Homeschool Texas Family Terrorized by CPS for Speaking Out and For Having Too Many Children at Home

Claire and William Rembis recently moved to Lubbock County Texas for a new job offer in May, but little did they know that Lubbock CPS was considered the “worst county in all of Texas” in terms of removing children from families and not returning them, according to one Texas attorney. They thought their nightmare with Texas CPS was over when Judge Wheless dismissed their case last year and rebuked the Collin County social workers for “clearly harassing” them. During this time last year, their youngest children were sexually abused while in foster care, causing permanent emotional damage. Their lives were about to be turned upside-down and scrutinized all over again. Shortly after moving to Lubbock, the local CPS contacted their neighbors and told them they were investigating them for abuse, and asked them to spy on the family. When one of their daughters was seen alone in the front yard, a neighbor called CPS to complain. Their nightmare was about to start all over again. Lubbock County CPS is now accusing the family of speaking out against CPS on MedicalKidnap.com and social media, and criticizing them for having so many children in their home. Being terrorized and fearing the safety of their children, the family has left home to have time to prepare their case and find a good attorney.

California Family Traveling Through Texas Loses Children to CPS After Autistic Daughter Drowns in Accident

Local Texas media has been reporting the story of the Wartena family, who recently had been returning to California from vacation and stopped in Texas along the way. Tragically, their oldest daughter who was autistic wandered away from their hotel and drowned in a nearby lake. Wandering or "eloping" is a common issue parents of children with autism are familiar with. Local police intervened and the parents' other four children were immediately taken away by Texas social services and held for over a week. On one of the visitations, the parents noticed that one of their children had bruises all over his body, as he had suffered in foster care. Thanks to local media's coverage of the situation, CPS quickly returned the other children and the parents went on their way back to California. Here are some local media reports of this tragic situation and state-sponsored kidnapping of children from a grieving family.

Parents’ Constitutional Rights Not Allowed for Discussion in Texas CPS Reform Hearing

Texas has a corrupt child protection services that abuses children, and it needs to be overhauled with a new one. That was the ruling of a federal judge in Texas who wrote: Texas’ PMC (Permanent Managing Conservatorship) children have been shuttled throughout a system where rape, abuse, psychotropic medication, and instability are the norm. So the current session of the Texas legislature is discussing changes, but apparently the Constitutional rights of parents is not a topic that is being allowed into the discussion, according to this report from Briebart.com.

Date for Execution of Man on Death Row for Shaken Baby Syndrome is Halted as Conviction is Blamed on “Junk Science”

Last week, we reported that Chief Justice Ralph Gants from the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts had ordered a re-trial in the case of Oswelt Millien, a young father, who in 2015 was jailed for 4-5 years for causing permanent injuries to his six-month old daughter, Jahanna. This week yet another case, this time in Texas, has hit the news. On 17th June, 2016, Reuters reported that: "The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Thursday halted the planned June 21 execution of Robert Roberson and sent his case back to trial court. It based its decision on a recent state law that permits legal challenges citing new scientific evidence potentially pointing to wrongful convictions." In 2002, Robert Roberson was convicted for the murder of his two-year old daughter, Nikki Curtis. Although experts at the time had testified that the toddler had died of Shaken baby syndrome--a syndrome defined by brain swelling, bleeding behind the eyes and bleeding on the brain’s surface--Roberson had always denied that he had hurt his daughter and maintained that Nikki’s injuries may have been caused by a fall from her bed or a fever of 104.5 degrees Fahrenheit. (40.3 degrees Centigrade) Reuters continued, by explaining that Shaken baby syndrome can be caused by short falls, other undiagnosed medical conditions, such as blood clotting disorders and latent trauma from a difficult birth. They stated that lawyers had pointed out that it is impossible to shake a child to death without causing serious neck injuries which they said that the child did not have. They concluded that: "Robert Roberson was wrongly convicted of murdering his … daughter based on ‘junk science’ and highly inflammatory sexual-abuse allegations that were false." This is a landmark case and may lead to other innocent prisoners that are awaiting execution to be awarded a reprieve.

