evidence to Health Impact News and to the court that she was innocent of the charges that were used to seize her children. The court has reportedly dismissed the substance abuse allegations, finding that, as she said from the very beginning, she was only taking properly prescribed medications. Yet, it hasn't made a difference - her boys are still not home.

Pennsylvania Court Attempts to Censor Social Media Exposure of Former Amish Mom Fighting to Get Kids Back

A mother who is fighting the Child Protective Service system to get her children back was threatened during a mediation hearing last week. Elizabeth Byler of Pennsylvania, who grew up in an Amish community, appeared at the hearing without her lawyer present, due to her attorney's scheduling conflict. Byler was allegedly given an ultimatum by court officials—to take down the Justice4theBylers Facebook page "or else," they would “come after” her. Elizabeth told them that she did not start the page and does not have administrator access to the page. However, she was reportedly called a liar, and they demanded that she delete the account right there. As she pulled up Facebook on her phone to try to access the page settings, she told the officials: "I can’t access it. I’m not an administrator." Later, the administration of the page posted: "We have the utmost respect for Elizabeth Byler, but understand that, though you may be able to control her with threats, you cannot control us. She is powerless to compel us in any way to take down this page. And we are watching. We just want you to do the right thing. This is about the Freedom of Speech of fellow Americans to speak about the injustice that is happening to the Byler family, and to thousands of other families across the United States, and, indeed, the world. This is about Freedom of the Press, as well. Social media IS media. As such, we have the Constitutional Freedom to report on news that is happening to this family and others."

Tennessee Judge Gives Dying Father Chance to Defend Himself in Effort to Regain Custody of Children

In a Facebook Live video, Michael Brooks gave an update on his case in Tennessee. He and Jamie had been in court that morning and were expecting Judge Clayburn Peeples to terminate their parental rights to their two sons. But, in an interesting turn of events, the couple left court that day with their parental rights still in place. Also, due to not having a lawyer present, Michael was given a 60-day window to prepare to present his case to the court again. Michael Brooks is dying from Hepatitis C. His disease was under control while using medical cannabis, but he was forced to give up his medication due to Tennessee laws as he tried to meet requirements to get his children back from the Tennessee Department of Children's Services (DCS).

Disabled Father Denied by State of Tennessee to Father his Own Child

Matthew Marble was not even in the state when his 10 month old daughter was hospitalized for abuse. Little Hailey was in the care of her mother and her mother's boyfriend when someone smashed her head into a table. The head injury left her with cerebral palsy, and, due to the alleged actions of Tennessee social workers, the incident left her without her father. Matthew, who is disabled himself, has been fighting to get his daughter ever since that fateful day in June 2013. His parental rights have been severed by the state of Tennessee, primarily due to his disabilities, but he and his attorney Connie Reguli hope to reverse that decision and have filed a lawsuit against the state for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Matthew is not alone in his fight. His family has been by his side throughout the whole ordeal. His aunt Bobbi Dubois contacted Health Impact News to ask for help in telling their story. Bobbi and her husband Will, Jr., have been willing to take care of Hailey and facilitate the relationship between father and daughter, but they have allegedly been blocked by Tennessee Department of Children's Services (DCS) at every turn. The Dubois are certainly well qualified - they have long been advocates for others, and have even been asked by their own state to take in disabled children. Because of his disabilities, Matthew has never claimed that he could parent alone, but he just wants the opportunity to be a part of his little girl's life. However, DCS set up a permanency plan for him which, according to Reguli, was "discriminatory and failed to accommodate his limitations." This story is about a father's right to parent his child. He loves his daughter, and he did nothing wrong. He was not involved in the abuse that happened when she was in her mother's care. DCS knows that, but still they have kept him from his daughter and have demonstrated that they prefer that she live with strangers rather than her own family.

Indiana Couple Loses over 2 Years of Their Babies’ Lives because of Testimony of “Child Abuse Specialist”

It has been nearly three years that Ally Allen and John Kremitzki from Terre Haute, Indiana have been waiting for their two boys to come home after a trip to the emergency room (ER) turned into a parent’s worst nightmare, resulting in the medical kidnapping of their children. Despite having a medical explanation from medical experts for the injuries, the couple is being accused of child abuse based on the testimony of one Child Abuse Specialist. June 28, 2014, is a day that John and Ally will never forget. It set off a series of events that caused not only their baby son Jaxon to be medically kidnapped, but their second child was also seized at birth, simply because the case regarding Jaxon was still ongoing. Their second son, Jameson, exhibited many of the medical problems that their first son did, but they had no say in his medical care, and he has suffered in foster care. Ally, a heart-broken mother laments: "CPS has stolen what can never be returned and that's time—two and a half years of milestones and life. And, Jameson's entire life has been stolen. His entire infancy has been spent apart from his parents." Ally and John feel that this medical kidnapping of their children has gone on way too long. They are ready for their boys to come home, where they belong.

