Breaking news for Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. They each faced up to ten years in prison if found guilty. On the rare days when Gabriel came to class, she told him to be good and never give his mother a reason to get angry. The social worker Garcia contacted, Stefanie Rodriguez, 31, another social worker, Patricia Clement, 66, and two of their supervisors, Kevin Bom, 37, and Gregory Merritt, 61, are now facing charges of one felony count each of child abuse and falsifying records in relation to this case. Hed whisper in Gabriels ear to fall to the ground quickly when he hit him. y the time Greg Merritt, Stefanie Rodriguez, Kevin Bom, and Pat Clement arrived for their own first day in court, on April 7, 2016, they were pariahs. They alleged the officials failed to take appropriate steps to protect the boy. I dont think theres anything else I could have done, he told me, with the soft voice and slumped shoulders of a man whose fate is now in the hands of others. Garcia was telling him he was lucky his mother loved himnot everyone had thatwhen Gabriel chimed in. ast September, I arranged a ride-along with caseworkers from the Palmdale office of the Department of Children and Family Services. Find contact's direct phone number, email address, work history, and more. The Auditor-Controller of Los Angele County provides financial leadership and expert advice on a wide range of fiscal matters and advocates for financial integrity and accountability in all County business practices, and also develops financial policies and guidelines for departmental operations and issues checks to vendors, employees, child support payments, judgments and damages and other claims against the County, as well as other financial responsibilities. Neither caseworker Kevin Bom nor case manager Stefanie Rodriguez felt the bruising was grounds for a doctors visit or Gabriels removal from the home. Garcia lost hope that DCFS would offer any rescue. However, his girlfriend, now wife, Stephanie Sanger, announced their marriage in a post on her Facebook page, which has since been deleted. On February 26th 2020, Netflix released a documentary called The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez. Free college is now a reality in nearly 30 states. Meanwhile, the rate of child abuse remained steady during that period; according to a Yale study, at least one out of eight American children will be abused by age 18. arlene Starr, the worker who accepted Gabriels case into the Voluntary Family Maintenance program, was one of Greg Merritts closest confidantes at work. Long Term Disability Premiums, Life Insurance Premiums and Employer Medicare Tax. Claim your profile Get in touch with Stefanie. He saw that a caseworker had used a computer program to score Gabriels likelihood of being abused. Still, Mondays events nagged at Garcia. Prosecutors say they failed to take the appropriate steps to protect Gabriel and then falsified documents related to his case. A public employee's salary relates to a particular person, but it is a matter of public interest and not primarily a matter of the individual's private business. As we sat in her living room, she told me that working for Merritt had made the job tolerable; he always had her back, and would encourage her to take a lunch break or work from home when he sensed that the pressures of the job were getting to her. The thing she loves most about working at the Alliance, is connecting with caregivers. The petitioners actions here prevented the system from working in whatever way it might have had they done their jobs honestly, and offers no incentive for either DCFS or individual social workers to work to reform and repair the parts of the system that may fail the children it is intended to protect, Chaney wrote. There are no safety or risks [sic] to the childrens welfare at this time. Her recommendation: Close the case.. DCFS never learned about these injuries while Gabriel was alive. Learn More{{/message}}. It was very clear that this was no accidental fall. His older brother Ezequiel would try to sneak bananas through the padlocked door. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Gabriels eyes were swollen, and squinty like a cats. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. It will always be Gabriel's number. But when she told Steve Reid, the caseworker who answered, about the belt buckle and the blood, he said, Okay. Yet time and again, caseworkers from child-protective services failed to help him. Why did you lie and tell me you fell?, When I tell you, and that lady comes, then I get hurt worse.. In her report, Rodriguez described the lesion on his lip as an open blister.. Did he ever have to eat anything weird? Hatami asked. After all, Kate was mysteriously absent from the season three finale fast-forward scene and Toby seemed hesitant . Gabriel has a black eye, there were lumps on the back of his head, and his skin was almost yellow. Garcia called Rodriguez again, despite the odd sense of complicity she now felt after hearing that her efforts only made things worse. DON'T MISSGabriel Fernandez: Who is Michael Lemos Carranza? Find Stefanie Rodriguez's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading people search directory for contact information and public records. SOURCES: The Atlantic | LA Times 1 | LA times 2 | LA Times 3 | LA Daily News | Oprah Magazine | NBC LA | ABC | Bom et al. vs. LA County, Scalp, Face, Neck, Ears and Shoulder Injuries Documented at Trial (diagam). Cigarette burns covered his feet and genitals. Other Payments such as Shift Pay, Allowances and Bonuses. Le Norgant informed social worker Patricia Clement and Palmdales LAC DCFS supervisor Greg Merritt. In January, a three-justice panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal issued an opinion directing a lower court to dismiss the charges against the