Children of Texas Family Victimized by Medical Kidnapping Now Safe, Away from CPS

The Giwa family's nightmare with Child Protective Services is over, and their children are safely with their family, outside of Texas and away from CPS. They want the world to know that prayer did what man could not do, and they give the glory to God for their victory. Kathy (Olubunmi) Giwa tells Health Impact News: "The fundamental part of the battle was won on our knees." Ahmed Giwa echoes her words with his message that he wants to tell families who are fighting CPS for their children: "They shouldn't give up. They need to keep fighting and PRAYING and believing that it is only God that can do it for them. There is someone that is greater than CPS, and that is GOD!" He says that even the best attorneys cannot do what God can do. Now, it is time to heal and rebuild. This whole ordeal has left the entire family traumatized. The once-secure children are now needy and clingy. They are fearful. They are glad to be together again, but their mother reports that they are exhibiting behaviors they did not before they were stolen from their parents. However, the Giwas are confident that the same God who delivered them from the hand of CPS will also work to heal their trauma. They look to the future that they will share together. They are thankful to be free to be a family again. Kathy tells Health Impact News: "Every day when I go into their rooms and see them sleeping in their own beds, I am so thankful that they're back home with me, and I get to raise them and be their mother. I remember the nights without them, and the despair and the hours of missing them."

Elder Medical Kidnapping in Texas Results in Abuse and Death of Elderly Mother

Darrell Miller's elderly mother was taken from her home and family in a heartbreaking chain of events initiated by Adult Protective Services. Even today, the Duncanville, Texas man struggles to understand and to communicate the horrors that his mother experienced as a victim of elder kidnapping and abuse. Although he fought well, his pleas went unanswered by the courts and police. He writes: "They are corrupt. They wanted me to lose it so they could kill me or imprison me. (I sound like I'm crazy, but I think we both(all) know I'm supposed to sound crazy.) My mom was kidnapped, tortured ... by APS (Adult Protective Services). This was done to cover up medical malpractice and place the blame for their abuse as 'neglect' on Charlton Methodist Hospital and myself (when it was APS who was at fault). They killed my Mom, and now they're trying to blame it on me and Methodist."

Texas Judge Admonishes CPS – Demands Return of Giwa Girls – Boy Remains in CPS Custody However in Partial Victory

In a stunning turn-around, a Houston judge ruled Thursday that the Giwa girls are to be returned home immediately. Advocates and family are rejoicing in the partial victory, and are praying for little Ali to be returned home soon as well. In a permanency hearing on Tuesday, Ahmed and Kathy Giwa were told that the plan had changed to adoption and that CPS planned to work to see the Giwa children adopted out to non-family members. Ali was taken by CPS in April 2015 on allegations that his parents medically neglected him, after doctors failed to determine a reason for him lagging behind his twin sister developmentally. In November, Ali's twin and his older sister were also seized when the family tried to take the children out of the country to visit their dying grandmother in Nigeria. The Giwas have been fighting CPS to get their children back, because they say that their children should never have been taken from them in the first place. Health Impact News has been following their story for many months, and word of the injustice happening to the family has spread quickly. Advocates called for a day of prayer and fasting on Wednesday, in anticipation of the hearing in Harris County on Thursday. To all who were watching, the case looked desperate. Friends and family had little hope that anything good would come out of the hearing, because they report having seen far too many unjust things happen already in the case. Now, those same supporters are rejoicing.

Judge Condemns Texas Foster Care System that Abuses Children as Unconstitutional

In December of 2014 Health Impact News reported on the class action lawsuit filed against the State of Texas and their foster care program brought by the group Children’s Rights, a New York-based advocacy group. The group was representing 12,000 foster care children as the plaintiffs. After legal proceedings that lasted about one year, where the State of Texas tried to get the case dismissed, U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack ruled against the State of Texas in December of 2015 stating that the foster care system named in the lawsuit was unconstitutional, and needed to be replaced with one that is constitutional. In her 255 page ruling, Judge Jack stated: "Texas' PMC (Permanent Managing Conservatorship) children have been shuttled throughout a system where rape, abuse, psychotropic medication, and instability are the norm."

