OH - Michael & Sharen Gravelle for child abuse, Clarksfield Twp, 2005

[Norma]

http://feedback.cbs47.com/topic.asp...6F&topic=E7D60746-01D4-434A-87AF-09881371F75E

Michael and Sharen Gravelle, 56 and 57, had not been charged as of Tuesday, but will likely face child endangering charges in addition to others, the Lorain Morning Call reported.

 

[dolceaura]

This is my first post on WS. Have been coming here for over a year though. I cried my eyeballs out when I heard this morning about these poor babies. I am thouroughly disgusted to read of time after time these department of children and family services failing these children miserably....

 

[mysteriew]

I heard on the local news that 2 of the children were placed there by Hamilton Co. CPS.

 

[libraryg]

Officials said they are from different counties in northern Ohio. The family received monthly checks for adopting the kids.

This is from the yahoo link

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/wews/20050913/lo_wews/2933702

Why were they getting money for adopting these children? Is it because they are special needs kids? Looks like they had an income plus slave labour from these poor sweet angels :sick: :furious:

This breaks my heart and these scum sucking weasels need to be
:behindbar

 

[mysteriew]

This is my first post on WS. Have been coming here for over a year though. I cried my eyeballs out when I heard this morning about these poor babies. I am thouroughly disgusted to read of time after time these department of children and family services failing these children miserably....

Welcome to WS and congrats on your first post! I hope that now you will keep on posting!
The one thing that is hopeful in this case, is that the kids do seem to have been well fed. They have been checked out, and no one is saying that they are undernourished. So hopefully, except for the cages- maybe the kids were well cared for otherwise.

 

[mysteriew]

The children — polite and well-dressed — seemed ordinary enough to neighbors, who hired some of them to help bale hay and saw them playing in a yard filled with toys.

At night, authorities said, eight of the children were confined in wooden cages stacked in bedrooms on the second floor. The cages were painted in bright colors, and some were rigged with alarms that would send a signal to the downstairs when the door was opened. One cage had a dresser in front of it.

The cages, made of plywood and wiring, had mats but no pillows or blankets. The house smelled of urine, according to the search warrant.

The Gravelles have said a psychiatrist recommended they make the children sleep in the cages, Huron County Prosecutor Russell Leffler (search) told the Norwalk Reflector. The parents also said the children, including some who had mental disorders, needed to be protected from each other, according to court documents.

The Gravelles received a subsidy from the state of at least $500 a month to care for the children.

Payments are meant to encourage adoption by ensuring families can maintain their standard of living, said Rhonda Abban, chief of adoption services for the state Job and Family Services Department.

"There's no follow up because you're giving that family the money so they can incorporate that child into their life," she said.

In 2001, the Gravelles adopted an infant born with HIV through the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services, director Jim McCafferty said. Before the adoption, private agencies gave the couple "glowing reports," he said.

Sheriff's deputies were called to the home twice in the last five years: once to settle a neighbor dispute in 2000, and last year when a 12-year-old boy was upset and ran away for several hours. He was found down the road.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,169328,00.html

 

[mysteriew]

A slideshow of the area around the outside of the home.
http://news.yahoo.com/photos/ss/eve...CpsaMYA;_ylu=X3oDMTA5bGcyMWMzBHNlYwNzc25hdg--

 

[AutumnBorn]

This story has been sensationalized, from what I understand so far. I don't know all the details, but this is what I heard:

1. These kids were not locked up 24/7. It was for their safety while they slept. They were outside playing each day like normal kids.

2. Some of these kids would eat things such as carpet, batteries, etc. They needed to be monitored very closely to keep them from harming themselves. This is a mental disorder and they could eat something that might have killed them. Pica can be deadly.

3. Some of the kids may have had sexual and abuse issues and when the parents were unable to watch over them carefully (during sleeping hours), perhaps they thought that everyone would be most safe if they were kept in their own beds. It is extremely difficult to reason with the mentally retarded and mentally ill.


I think these parents should be allowed to defend themselves before they are totally condemned. It's a horrifying story when taken at face value, but when I heard that some of the kids had Pica disorder and I thought about the possibility of some of them eating glass or rocks or poison, I realized that there's more to this story than the sensational headlines. What they did was unwise, no doubt, but I'm not sure it was criminal. If one of my kids had Pica disorder, I don't know what I'd do to keep him or her safe.

 

[vanillasky]

I don't believe this case can be sensationalized - keeping a child in a cage, is WRONG. :furious:


I was watching Nancy Grace earlier this evening, and she had someone on who is close to the investigation / has someone reporting to him.... and as Mysteriew said, they had set up church at the home (the guy on the NG show said it was like in a shed out back) NG asked.... why not take them to regular church, why do it at home?? You know what the reply was?!