Confessions of a CPS Caseworker: We Remove Kids to Protect Ourselves

Caseworkers often claim they are “damned if we do and we’re damned if we don’t.” But when it comes to taking away children, caseworkers are only damned if they don’t. It’s one of the reasons so many children are needlessly consigned to the chaos of foster care. Now, a leader of a union representing caseworkers has admitted as much. It happened last June when a committee of the Philadelphia City Council examined problems at the Department of Human Services, the agency that runs child welfare in the city. Among the issues: the fact that Philadelphia takes away children at one of the highest rates of any big city. Vanessa Fields, vice president of District Council 47 of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, cut right through all that b.s. With commendable candor, she declared: "Workers are afraid that they're going to be disciplined if anything goes wrong on a case. So their thing is, Well, I'm just going to take the kid out of the home and put them in care. That way, I don't have to worry about being written up or disciplined because I left the children in the home and something happened to them. … You place that kid outside of that home, because you do not want to be in a situation where you left a child in a home and something happened to them." As interesting as what Fields said is what she did not say. She expressed no fear of discipline for taking away too many children. Nor should she. In 40 years of following child welfare I have never seen a caseworker fired, demoted, suspended or even slapped on the wrist for that. On the rare occasion when a family harmed this way brings a civil suit, caseworkers have “qualified immunity.” In layman’s terms that means they’re immune from damages unless they do something incredibly malicious or incredibly stupid. In one case, a worker actually claimed what amounted to a constitutional right to lie. Fortunately, that claim failed, but the worker in question wasn’t fired. She was promoted.

Terminally Ill Father Finds Cure in Cannabis Oil but Now on Death Bed After Complying with CPS to Get Children Back

For nearly three years, Michael Brooks of Northwestern Tennessee has been fighting for his children and for his life. Faced with terminal Hepatitis C, he finally found a treatment that saved his life and brought him into remission. However, Child Protective Services of Tennessee is using the very thing that brought him from the brink of death - cannabis oil - as grounds to take his children and place them into foster care. He has been forced to choose between staying in Tennessee and accelerate towards his death or leaving to continue treatment in Colorado and risk being accused of abandoning his children.

Did Tennessee Father Convicted of Shaken Baby Syndrome Get a Fair Trial?

In 2014, Health Impact News brought you a story about a Jonesborough, Tennessee, couple Joe and Charlotte Whitaker, who were accused of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS). The local police charged the couple following a 911 call from Joe Whitaker on August 15, 2013, when their son, Jaden, became unresponsive. Jaden was diagnosed with the controversial Shaken Baby Syndrome by a “child abuse specialist," Dr. Mary Palmer of the University of Knoxville Medical Center. In an update to this tragedy, the formerly happy family of five has lost everything. The couple lost their son to the state in 2014, and recently Charlotte lost her husband, home, and job. Joe Whitaker is now in jail for a crime his family says he did not commit.

Ohio Parents Disagree with School Over ADHD Diagnosis – Lose 7 Year Old Son to CPS

His parents say that he is just a normal, imaginative little boy; his school says that he needs mental health help. After Christian Maple was called to pick up his 7 year old son Camden from school following an incident, Christian and his wife Katie had a long talk with their son to find out what exactly was going on. As parents, they know their son better than anyone, and they addressed the situation at home. They thought the matter was settled. It should have been over. But it wasn't. It got much worse. The next morning, staff at Bowman Primary School in Lebanon, Ohio, demanded to know the content of the Maples' conversation with their son. Christian did not believe that was their business to know the details, and he and Katie chose to reject the primary school's opinion that they needed to have Camden evaluated and treated by psychologists. The school reported the Maples to Child Protective Services. Eight police officers later surrounded the family's house and took 7 year old Camden away from his home and his family. Instead of the state respecting the Maples' fundamental right to parent their child and make medical decisions for him, CPS has seized custody of Camden and accused his parents of neglecting his mental health. The Maples are still reeling in shock, and are now fighting to get him back home.