Is This What Has Become of America? Texas Citizens Have 3 Children Seized at Airport for Wanting to Visit Dying Mother

Tammi Stefano, host of The National Safe Child Show, is joined by Kathy and Ahmed Giwa, a couple who have received national media attention recently. Kathy Giwa has a Ph.D. and is working on her second Ph.D. She is a Texas certified special education teacher, Texas certified principal and also a CPS approved daycare director. Her husband, Ahmed, holds a Masters in Computer Science and also an MBA. Ahmed works for energy companies in Houston, Texas, where they live. The Giwas are dual citizens of the U.S. and Nigeria. Their children were seized by Texas Rangers at the Dallas airport in November, after Customs and Border Control officers and local police reportedly refused to arrest them due to lack of evidence. Child Protection Services (CPS) was the one recommending the arrest. Ali Giwa, the youngest child, was medically kidnapped on April 14, 2015, by Harris County CPS – a county the family doesn’t even live in – on allegations of “failure to thrive.” Though Ali has some developmental delays, CPS never mentioned to the judge that he is in the 75th percentile with his height and weight. He was returned home on July 29, but the case remained open. The U.S. Marshal at the Dallas airport allegedly had a private meeting behind closed doors with CPS, and acting on orders from CPS arrested the parents. They were at their gate, ready to board their plane with their car parked in the airport parking garage as they were clearly expecting to come back shortly to their home and jobs in Houston. They were hoping to get to say goodbye to their grandmother on her deathbed in Nigeria (Ahmed's mother) to fulfill her dying wish. Without a trial or any charges pressed against the parents, the Giwa family was torn apart when their three young children we removed from their custody at the airport just before Thanksgiving and Christmas. They have not seen their young children for over a month. They recently told their story to Tammi Stefano on The National Safe Child Show.

Couple Arrested and Children Taken by CPS When Trying to Leave Texas to Visit Dying Grandmother

They just wanted to honor a dying grandmother's deathbed wish to see her grandbabies one time before she leaves this earth. Now, thanks to the intervention of a Texas Ranger and CPS, that may never happen. Ahmed and Olubunmi Giwa were arrested last weekend and all of their children seized by Child Protective Services when they tried to fly out on an emergency trip to see Mr. Giwa's mother. Ahmed's mother is reportedly doing very poorly. The family was simply planning to visit her in Nigeria for a couple of days. They had return tickets for everyone, and their car was parked in the parking deck at the airport the whole time. Ali Giwa was medically kidnapped on April 14, 2015, by Harris County CPS - a county the family doesn't even live in - on allegations of "failure to thrive." It is still unclear how Harris County has jurisdiction in this case. Though Ali has some developmental delays, CPS never mentioned to the judge that he is in the 75th percentile with his height and weight. He was returned home on July 29, but the bizarre case remained open. Now, CPS has taken the 2 year old's twin sister and his 3 year old sister as well and placed them into foster care, accusing his parents of "interfering with child custody" and attempted international kidnapping, of their own children.

Houston Couple Gagged and Told to Fire CPS-fighting Attorney in Order to See Medically-Kidnapped Child

Earlier this year, in May of 2015, we reported on the story of the Giwa family in Houston, who had their 19 month old son medically kidnapped by Texas CPS. Randy Wallace of Fox News Houston broke the story. Ahmed Giwa, the father of 19-month old Ali, contacted Health Impact News and MedicalKidnap.com at that time about publishing their full story. This was the last statement we received from him by email in May 2015: "Currently waiting for the Police outside the hospital where they have our son because CPS said they should not allow us in. Let us schedule next week outside Monday please. The Police (are) here now." Multiple attempts to contact Ahmed and follow up after this email was received were unsuccessful, and we suspected that a gag order had been placed on the parents in an attempt to stop the media and the public from learning any more about their story. Both Ahmed and his wife Olubunmi have now contacted Health Impact News, and they want the world to know their story. Not only were they issued a gag order and told not to talk to the media, they were told they had to fire their attorney if they wanted to see their son again. The family had retained the services of Attorney Julie Ketterman in Houston, who has a history of fighting back against CPS and standing up for family rights. She has publicly stated: "CPS profits every time they place a child outside the home for adoption. It has stopped being a resource for families in need and has instead turned into an adoption mill." Will the people of Houston and Texas continue to allow these gross abuses of Constitutional rights to continue in their state?

