Feeling they had run out of options, the Harrises decided to re-home their children -- a legal loophole that allows adoptive parents to hand over kids to another willing family -- to Eric and Stacey Francis, with the intention that the Francises would eventually adopt them. Kimberly A. Warren: 'Mr. Over the years, the Harts have opened their home to close to 70 foster children. Rep. Justin Harris blames DHS for the fallout related to his adoption of three young girls, but sources familiar with the situation contradict his story and paint a troubling picture of the adoption process and the girls' time in the Harris household. The three sisters taken in by Justin and Marsha Harris had already lived with atoxic mixture of neglect and abuse. In weak moments a parent might feel like the child is less than, not deserving of compassion and basic dignities (albeit these thoughts happen mostly after much physical aggression, sexually acting out towards parents and kids, homicidal thoughts or statements, hours-long tantrums, etc.). Date: 2014-04-04 Placement type: Adoption Type of abuse: Sexual abuse Eric Francis was later convicted of sexually abusing the 6-year-old and other girls and was given a 40-year prison sentence. Cheryl and Craig Hart, an experienced foster couple who housed Mary and Annie for a year and a half before their adoption by the Harrises, said they tried to talk the Harrises out of adopting the sisters. They argued they were more than capable of raising these young girls. One of the many people who contacted the Times after the original story broke was a therapist who works with children with reactive attachment disorder and who is familiar with DHS. The Harrises learned that this behavior could be related to the girl's diagnosis of Reactive Attachment Disorder (R.A.D.) Male adoptee born on Aug 17, 1982 in Orlando, Florida Adoption record added Today at 12:55pm Female adoptee born on Jan 3, 1983 in Yakima, Washington Adoption record added Today at 9:41am Male adoptee born on Jan 1988 in Tulsa, Oklahoma Adoption record added Today at 9:31am Justin Harris told "20/20" the reason there was such objection to the adoption was "because [others] felt like we were a fanatical couple. There are far too few foster parents, and children often end up having to stay at the DHS overnight with a worker, sometimes for several days on end because there are no placement options. Casting out demons: why Justin Harris got rid of kids he applied pressure to adopt "Rep. Justin Harris blames DHS for the fallout related to his adoption of three young girls, but sources familiar with the situation contradict his story and paint a troubling picture of the adoption process and the girls' time in the Harris household." Benji Hardy is a contributing editor to the Arkansas Times and a reporter for the Arkansas Nonprofit News Network. Meanwhile, Sarah Young, the biological mother, had made a plan of her own. Rep. Eddie Armstrong released a statement on behalf of the House Democrats in the state, saying: 'First, our thoughts and prayers are with this little girl and other children that may have been exposed to injury as a consequence of this practice. They never once called us.. Their attorney, Jennifer Wells, said in a statement: Exorcisms and telepathy are not part of the Harrises religious practice. I never signed any parental rights away to DHS. It was later discovered that Eric Francis had sexually abused the middle child during the time she spent in his home. But by January 2014,Francis had been fired for poor work attendance, the Arkansas Times said. After initiating a private adoption, we were informed in a meeting with DHS, CASA, the attorney ad litem, and Ozark Guidance that we could not adopt the two children unless we also took their older sibling., Harris contradicted himself in the KARK interview later that same evening, stating that Sarah Young asked him, Will you take my three girls? and we said, Yes, we will take your three girls. . So one day in late 2011, a few months after they were first introduced, Young met with the Harrises. This is hypocrisy at its highest level. This was my last effort at being a good mother., Our idea was going to be to have a private adoption, Harris said in the KARK interview. This practice is legal in almost every single state in the country, even though it is a form of human trafficking. Mary, they said, had some problems at preschool tantrums and occasional inappropriate behavior. And also, theyre both small children for their age. They said she exerted pressure on people in the local DHS team on Harris behalf. That is when they decided to give the girls to the Francis family, and at that point began sending all stipends they received to them. Justin Ross Harris (born November 27, 1980, age: 41 years) is a web developer and a criminal from America. He saw it as, Im with God. By then, the 4-year old girl Harris had adopted and then given away was 6. Thats why we have supervisors and area managers because you want as many eyes as you can to help make sure we make the best, most appropriate decisions for those kids. Watch popular content from the following creators: Justine Harris(@_justinemariah), Justine Harris(@_justinemariah), Justine Harris(@_justinemariah), Justine Harris(@_justinemariah), Justin Harris(@tiktokfamousjustinharris) . They are our daughters. In March 2011 the Harts received a phone call from the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) asking if they would take in a 9-month-old baby girl. This couple, the girls fourth set of parents in two and a half years, has now legally adopted them. All I wanted to do was to make sure my girls were safe and in a good home, you know? The lawyer had not responded to a long list of other questions from the Times by midday Tuesday. Harris and his wife once hired specialists to perform an exorcism on the two sisters while she waited outside the house with the boys, she said. If Harris account of the girls as violent and threatening holds little water, however, the other half of his narrative presents a more immediately sympathetic defense: DHS is not a friend to parents in need. We love them deeply and are committed to do everything we can to help them live healthy, happy lives. 'I think everyone in our caucus was dismayed to learn that rehoming is allowable in Arkansas, and a bill has already been filed to address this tragic gap in the law so that our children can be protected.'. Do not sell or share my personal information. Harris put a 6-year-old girl he adopted in the care of a man who later sexually abused her. We had wanted to adopt from the very beginning. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. According to a police report from Sgt. Find your friends on Facebook. FOLLOW MORE IBT NEWS ON THE BELOW CHANNELS, IBT Fast Start - Let the best of International News come to you. DHS cant comment on specific cases, but when theTimespreviouslyasked DHS spokesperson Amy Webb whether senior agency officials at the state level ever override the recommendations of a local adoption team, she said, Im sure thats possible thats happened. We started through our church. Eric Francis, the head teacher at a Christian school Harris ran, was allowed to look after the two girls, and had custody of them for more than a year before he was arrested for sexual assault. (Other sources claim Young waited for days to turn the husband over to the police.) 