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Another Headache For DCF
Worker, Youths In State's Care Linked To Robbery
May 15, 2007
By COLIN POITRAS And TINA A. BROWN, Courant Staff Writers
http://www.courant.com/news/politic...410928.story?coll=hc-headlines-politics-state
A state child-care worker at Connecticut Children's Place who has been
on paid leave for three months after being accused of participating in
an armed robbery with two youths under state care could be fired as
early as this week.
The investigation into the circumstances of Trent Gunn's arrest comes at
a difficult time for the East Windsor facility for abused and neglected
kids.
Police say a 14-year-old runaway from the program was raped last week by
a homeless man in Manchester. In April, a former resident of the
facility was arrested in connection with a brutal killing in Hartford.
Gunn, 35, allegedly was with two former residents of Connecticut
Children's Place when he was picked up by police about 3 a.m. on Jan. 29
after a reported armed robbery on New Park Avenue in Hartford, sources
familiar with the case said.
Gunn's arrest has been kept relatively quiet by police and state
officials. He is free on $100,000 bail, pending an appearance in
Superior Court in Hartford on May 25. Gunn, who lives at 895 Matthews
St., Bristol, is charged with first-degree robbery with a dangerous
instrument and first-degree robbery with the threatened use of a
firearm, a court official said Monday.
He faces up to 40 years in prison if he is convicted. Gunn could not be
reached for comment Monday. His lawyer, Herman Woodward, did not return
a phone message left at his office.
Gunn has been on paid administrative leave from the state Department of
Children and Families since Feb. 9, according to Gary Kleeblatt, a
spokesman for DCF, which runs Connecticut Children's Place, a 52-bed
facility on Gardner Street in East Windsor for troubled youths aged 10
to 16.
Gunn has worked there for five years and earns about $51,200 annually,
Kleeblatt said.
DCF has finished an internal investigation related to Gunn's arrest, and
a final decision on possible disciplinary action - including termination
- is expected this week.
"The employee is in the final stages of exercising his due-process
rights," Kleeblatt said, declining to elaborate because it is a pending
personnel matter.
A DCF employee who socializes outside of work with children in the
agency's care would be in serious violation of departmental policy.
Why the youths, whose ages were unavailable Monday, were with Gunn
remains unclear. Court records of the incident identify only Gunn. All
information about the youths - including whether they were arrested -
was being withheld, a court official said.
According to court records, the following events occurred:
A New Britain man was walking along New Park Avenue near a Shell
gasoline station about 11 p.m. on Jan. 28 when two young males yelled
from a red, four-door car and waved for him to come over.
The man kept walking as the vehicle followed.
At one point, two individuals jumped out of the car and threatened the
pedestrian, one of them putting a knife to the walker's throat and the
other pulling a gun before they took $85 and the victim's watch, police
said. The walker gave police a detailed description of the vehicle,
which was stopped around 3 a.m. that night by police in West Hartford.
The robbery victim identified the car's three occupants as the
individuals who robbed him, police said. Police found a knife in the car
but no gun.
News of Gunn's arrest follows a call last week by Brian Mattiello, DCF's
acting commissioner, for an immediate "clinical review" of security
procedures and treatment practices at Connecticut Children's Place.
Mattiello was reacting to reports that a 14-year-old girl from the
facility had been raped in Manchester after running away from the program.
A preliminary review revealed that a possible communication error among
staff allowed the girl to leave when she was supposed to be under strict
supervision. A clinician allegedly recommended the girl for close
supervision because of a previous runaway attempt, but that
recommendation apparently was never seen or approved by senior
administrators, sources said.
A 46-year-old homeless man, Carlos Boscana, was arrested and charged
with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, first-degree unlawful
restraint and risk of injury to a minor.
In April, Tiara Dixon, an 18-year-old former client of Children's Place,
was one of four people charged in the killing of 18-year-old Alexandria
Clouse-Desmond in an apartment on Hartford's Laurel Street.
Clouse-Desmond was found suffocated, battered and stuffed inside a box
on April 28.
Police believe Clouse-Desmond was killed following an argument in which
she claimed she had been raped by one of two men now accused in her killing.
Dixon, the girlfriend of one of the accused men, allegedly had a violent
temper and had warned staff at Children's Place that she might hurt someone.
Dixon, who was discharged from Children's Place a few weeks before
Clouse-Desmond's death, has been charged with murder and accessory to
murder.
Contact Colin Poitras at cpoitras@courant.com.
CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NATIONAL
SECURITY AGENCY/CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WIRETAPPING PROGRAM....
CPS Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.
every parent should read this .pdf from
connecticut dcf watch...
http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf
http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com
Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS
Perpetrators of Maltreatment
Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13
Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5
Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that
are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per
100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse
and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the
citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold
parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY
government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and
death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more
human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which
they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that
they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when
children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a
bunch of social workers.
BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...
Worker, Youths In State's Care Linked To Robbery
May 15, 2007
By COLIN POITRAS And TINA A. BROWN, Courant Staff Writers
http://www.courant.com/news/politic...410928.story?coll=hc-headlines-politics-state
A state child-care worker at Connecticut Children's Place who has been
on paid leave for three months after being accused of participating in
an armed robbery with two youths under state care could be fired as
early as this week.
The investigation into the circumstances of Trent Gunn's arrest comes at
a difficult time for the East Windsor facility for abused and neglected
kids.
Police say a 14-year-old runaway from the program was raped last week by
a homeless man in Manchester. In April, a former resident of the
facility was arrested in connection with a brutal killing in Hartford.
Gunn, 35, allegedly was with two former residents of Connecticut
Children's Place when he was picked up by police about 3 a.m. on Jan. 29
after a reported armed robbery on New Park Avenue in Hartford, sources
familiar with the case said.
Gunn's arrest has been kept relatively quiet by police and state
officials. He is free on $100,000 bail, pending an appearance in
Superior Court in Hartford on May 25. Gunn, who lives at 895 Matthews
St., Bristol, is charged with first-degree robbery with a dangerous
instrument and first-degree robbery with the threatened use of a
firearm, a court official said Monday.
He faces up to 40 years in prison if he is convicted. Gunn could not be
reached for comment Monday. His lawyer, Herman Woodward, did not return
a phone message left at his office.
Gunn has been on paid administrative leave from the state Department of
Children and Families since Feb. 9, according to Gary Kleeblatt, a
spokesman for DCF, which runs Connecticut Children's Place, a 52-bed
facility on Gardner Street in East Windsor for troubled youths aged 10
to 16.
Gunn has worked there for five years and earns about $51,200 annually,
Kleeblatt said.
DCF has finished an internal investigation related to Gunn's arrest, and
a final decision on possible disciplinary action - including termination
- is expected this week.
"The employee is in the final stages of exercising his due-process
rights," Kleeblatt said, declining to elaborate because it is a pending
personnel matter.
A DCF employee who socializes outside of work with children in the
agency's care would be in serious violation of departmental policy.
Why the youths, whose ages were unavailable Monday, were with Gunn
remains unclear. Court records of the incident identify only Gunn. All
information about the youths - including whether they were arrested -
was being withheld, a court official said.
According to court records, the following events occurred:
A New Britain man was walking along New Park Avenue near a Shell
gasoline station about 11 p.m. on Jan. 28 when two young males yelled
from a red, four-door car and waved for him to come over.
The man kept walking as the vehicle followed.
At one point, two individuals jumped out of the car and threatened the
pedestrian, one of them putting a knife to the walker's throat and the
other pulling a gun before they took $85 and the victim's watch, police
said. The walker gave police a detailed description of the vehicle,
which was stopped around 3 a.m. that night by police in West Hartford.
The robbery victim identified the car's three occupants as the
individuals who robbed him, police said. Police found a knife in the car
but no gun.
News of Gunn's arrest follows a call last week by Brian Mattiello, DCF's
acting commissioner, for an immediate "clinical review" of security
procedures and treatment practices at Connecticut Children's Place.
Mattiello was reacting to reports that a 14-year-old girl from the
facility had been raped in Manchester after running away from the program.
A preliminary review revealed that a possible communication error among
staff allowed the girl to leave when she was supposed to be under strict
supervision. A clinician allegedly recommended the girl for close
supervision because of a previous runaway attempt, but that
recommendation apparently was never seen or approved by senior
administrators, sources said.
A 46-year-old homeless man, Carlos Boscana, was arrested and charged
with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, first-degree unlawful
restraint and risk of injury to a minor.
In April, Tiara Dixon, an 18-year-old former client of Children's Place,
was one of four people charged in the killing of 18-year-old Alexandria
Clouse-Desmond in an apartment on Hartford's Laurel Street.
Clouse-Desmond was found suffocated, battered and stuffed inside a box
on April 28.
Police believe Clouse-Desmond was killed following an argument in which
she claimed she had been raped by one of two men now accused in her killing.
Dixon, the girlfriend of one of the accused men, allegedly had a violent
temper and had warned staff at Children's Place that she might hurt someone.
Dixon, who was discharged from Children's Place a few weeks before
Clouse-Desmond's death, has been charged with murder and accessory to
murder.
Contact Colin Poitras at cpoitras@courant.com.
CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NATIONAL
SECURITY AGENCY/CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WIRETAPPING PROGRAM....
CPS Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.
every parent should read this .pdf from
connecticut dcf watch...
http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf
http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com
Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS
Perpetrators of Maltreatment
Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13
Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5
Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that
are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per
100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse
and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the
citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold
parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY
government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and
death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more
human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which
they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that
they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when
children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a
bunch of social workers.
BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...