3 Oppressive Texas CPS Agents Receive Felony Indictments

Criminal charges against CPS employees related to their actions in child protective services cases are rare. Indictments were handed down last Thursday to 1 of the 3 Child Protective Services (CPS) subordinates who were charged with Oppression, tampering with evidence, and falsifying and forging documents to conduct illegal searches and seizures, which are third degree felonies, punishable upon conviction by a maximum sentence of from two to 10 years in prison and an optional fine of up to $10,000. 60 year-old Laura Marsh Ard, the former program director for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services office in Rockwall, received one indictment for tampering with physical evidence. Reynolds, of Fate, received three indictments for official oppression, and one indictment for tampering and fabricating physical evidence. All these charges stem from an alleged case where all three conspired to use false documents in an investigation of the mother of a murdered teenager Alicia Moore from Greenville. Thonginh and Reynolds conducted unlawful searches and seizures in association with CPS investigations. The tampering with physical evidence indictments say that all three defendants collaborated together back on November 6th, 2012. “to use a record and/or document to wit: the risk assessment involving Aretha Moore … with knowledge of its falsity and with intent to affect the course or outcome of the investigation.”

Innocence Destroyed: Case Against Texas Homeschool Family Dismissed as Traumatized Children Try to Rebuild Their Lives

The Rembis family in Texas is rejoicing and giving glory to God. Family court Judge Cyndi Wheless has ruled that the CPS case against them is dismissed. Their children are home, and there are no more "hoops" to jump through to prove that they are good parents for their 11 homeschooled children. Though they are thankful that the case is over, the trauma that the family has experienced is not. The children have reportedly lost some of their innocence. They no longer have the security of the childlike faith that their daddy can protect them from anything, because they saw that, against the monster of Child Protective Services, their strong daddy was powerless. The fears of the children are triggered by simple things like the ringing of the doorbell. They are afraid of the police now. Their parents have taught them that the police are the good guys, but the children no longer trust that. They are fearful that any police officer they see works with CPS and will take them away from their parents. Some of the children have been having nightmares, and cry out in the night from dreams "that I was in the foster home." They come to their parents room in the middle of the night, scared.

Judge Orders CPS to Return Baby to Parents in Texas Medical Kidnap Case

Tears of relief and joyful smiles were a few indicators of the emotions that Diana Gonzalez and Ethan Johnson felt Tuesday morning when state District Judge Charles Van Orden ruled that their 10-month-old daughter, Melodi, must be returned to them that afternoon by Child Protective Services. But their rejoicing was cut short briefly Tuesday afternoon when a CPS investigator allegedly defied Van Orden’s order that the couple could be with their daughter at McLane Children’s Hospital Scott & White for testing. They were holding Melodi when the investigator ordered them to surrender her and then the couple was escorted from the hospital by security officers, Brad Williamson, the couple’s attorney, said. “Melodi had better be back in their arms no later than 4 p.m.,” Williamson said. “They are defying the judge’s ruling that the parents could be there.” Williamson mentioned possibly calling CPS headquarters directly to file a complaint against it for not following the judge’s orders and could even file a motion for enforcement, he said. Melodi was returned to her parents before 4 p.m. and was taken home.

CPS Kidnaps 11 Children from Texas Homeschool Family

Claire Rembis was sick, and had to spend 3 days in the hospital. Her attack of pancreatitis paled in comparison to what happened next. The mom from Plano, Texas, came home to a nightmare that no parent should ever have to face. CPS came and took her children, all 11 of them, because a "well-meaning" couple, members of her oldest son's former youth group, didn't think that the 16 and 14 year olds could handle babysitting their siblings while their dad took the baby to the hospital to visit Claire. The 16 year old made a dramatic escape and eluded CPS for days, until a judge allegedly determined that the seizure and removal of the children was illegal, and allowed them to return home. Has it really gotten to the point where a mother cannot get sick without risking losing her children to the State? The traumatized family's problems are not over, unfortunately. They must vacate the house where they are currently living by August 8, and CPS is continuing to harass the family by allegedly attacking their homeschooling program and requiring the mother to stop breastfeeding their 3 month old baby. They show up at their home unannounced whenever they please, and the family fears that the children could be kidnapped back into State custody at any time.