The "parents" said that since they themselves were white, and the adopted children were black, they were afraid of what the community might think.

Appalling, disgusting, horrifying. I have NO pity for those 2 scum of the earth people - and they deserve nothing short of a lifetime prison sentence, locked in a tiny cage.

Obviously they could not handle eleven children (I don't know many people who could) - why keep adopting them? Why go from county to county getting them? IMO - for the money the state gave them for it, that's why. If you have to keep your children in a cage to keep in control of them, obviously, you're in over your head - no excuse!!!! :furious:

 

[LinasK]

"The impression that we got was that they felt it was OK," said Lt. Randy Sommers of the Huron County Sheriff's Office. The Gravelles said a psychiatrist recommended they make the children - ages 1 to 14, with conditions that included autism and fetal alcohol syndrome - sleep in the cages at night.
Some of the cages were rigged with alarms, Sommers said; others had heavy furniture blocking their doors. The children didn't have blankets or pillows.

How did they plan to get them out timely in case of a fire or other emergency/disaster?:doh: :banghead: :furious:

 

[LinasK]

I don't believe this case can be sensationalized - keeping a child in a cage, is WRONG. :furious:


I was watching Nancy Grace earlier this evening, and she had someone on who is close to the investigation / has someone reporting to him.... and as Mysteriew said, they had set up church at the home (the guy on the NG show said it was like in a shed out back) NG asked.... why not take them to regular church, why do it at home?? You know what the reply was?!

The "parents" said that since they themselves were white, and the adopted children were black, they were afraid of what the community might think.

Appalling, disgusting, horrifying. I have NO pity for those 2 scum of the earth people - and they deserve nothing short of a lifetime prison sentence, locked in a tiny cage.

Obviously they could not handle eleven children (I don't know many people who could) - why keep adopting them? Why go from county to county getting them? IMO - for the money the state gave them for it, that's why. If you have to keep your children in a cage to keep in control of them, obviously, you're in over your head - no excuse!!!! :furious:

I totally agree with your whole post, there is no excuse for locking children up, even if it's only at night! If they can't be trusted, then these parents shouldn't be watching 11 children without help! Their only motivation seems to be the money!:banghead:

Also, not having blankets or pillows is NOT being "well cared for"!:razz:

 

[mysteriew]

I totally agree with your whole post, there is no excuse for locking children up, even if it's only at night! If they can't be trusted, then these parents shouldn't be watching 11 children without help! Their only motivation seems to be the money!:banghead:

Also, not having blankets or pillows is NOT being "well cared for"!:razz:

It wasn't just that they didn't have pillows or blankets, they didn't have mattresses either. From what I understand they slept on rubber mats.

 

[mysteriew]

The case of 11 adopted children who were living in one home, some sleeping in cages, highlights the risk of easing up on screening for special needs children who can be difficult to place, adoption experts say.

"There's always a pressing need to find homes for these children," Kevin Cohen, a Roslyn, N.Y., adoption attorney who himself was adopted, said Wednesday.

Cohen said disabled children require more work and patience from parents, and can be the last picked for adoption, given that there are 130,000 children awaiting permanent homes nationwide.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/14/AR2005091400361.html

 

[mysteriew]

The children's adoptive parents, Michael and Sharen Gravelle, have not been charged. Huron County Prosecutor Russell Leffler said his office has filed 11 complaints with the Huron County Juvenile Court, including nine complaints of abuse and neglect and two involving dependents living at the home. The complaints are not against specific people, said Leffler.

The sheriff's office said they are investigating possible criminal charges of abuse and neglect, and would present the evidence to the prosecutor.

The sheriff's office believes that at least nine of the 11 children slept in the cages, which were all about 40 inches high, 30 inches wide and 4 feet deep. The cages had no pillows, and few blankets or mattresses, according to the sheriff's office.

Their cages were stacked two cages high in two rooms without air conditioning, according to the sheriff's office. Some of the cages were painted blue, with splashes of other colors, apparently decorated by the children, said Sutherland.

Someone recently called the sheriff's office and said he had seen the children in cages more than a year ago. Because of the time lapse, the sheriff's office didn't have probable cause to enter their home, so they decided to see if the family would let the children services investigator in to inspect the home, according Sommers. After they did, the Norwalk Municipal Court Judge John Ridge quickly approved a search warrant, which was executed at 5:30 p.m. Friday.

According to the records, the children were initially foster children, who were eventually adopted.

Gravelle also said in court papers that that his wife received $4,265 per month from adoptions subsidies and Social Security when the couple had seven children.
http://www.morningjournal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15207389&BRD=1699&PAG=461&dept_id=46371&rfi=6

 

[jannuncutt]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050915/ap_on_re_us/caged_children;_...

