Gabriel told her that the bruises on his face were because he had fallen while playing tag. The earnings and benefits information are as follows: The California Public Records Act requires public disclosure of government salary information, which serves a significant public interest. On Monday, November 26, Gabriel arrived late. Martinez approached the window where Pearl had been talking with a clerk, Maricela Corona, to ask whether she was going to report Pearl to the authorities. students of physics. Did he ever have to eat anything weird? Hatami asked. He called 911, but the operator said the situation didnt sound like an emergency and gave him the number for nonemergencies. I dont believe you, Gabriel, she said, noting that this was the first time hed lied to her. The announcement that they faced criminal charges had come as a shock. Learn More{{/message}}, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. Your email address will not be published. On Thursday, Gabriel arrived at school with a busted lip. He called 911, but his situation was not an emergency. Stefanie Rodriguez Executive Business Partner at Lyft New York, New York, United States 478 followers 476 connections Join to connect Lyft University of San Francisco Activity Career Update! She was a ticking time bomb, Teresa Linn Stanley, a caseworker who once worked side by side with Clement, told me. Learn More{{/message}}. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Stefanie has been found in 13 states including Florida, Georgia, New York, New Jersey, Arizona. Money Services Business Registrations; Moter Carriers Skin was missing from his neck. On May 22nd, 2013 paramedics rushed Gabriel to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles but doctors pronounced him braindead the same day. The seriousness of the charges appeared to concern the panel. (In 2013, Los Angeles County had roughly 3,000 caseworkers and more than 200,000 calls to its child-abuse hotline.). But Browning, who left the department in 2017, acknowledged over email that these reforms could not guarantee that the department wouldnt see another death like Gabriels. She had abandoned her youngest child, a daughter named Destiny, and lost custody of a son named Arnold Jr., who was a year older than Gabriel. He then asked if it was normal for moms to hit kids with a belt buckle and make you bleed. A few days later, when Pearl Fernandez came in for a previously scheduled parent-teacher conference, Garcia propped the classroom door open, wary of being alone with her. In 2017, social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, Patricia Clement, and supervisors Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt, were charged with child abuse and falsifying public records. They would later become the second and third workers, after Merritt, to be charged with child abuse and falsification of records. invisible stranding in knitting. They each faced up to ten years in prison if found guilty. Social workers Patricia Clement, left, and Stefanie Rodriguez, third from left, and supervisors Kevin Bom, second from right, and Gregory Merritt, fourth from right, who were charged with. I thought Gabriel would benefit. So she agreed to accept his case rather than urging Rodriguez to take it to courta decision that has haunted her ever since. The family called it the cubby.. "We have, in effect, encouraged DCFS and its social workers to cover their tracks if they stumble on the cracks in the system.". A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge dismissed charges against social workers who were accused of child abuse and falsifying records related to the death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez. He was supposed to read the entire file first, but he hadnt gotten to it. Management had to impose a ban on transfers out just to keep the branch staffed. Merritt started going back through the notes on his computer, and saw that Gabriels first-grade teacher had, in fact, regularly called one of Merritts colleaguesa young caseworker named Stefanie Rodriguezwith disturbing reports. Two years before Gabriel was born, Pearl was investigated after she and Gabriels older brother were in a car accident where her son suffered a head injury because he wasnt wearing his seatbelt. During the trial, it was revealed that Gabriel had been starved, kept in handcuffs, shot with BB guns, doused with pepper spray, forced to eat his own vomit and locked in a cabinet with a sock stuffed in his mouth to muffle his screams. he next day, the principal at Summerwind called Garcia into his office to tell her that Gabriel was dead. Stefanie Lohaus. Starr said that Stefanie Rodriguez pleaded with her to take Gabriels case. But in October, after classes were already under way, word came that the school districts planning had once again failed to keep pace with Palmdales population boom. Still, Gabriel seemed desperate to win his mothers affection. Deputies Arrest Armed Suspect After Barricading in Car, Man Convicted of Nearly Deadly Shooting in Santa Ana Motel, Riverside Paves the Way for Cannabis Vendors to Open Their Doors Citywide, More Rain, Snow Hit Drenched Southern California, Drunk Driver Convicted of Fatal Collision in Orange, Firefighters Spend 5 Hours Battling Blaze in Laguna Hills, Hilltop Home Evacuated in Beverly Crest Area Due to Mud, Debris Flow, SoCalGas Says Relief's On Way from Sky-High Bills, Man Suspected of Molesting Elsinore Girl Arrested, LA County Requests Report on Local Train Derailment Readiness, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. As he read on, Merritt learned that Gabriel had written suicide notes. Gabriel asked his teacher, Jennifer Garcia, if it was normal for moms to hit their kids. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. They could have communicated with one another better, or pulled up the case history in the computer system. 