social workers. She said yes because some parents spank their children, but asked him again about it at recess. Once again, Rodriguez and Bom decided not to remove him or order a medical exam. Garcia cracked a smile as the girls eyes seemed to say, Get me out of here. Garcia called Rodriguez again, pressing her about what she was doing to help Gabriel. Gabriel Fernandez: What happened to Gabriel Fernandezs parents? In 2004, a relative filed a complaint with CPS claiming that Pearl was beating that son. Dixons boss, Michael Bailey, allegedly told her not to report the abuse and later, supervisors told her not to cooperate with police regarding his death. Stefanie Rodriguez. Still, Pearl received custody of Gabriel. He had broken ribs. MARIA EVELYN RODRIGUEZ-ZIERER (NPI# 1801829239) is a health care provider registered in Centers for Medicare & Medicaid . Earnings for Regularly Scheduled Work Hours. Shed spent the summer preparing to teach fourth grade at Palm Tree Elementary, in the high-desert town of Palmdale, north of Los Angeles. Later investigations revealed Rodriguez had never received information which showed Pearl Rodriguez had abused and neglected her other children. On the wall behind the jury box, dark oily blotches had formed over the years behind the heads of countless weary jurors. She said she had been assigned to investigate and told Garcia to call her directly if she noticed. Yet time and again, they failed to intervene. He then asked if it was normal for moms to hit kids with a belt buckle and make you bleed. Pearl ordered her 11-year-old daughter to help them clean blood off the floor. He rarely went outside during recess, and when he did, Garcia sometimes saw him alone on the playground, kicking a wall. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or . The question today is whether the felony counts against four social workers will be dismissed, reduced or stand. Judge Lomeli denied an automatic motion to reduce the jurys recommendation of a death sentence for Aguirre to life in prison without the possibility of parole, citing the repeated beating, binding, burning and starving of Gabriel. The appellate court formally sent the matter back to the lower court in April and Lomeli was expected to officially drop the charges on Thursday. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Contact Stefanie, search articles and Tweets, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place. Prosecutors say that the four minimized evidence of abuse and violated multiple policies, reporting that safety programs at Gabriel's home were working at the time abuse was escalating. Merritt told me she was a little bit of a burnout case but good enough. Others remember her less favorably. The caseworker I shadowed was one of the new arrivals; she held the same job Stefanie Rodriguez had once had. Rodriguez recommended that Gabriel and Pearl take part in Voluntary Family Maintenance, which allows children to remain in the home while the family works to resolve their issues. Well send you the latest headlines every morning and every weekday afternoon. Executive Business Partner at Lyft . When it was time to leave at 5 oclock, I left, whether I had a mound of paperwork in my cubicle or not. The job was hard, and one of the things that angered him most was when a subordinate worked unpaid hours. 2017 toyota corolla wheel torque specs stefanie rodriguez social worker now Dice is the leading career destination for tech experts at every stage of their careers. She was right. On January 29, 2013 Rodriguez made a final visit to Fernandezs home. They did nothing. Aguirre would call him gay, punish him if he played with dolls, and even made Gabriel wear girls clothing to school. READ MOREGabriel Fernandez: What happened to Gabriel Fernandezs parents? 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. Garcia called Rodriguez yet again. An unfiltered extrovert known as Mama Starr, she put Merritt, a stoic introvert, at ease. When I got to the department, instead of cheering the parent on for doing the right thing, theyd want us to take the kid away or tell the kid, Youre right and Your parents have no authority over you.. According to the case file, Rodriguez met Gabriels family in their second-floor apartment, which looked out on the back of a row of dollar stores, two days after Garcias first call to the hotline. In 2018, after Pearl and Isauros sentencing, prosecutors opened an investigation into the four social workers who had been assigned to Gabriels case. Pearl was yelling at him to sit, and Martinez told her to tone it down. Pearl Fernandez had a history of mental-health problems, which gave the family two points. It was stated that there was no probable cause connected to child abuse or falsifying documents in a 2-to-1 opinion. She reported that Gabriels face and hands had bruises from strikes with a belt buckle. Villar also stated that the defendants should have documented Gabriel Fernandezs injuries and that their actions were incompatible with the proper regard for human life.. When Garcia first questioned Gabriel about his injuries, he lied to her and told her he fell. His loyalties were with his colleagues in the branch office, the ones who would gather for after-hours parties known as howls, where theyd hoot and holler, with bonfires and country musica release valve for the stresses of a difficult job. Fast-Forward scene and Toby seemed hesitant older brother Ezequiel would try to sneak bananas through the padlocked door Employer Tax... Lucky his mother loved himnot everyone had thatwhen Gabriel chimed in remove him or order a exam. Now a reality in nearly 30 states with caregivers, Face, Neck, Ears and Shoulder injuries Documented Trial! Department of children and Family Services the girls eyes seemed to say, Get me out of here, ease... 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