OH - James & Vonda Ferguson for beating, burning adopted kids, Marysville, 2006

Beyond Belief

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MARYSVILLE, Ohio (AP) — A couple charged with abusing their five adopted children over four years are accused of using belts, sticks and a hammer to hit them, intentionally burning them with an iron and stove and sticking a toilet plunger handle down a child's throat, according to court records released today.
The children resorted to eating cat food when food was withheld for sometimes two days, and they were made to line up and be whipped at the same time, rotating from the front of the line to the back, according to a document prosecutors filed in Union County Common Pleas Court.

James Ferguson, 46, and his wife, Vonda Ferguson, 43, of Springfield, have pleaded not guilty to 20 counts of child endangerment, five counts of permitting child abuse and five counts of felonious assault. Vonda Ferguson also has pleaded not guilty to an additional count of felonious assault and two counts of rape.

The children, now ages 10 to 16, were removed from the home in November 2004 following a referral from Union County Child Protective Services, Prosecutor David Phillips has said. Sheriff's deputies and social workers began a criminal investigation after the children were removed, and the Fergusons permanently surrendered custody of the children in August 2005.

http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=208927
 
How do these people get these kids and why is there not "visits" and oversights from different agencies.

We know a Police Officer and his wife, who is a high school teacher. They have three kids and two foster kids.

They have a visit every two weeks, there would be "raised" eyebrows if anything was amiss.

Everything is looked at, their rooms, the house, the garage, the fridge, the kids are asked if they would like to go for a walk, so if they feel if there is anything at all that is amiss, then the child is free to talk about it.

These are experienced people who do not do this for the money, they do it for the kids.

There are too many people who are wholly unqualified to be Foster parents and they are not fit, all they see is $$$$$$.
 
Maybe the agencies who put these adopted kids into the families are inadequate. Maybe they need to fill a quota each month, so they don't care who gets these poor kids as long as they get their "numbers".

This is so sad. I don't understand how someone could hurt kids in anyway.
 
dottierainbow said:
Don't foster parents have to go through phsycological testing before they are given children to care for?
Amy
nope.......
 
I guess that may be the difference, there is only one "umbrella" organization that places kids in Foster homes.

It is called the "Childrens' Aid Society", and there may be different branches like Catholic, Jewish, Asian, but they all answer to the public and the Government.

There is no quota, and no private agencies.
 
The Associated Press • May 10, 2008

SPRINGFIELD - A man accused of hitting his adoptive daughter's fingers with a hammer and throwing one of his adoptive sons off a roof was sentenced to 65 years in prison Friday.

Clark County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard O'Neill sentenced James Ferguson, convicted last month of felonious assault, child endangerment and permitting child abuse.

Ferguson, 48, of Springfield, was accused of abusing five of his six adopted children. He had faced up to 185 years in prison.

Much more at link

http://poundpuplegacy.org/node/20003
 
12/7/2009
(SPRINGFIELD, Ohio) — A 46-year-old Springfield woman was sentenced today to a total of 65 years in prison for beatings, abuse and mental torture inflicted against her five adopted children. Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray’s office joined Union County Prosecuting Attorney David Phillips to prosecute the case.

“We believe this is one of the worst child abuse cases in Ohio history,” said Attorney General Cordray. “These children endured years of unthinkable torture. The children’s efforts toward mental and emotional recovery continue today. It was a complicated, difficult and lengthy case, but I’m pleased that the cooperative participation and expertise of our Special Prosecutions staff could help ensure this woman, as well as her husband, would be dealt appropriately strong penalties.”

Much more at link

http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/...cted-Child-Abuser-Sentenced-to-65-Years-in-Pr
 
I am glad that neither of these monsters will ever see the outside again but I would have preferred they be tortured like they did those poor kids.
 
Some of these sentences would be pretty good if most of them weren't cut in half by good behavior credits. I know these 2 will still probably never get out of jail, but so many others will. I think maybe I need to go back at some point and re-look at the cases in my database and see how much actual time they served. That may be helpful in seeking trouble spots.
 

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