Texas Attorney: CPS is Too Powerful – Has Become an “Adoption Mill”

“The role of CPS has changed over the years,” Julie Ketterman of KHA Lawyers, PLLC said. “They have become too powerful and have shifted their focus from offering guidance and support to acting as a punitive force.” Ketterman alleges that CPS frequently oversteps their boundaries, opting to remove children from their homes, placing them outside the home and in to foster-to-adopt homes for monetary advantage. “CPS profits every time they place a child outside the home for adoption,” Ketterman said. “It has stopped being a resource for families in need and has instead turned into an adoption mill.” One victory against CPS corruption is the recent passing of SB 1876, a bill recently signed by Governor Greg Abbott into law on June 19. The law will go into effect on September 1 of this year. “The bill specifies that attorneys ad litem, guardians ad litem and mediators in CPS cases will be appointed on a rotating basis,” Ketterman said. “This prevents corrupt judges from appointing attorneys they have in their pockets.”

Texas Baptist Home Failed to Protect Foster Kids from Sexual Abuse

Texas Baptist Home for Children says it has a mission to protect abused and neglected children. Tell that to Bryan and Austin Cook of Cleburne. They say they were molested by the same 13-year-old boy in one of the Waxahachie foster homes run by the Baptist agency. They say their cries for help were repeatedly ignored and discounted. "We told our caseworkers about it," said Austin, now 13. "We tried to tell Texas Baptist Home manager people, and they wouldn't listen to us." A News 8 investigation has uncovered troubling new information appearing to back up their claims. For more than a year, their mother, Angel Cook, has repeatedly claimed Austin, Bryan, and her oldest son, Justin, were sexually abused by other foster children while in foster care at Texas Baptist Home for Children. An Ellis County grand jury will soon hear a case against the teenager accused of sexually assaulting Justin in another of Texas Baptist's foster homes in Waxahachie. "Nobody listened, and two girls are now rape victims," Angel Cook said. "They will forever have to live with this. You can never erase sexual assault."

Texas CPS Kidnaps 19-month Old Child for “Failure to Thrive”

The Giwa's are not the kind of parents who come to mind when you think Child Protective Services. “They're well educated they are hardworking people the mom actually has a PHD in special education dad works for an energy company here in Houston" says attorney Jon Parchman. The couple says they know their 19-month-old son is not developing like he should but say they've never gotten a medical reason for his developmental delays and say they've never denied him medical treatment. In court documents CPS admits the reason for the boy's developmental delays are not known but still that state agency is accusing the parents of medical neglect. As for the medical neglect the attorney says CPS's only witness in court was a doctor who never saw the boy or talked to the parents. “The most they really got was the hospital room was a little dirty that was the extent of what they proved in court,” Parchman says. “The judge said so you've proven there's a dirty hospital room that doesn't get us to danger in returning the child home.” Still the judge ruled in CPS's favor granting them temporary custody and only allowing the parents to see their son for one hour twice a week. “It's horrible he's never been without us he's my baby the entire family is a mess because of it we can't function,” Giwa said.

Texas Deputies Punch Pregnant War Veteran Woman While CPS Takes Her Child

Deanna Robinson-Katsuki is a decorated Air Force Veteran, who once received the Airman’s Medal for helping drag soldiers from a burning plane in Iraq. Yet Deanna recently came under an investigation by Texas Child Protection Services, who arrived at Deanna's parents' home with Sheriff deputies from Hunt County. Deanna is also 9 months pregnant. What followed was partially recorded by a home security camera, which showed Sheriff deputies repeatedly punching her in the stomach, because she did not want them to remove her 18 month old son. The video has gone viral, and has been viewed over 400,000 times already.

Cook Family vs. CPS Case in Texas Heads to Grand Jury

In this interview with Angel Cook, she explains how a Texas CPS worker came into their home after the death of one of their adopted children, and misrepresented herself as a police detective, and then accused her of murdering her child, a charge that was later dismissed in a court of law. CPS removed their other 7 children from the home, and they were subsequently mistreated and sexually abused while in Texas foster care. Today, the Cooks have their children back, but they continue to fight against the abuses of Texas CPS and the foster care system. Angel Cook and two of her sons have testified twice before legislative committees about the failings of CPS and the foster care system. Although all charges were dropped against the parents for the death of their adopted son, who was allegedly abused and mistreated prior to coming into the Cook Family's care, Angel Cook is now listed as a Child Abuser and can no longer get a job or visit her children in school. The social workers who knew about the mistreatment and sexual abuse of their children while in foster care remain on their jobs as social workers, and the foster parents who allegedly abused their children are still fostering other children.