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. Gabriel has a black eye, there were lumps on the back of his head, and his skin was almost yellow. He had internal injuries, including a lacerated liver. But the pressures of the job, she said, pushed her out anywayshe went on extended medical leave and eventually agreed to retire. When she was finally alone with him at recess, she asked what had happened. When Garcia first met the boy, in the schools front office, she noticed that Pearl and Aguirre werent like the other first-grade parents, who hovered over their children, crouching down to guide them through introductions or to explain how to get lunch. Please reload the page and try again. By contrast, Virginia, 14, appeared unable to escape her memories. He walked into class with his head down. Rodriguez made no entry of this call. "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. Stefanie. 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. This seemed like the perfect case for us, Starr told me. Prosecutors had granted immunity to a caseworker and a therapist, in exchange for their testimony against Merritt and the other defendants. The Second District California Appellate Court heard arguments from lawyers. It was meant to be used for lower-risk cases, but a later review found that the department was taking chances on parents who would not have been eligible for family-preservation services had their cases reached the courts. An investigation into the eight-month period leading up to his death discovered that his mother doused him with pepper spray, locked him in a closet with a sock forced in his mouth, and forced him to eat his own vomit. Grace: My mom is 77 and she's better about money. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. She believed in the mission of the Family Preservation unit, and tried to see herself in the shoes of her adult clients and become more tolerant and understanding. She delivered her testimony with plaintive wails and required frequent recesses to gather herself. !. His aim, he says, was to develop ways to prevent abuse from occurring in the first place and, when foster care was necessary, to move children to safe, permanent homes more quickly. The law requires all reports to go through the hotline, the lawyer noted. 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. He is currently awaiting execution in San Quentin State Prison. Prosecutors allege Rodriguez and later Clement the latter took on the case after Garcia was shot in the face falsifiedrecords. Pearl and Aguirre asked no questions and offered no pleasantries. Los Angeles County social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, Patricia Clement, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt, were charged with two felony counts in relation to the death of Fernandez on April 7,. Cigarette burns covered his feet and genitals. Brunt of storm moving out of SoCal on Wednesday; showers will linger, Children jump for joy at seeing snow flurries in Canyon Country, RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan is denied parole for 16th time. DCFS has since made some vital improvements: It has hired more than 1,000 additional caseworkers, provided staffers with much-needed smartphones, introduced new training methods, and tightened the standards for acceptance into the Voluntary Family Maintenance program. Gabriel's mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, were both charged and convicted of first degree murder with special circumstances of torture. Schlesinger has heard these stories before: "A baby boomer, who's maybe taken on their kids' debt and gotten their kids through college, but has come up short and is 60, 63 years old and says, I guess I'll just have to work forever," she says. Stefanie Rodriguez is an actress, known for Phil the Alien (2004). Or was it a systemic one, the result of a department so ill-equipped to safeguard children that tragedies were bound to happen? Find Stefanie Rodriguez's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading people search directory for contact information and public records. Two social workers, Stefanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement, as well as two of their supervisors, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt, were each charged with one felony count of child abuse and falsifying public records. Los Angeles County social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, 35, Patricia Clement, 69, and supervisors Kevin Bom, 41, and Gregory Merritt, 64, were each been charged with one felony count of child. First responders noted that every single inch of his body had signs of abuse. All Information about Stefanie Rodriguez 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. Aguirre would call him gay, punish him if he played with dolls, and even made Gabriel wear girls clothing to school. In just a few days, she would be teaching first grade in Room 5 at Summerwind Elementary, four miles away. The boy was left in his mothers custody despite repeated reports of abuse, including by Gabriels teacher, and follow-up visits by the social workers to the family home. Pearl told the operator that Gabriel wasnt breathing, and Aguirre blamed the injuries on Gabriels roughhousing with Ezequiel. Following Gabriels death in 2013, Rodriguez, Clement, Bom and Merritt were fired from their positions at DCFS following an international investigation after Gabriels death in 2013. Towards the end of January, when Gabriel came to class, there was no more laughing. Instead, she asked Gabriel whether he really wanted to do that days assignment: making a Mothers Day card. Pearl ordered her 11-year-old daughter to help them clean blood off the floor. 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. Partner with a local real estate agent to find the home or apartment that's right for you Stefanie Rodriguez, Real Estate Agent - Compass Fishpond Hong Kong, Statistical Mechanics, Third Edition by R K Pathria . As soon as a call came in from a hospital, caseworkers would be dispatched to interview any surviving siblings and remove them from the home. Earnings for Regularly Scheduled Work Hours. From 1998 to 2013, the number of kids in foster care in Los Angeles County fell from about 50,000 to 19,000. The Pharmacist on Netflix: Whats the shocking true story. The call, which was recorded, felt awkward and intimidating: Garcia was still relatively new to teaching and wasnt sure whether this was the kind of thing she was supposed to reportshe didnt know Gabriels family and wondered whether she might be missing important context. Pearl herself had suffered abuse as a child, giving the family another two points. But of that 60%, 37% reported losing money and 21% said their relationship with the borrower was harmed. Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance Benefits. Stefanie Rodriguez Found 287 people in California, New York and 39 other states View contact information: phones, addresses, emails and networks. Garcia called Rodriguez again, pressing her about what she was doing to help Gabriel. Prosecutors say they failed to take the appropriate steps to protect Gabriel and then falsified documents related to his case. Later that month, Gabriels case was closed. and M.Sc. In 2010, a department study showed that the evidence caseworkers gathered was often insufficient to accurately judge a situation. Youll be able to move out. The two of them paused for a moment, imagining what that might be like. Most agencies dont have those resources. Social workers Stephanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement visited the Fernandez family home on multiple occasions but both workers claimed they never saw signs of abuse that would require Gabriel to be moved out of the family home. In September 2018, Superior Court Judge George G. Lomeli denied a motion to dismiss the charges, calling the young Palmdale boys death foreseeable.. The defense lawyers presented a long list of others who could have helped Gabriel, toopolice officers, school staff members, and people in the community. Rodriguez, Clement, as well as two of their supervisors, Bom and Merritt were charged with one felony count of child abuse and falsifying public records in April 2016. In 2007 a complaint against Pearl claimed she didnt feed one of her daughters and threatened to break her jaw if she cried. He saw that a caseworker had used a computer program to score Gabriels likelihood of being abused. t Summerwind Elementary, the weeks dragged on. Martinez returned to his desk in disbelief. Gabriel, did not directly physically abuse Gabriel and did not have the "duty" required by the child abuse charge. In January 2020 California 2nd District Court of Appeals threw out the charges against the four former social workers. His new address meant a new school, too. When her students arrived, she braced herself to give them the news. Around this time, Gabriel came to class looking even worse than he ever had before. LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Unprecedented charges against Los Angeles County social workers were filed following the death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez of Palmdale. Found insideWith the introduction of new sections and additional information, the fourth edition should prove highly useful for the students. View our online Press Pack. Martinez asked Maricela Corona, the clerk Pearl had spoken to, if she planned to report child abuse. After school, Garcia called the countys child-abuse hotline. By 1967, all 50 states had such laws, and the list of professionals required to report abuse expanded to include teachers, coaches, counselors, and others. The documentary looks into the failures of the Los Angeles County DCFS system. I wondered to what extent Gabriels death and the criminal charges facing their former colleagues had affected how they approached their jobs. That changed in 2001, with the case of Logan Marr, a 5-year-old girl from Maine whod been removed from her home by the states grossly interventionist child-protective-services agency. One of his eyes was a deep red. He was able to find only sporadic work, stocking beer at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds. If convicted of knowingly falsifying those records and the felony count of child abuse, the defendants each face up to 10 years in state prison. He told her that they dont investigate, they report. The District Attorneys Office was unable to respond to an earlier request for information, and it was not immediately clear whether prosecutors intend to appeal the appellate court decision or refile the case. The second best result is Stefanie Denise Rodriquez age 40s in Fort Worth, TX. He was 8 years old, and the signs of abuse were obvious. He pressed, and she reluctantly went to ask a supervisors permission. Isuaro and Pearl even pepper sprayed Gabriel the night before he died. Martinez called his own supervisor and was told the same: Thats not your job. Le Norgant also called 911, but the officer who visited the home left without even talking to Gabriel. Pearl sat quickly, fidgeting and rubbing her nose. [INFO]Gabriel Fernandez: Is Pearl Fernandez still in prison? It's time to end gun violence now. In a short conversation, Rodriguez told me that during the time she supervised Gabriels welfare, other children in her caseload seemed to her to be in equal or greater danger. Still, Mondays events nagged at Garcia. Inside, fluorescent bulbs threw a dull yellow light across the courtroom. Check social media profiles, places of employment, resumes and CV, work history, photos and videos, arrest records, news, business records and publications . Hed been living with his maternal grandparents, with whom he was close, but his mother, Pearl Fernandez, wanted Gabriels welfare benefits, so she brought him to live with her for the first time in his life, over his grandparents strenuous objections. Netflix docu-series The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez tells the story of how he was tortured, and raised questions about the social system that was meant to protect him. The dismissal was long expected after an appellate panel ruled in January that the social workers should not face charges for failing to prevent the torture and killing of the Palmdale boy. All four were fired from the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services after an internal investigation into the boy's May 24, 2013 death. stefanie rodriguez social worker nownyproduktion mlnlycke. Youd see people in the office that made you wonder, Wow, how did they get through the gates? Merritt told me. 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