It seems to me that whoever allowed these children to be adopted by these people just wanted to get rid of these kids. I am tired of reading "Their motives and intentions were good. They would never harm a child." Animals are treated better than these children were. Why are these people still walking around? Who do they know? Who is acting on their behalf?

 

[Jeana (DP)]

Perhaps if the children had that many "issues," it would have been wise for this family to NOT have so many of them in their home. After all, they are there solely because these people ASKED that they be there. If they can't handle the childrens' disabilities, giving them the best possible care, they just shouldn't be there - period. There is absolutely no good reason whatever that this couple should have 11 very needy children in one home.

 

[HeartofTexas]

Well, there was one good reason in the couple's mind I'm afraid... money... to the tune of $4,265 for just SEVEN kids. Wonder what it was for ELEVEN kids? No doubt it was over $6,000 a month. My my my... do you think money could have been a motive for adopting that many disabled children. That's so sad. And even sadder that our children's protective services aren't set up to catch that kind of abuse.

 

[mysteriew]

The couple authorized their attorney to issue a statement Wednesday evening explaining their actions.

"The children have been out of control and have caused serious harm to themselves and each other," said attorney David Sherman, adding that Michael Gravelle built the enclosures to provide the children with a secure space while their parents slept at night.

"The Gravelles love and miss their children and are devastated and brokenhearted with worry, since their children have been ripped away from them," Sherman said. "Their motives and intentions were good. They would never harm a child."

The Gravelles received "glowing reports" from private agencies that reviewed them for the adoption of one of the children, said Jim McCafferty, director of the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services (search), which placed the boy with the couple.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,169461,00.html

 

[mysteriew]

The adoptive mother of a group of children who were confined in cages at night accused her husband four years ago of being a danger to the family.

In court papers requesting a separation in March 2001, Sharen Gravelle said she wanted custody of their then eight young children because of her husband's "physical mistreatment of the children."

The couple, who now have 11 adopted special needs children, eventually resolved their differences. Authorities, however, now are making similar allegations.
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/natio...0747.story?coll=ny-leadnationalnews-headlines

 

[mysteriew]

The cages, some of which were stacked, offered cramped quarters for 11 adopted children who were confined in them. Evidence indicates some of the children tried to escape.

"They were all different sizes," said Huron County Sheriff's Lt. Randy Sommers, the primary investigator of suspected child abuse in the sheriff's office and one of four sheriff's deputies who visited the home Friday.


The lieutenant also said none of the cages were tall enough for the children to stand in or appeared long enough for them to fully extend their bodies when lying down.


Authorites removed the 11 children from the Gravelles' home. Prosecutors are investigating the case, although no charges have been filed and no arrests have been made. The case has generated national interest.
http://www.norwalkreflector.com/fullstory.html?sku=2005091312312340331&s=frontpage

They looked like perfectly normal kids, riding bicycles in the streets and playing on a plastic jungle gym in their backyard. But neighbors had one nagging question about Michael and Sharen Gravelle's 11 children:

How could all of them, 1 to 14 years in age, possibly live in such a small home?

Huron County Prosecutor Russell Leffler said Wednesday that his office was still investigating the case, which has focused national attention on a sleepy rural area. Though no decision has been made, Leffler said potential criminal charges against the couple could include abduction, unlawful restraint and child endangering.

"We're still trying to figure out where all the kids came from," he said after a long meeting with sheriff's deputies. "This has become a very complicated case."

The couple's lawyer, David Sherman, did not return phone calls.

But he issued a news statement Wednesday evening, saying that the Gravelles, with the approval of a social worker, had constructed "enclosures" around their beds, because the children demonstrated "extreme behavioral problems" and that "traditional methods of behavior control were unsuccessful."

Although details are sketchy, police documented a chilling scene when they entered the home last week. Jo Johnson, a children's services investigator, said there were "11 cages divided into three areas for the children to sleep in and/or for their punishments to be administered," according to the complaints in juvenile court.

She said the cages were approximately 30 inches wide, 40 inches high and 4 feet long; they were stacked in pairs and used for sleeping. Wire fencing covered the openings, and there were alarms on the doors to alert the Gravelles whenever a child attempted to leave. Two of the cages were blocked by a large dresser, Johnson said.

She said the couple told her that the cages had been in use for two years. They said a psychologist, who was not identified, had told them this was an efficient way to discipline and control children who might otherwise be considered unruly. The parents added that the cages were also meant to protect the children from each other.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationw...ep15,1,3128744.story?coll=la-headlines-nation