'I don't care if I lose my position. Francis lost his job at the school while in custody of the girls due to performance issues, but Rep. Harris and his wife did not take the girls back at that point. I don't care if I lose my position. Harris also claimed that another of the girls 'crushed a family pet to death', further convincing them to get rid of their recently-adopted charges. 'They knew, suddenly knew, that this was their forever home, and they were no longer ever going back to Mom's house. The scrutiny-free practice of rehoming opens the door to children becoming victims once again. The sisters were supposed to be moving out of neglect and chaos and into the stability of their forever home. But it was not just DHS. Why would anyone go to the trouble of adopting a child and then give the child away?'. And in court, Cheryl Hart recalled, something strange happened: Everyone on the DHS team that had previously opposed the adoption changed their recommendations. Those adoptive parents who do it, advocates say, are gambling with the well-being of at-risk children whose entire life experienceshave been characterized by abandonment, separation, grief and often abuse. Justin Harris in Nevada. We had a dog, a little Bichon, that they were around all the time and there was never once any issue with her abusing an animal. The older one was very protective of the younger one.. [email protected]. Wallis left DHS in fall 2012. We had decided to add on to our house in order to expand the family, and we couldnt have any more children, so at that point we had decided we were going to adopt. But she was such a sweet little girl. When news of the rape came out in April 2014 and Harris was questioned about his former employee, he told the Times hed fired Francis for a poor work record. Here was a young, desperate mother pleading for help, seeking a home for her three little lost girls. Justin Harris. Contact info Agent info Born in Hollywood FL, Justin R Harris, from a diversely mixed background of German with Jamaican influence; black American. But we also know this for sure: There is nothing more traumatic for a child than losing their birth parents. The girls were at one point placed in the care of methamphetamine users,according to the Times. Therapeutic foster parents are trained to deal with the intense demands of traumatized children and nudge them toward healing and bonding with intentional, careful steps. That summer, the adoption case went before 4th Circuit Juvenile Court Judge Stacy Zimmerman in Washington County. He helps serious athletes who train hard by providing expert coaching built on results, from competitive bodybuilders and powerlifters to other athletes looking to crush their personal goals. Those depictions, Ostrov says, would be a tremendous lure.. Due to threats of possible abandonment charges, they were unable to reach out to DHS for help with children who presented a serious risk of harm to other children in their home,' the statement read. and Mrs. Harris have suffered a severe injustice', Christian school: Pictured is Growing God's Kingdom Preschool, in which Rep. Harris owns, employed Francis for three months, It was also reported in the story that the Harris family 'continued to accept adoption subsidy money even after giving the children away.'. It is an overall forecast for the net worth of Justin Harris. In most cases, custody of an adopted child can be transferred simply by both sets of parents signing a document, and child protective services will only step in if they suspect the child is not being properly treated, which can be near impossible for them to judge at times. The incident happened while his wife was away for two weeks on a trip to Pennsylvania. In most conversations with us, [Harris] would mention Ceciles name. It was also this agency which Harris required to approve his controversial adoptions. DHS had placed her in a therapeutic foster home where the foster parents would be trained to deal with her special needs. Their attorneys pulled up all the paperwork for me. Response: 'I don't care what the people of Arkansas think about me. The former DHS employee confirmed this information as well. He said they suffered from reactive attachment disorder, a condition sometimes occurring among children with unstable backgrounds that results in severe emotional and social problems. According to Goldsborough, the two girls were kept in separate rooms that were outfitted with locks, alarms and video cameras. But I knew they had talked about it, they were going to rehome them, she said. [The biological] mom wanted to have control of what happened to the children and Marsha and I said we didnt want to go through DHS because of some issues wed had with them in the past. (Roughly around this time, in late 2011, the Harrises were feuding with DHS over an investigation involving Growing Gods Kingdom that found the school included overtly Christian instruction despite receiving public money. Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, Thousands Support Creation Of Child Abuse Registry In Michigan, Canada's Trudeau Denies Report That Liberals Told To Drop Candidate Over China Ties, After Italian Migrant Boat Wreck, Police Arrest Three Alleged Traffickers, 14 Chinese Military Aircraft Tracked Around Country, China's Annual Parliament To Implement Xi's Tightening Grip. They are fighters.". They think they are the fairy godmother and their charity is to save themselves a Cinderella.. SCOTUS Nom In fact, a past DHS employee at the time came to us and confirmed that the plan at DHS was to seek abandonment charges if we returned the girls.". Rep. Harris confirmed this in his press conference, saying he and his wife had been cleared of all charges. "We met a bunch of different families, and we found the parents we absolutely loved," Justin, who came out as gay to his family before his junior . So she called us out of the blue, the mom, and said Will you take my three girls? See Photos. The former DHS employee confirmed this account. Justin Harris suggested he used his influence to obtain the three girls during the adoption hearing, according to Cheryl Hart. They repeatedly told us they had degrees in early childhood development, they had therapists there at their preschool, and they had God to help them through this. We also are prohibited from clarifying any inaccurate information.. Fired GMA host buys $650 David Yurman promise ring and slips it on Tiffany chain ahead of Amy Robach's 50th, as pals say they're 'more in love than ever', White House claims Americans are in a 'better position' under Biden and his economic plan is working - despite poll saying a record number think they are WORSE off in the last two years, Just 37% of Democrats want Biden to run in 2024 - and 62% of Americans think he's done 'little or nothing', damning new polls reveal: Voters are concerned by his gaffes and COUGHING. 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