Medically Kidnapped Senior Citizen’s Health Deteriorating in Missouri, Wife of 44 Years Forbidden to Help

It is going on four years since Charley Taylor has been held against his will in a nursing home under the control of a conservator. This is despite having two doctors say that he is competent. It has been a month since his wife Helen has been banned from the nursing home, and the couple is heartbroken. Since that day, Charley’s health has significantly declined, according to his wife Helen. Helen said that her husband has been “throwing up non-stop” since she was ordered off the premises indefinitely, or risk being arrested. She said: "He’s as weak as a kitten, I can’t hardly even understand him. When he talks to me, I’ve got to ask over and over what he said, because he’s so weak."

California Bill SB18 Wants Authority to Enter Homes to Ensure Parents Comply with State Mandates for Child Care

As we have continued to see increased cases of medical kidnapping and aggressive overreach of the medical system and the marriage of scientific opinion to laws in the United States, parents in California may be seeing a trend first hand that is going to be played out in the rest of the nation. Especially since 134 vaccine mandates have been introduced in this legislative session, indicating the trend for political mandates of your child’s standard of care is nowhere near slowing down. Many have speculated that SB18 is a part of Agenda 21 and Healthy People 2020 -- U.N. and U.S.-based initiatives, respectively, that are designed to corral populations into the inner cities and enforce a standard of care across the board that will implement controls that enable governments to manage portions of the population based on their standards and not the choices of the individual.

Is Alabama DHR “Offer” to Young Mother Blackmail? Give Up Your Daughter and We Will Not Take Your Other Children

Her court-appointed attorney called it "an offer." Haly Boothe calls it "blackmail." She was devastated by the choice that met her when she went to Shelby County Family Court in Alabama. Her family has been fighting to get 10 month old baby Avyonna back from state custody ever since the Department of Human Resources (DHR) social workers came to the hospital 3 days after her baby was born and took the newborn baby girl from her mother's breast. At the time, they told her that the reason that they were taking the baby was because the state already had her other 2 children, children that were born to her when she herself was in foster care. She and her grandparents have maintained that the real reason the first 2 children were kept by the state was because she was a foster child when she had them. The choice that was presented to Haly on Friday lends credence to that assertion. "So let me get this straight, DHR said my only option is to let Avyonna get adopted and they will drop all of the child support and ANY FUTURE children I have DHR will not take?"

Florida Foster Parents Charged with Hundreds of Sex Crimes Against Children in Alabama

A Florida couple is accused of hundreds of sex crimes involving 11 young children in Alabama, authorities said. The charges leveled against Daniel W. Spurgeon and Jenise R. Spurgeon stem from allegations of abuse sustained by their foster and adopted children when they lived in Alabama years ago, Florence police said. The allegations have been under investigation since Florida authorities contacted Florence police last July about crimes that occurred in Cape Coral. The Florida investigation led police to believe children in Alabama also may have been abused, said Florence police Sgt. Brad Holmes. Daniel Spurgeon is charged with 115 counts of first-degree sex abuse, 122 counts of child abuse, four counts of first-degree sodomy, four counts of sexual torture, three counts of domestic violence by strangulation or suffocation, six counts of first-degree rape, 115 counts of enticing a child for immoral purposes, six counts of incest and 11 counts of first-degree human trafficking. Jenise Spurgeon is charged with 100 counts of child abuse, one count of domestic violence by strangulation of suffocation, 11 counts of first-degree human trafficking, 100 counts of endangering the welfare of a child and 100 counts of enticing a child for immoral purposes.

Alabama Mom Laments How DHR Stole 2 Years of Daughter’s Life Over Cell Phone Dispute

It's been over two years since our daughter was taken and never returned by Dekalb county DHR worker Ellen Morrow. She was 15 years old at the time. She is now 18 years old. My daughter was an honor roll student and softball player in the 10th grade. We dreamed and worked hard towards getting a college scholarship so she could attend Auburn University because she always said that is what she wanted to do when she graduated. She was a good girl. She has never been in trouble. She had not started dating yet. She was a normal child and DHR destroyed her and our dreams for her future over a cell phone dispute. The reason that my family was torn apart, according to DHR, was that there was possible risk of neglect in the future if they did not remove her, evidenced by an argument that allegedly occurred the evening before. That is what it takes to destroy lives and families in Alabama. DHR did not have my permission to use my family, to violate my God given or my Constitutional rights, nor my family's. Now I pray that God will use me to help prevent others from going through this abuse at the hands of our own government and this group of unqualified people which it pays to abduct, and traffick human beings. I pray for the Lord to protect us all and put an end to this madness and corruption.