This in addition to other instances of violent physical, mental, and emotional child abuse. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) A California appeals court has thrown out criminal charges against four social workers in the torture and murder of 8-year-old Palmdale boy Gabriel Fernandez. Do you have more infomration about Stefanie A Rodriguez? In 2018, after Pearl and Isauros sentencing, prosecutors opened an investigation into the four social workers who had been assigned to Gabriels case. Overall employment of social workers is projected to grow 9 percent from 2021 to 2031, faster than the average for all occupations. In a gruesome twist, Logan was placed in the custody of a former caseworker, who disciplined her by gagging her with duct tape and leaving her in the basement, where she died. Payments for Straight and Premium Overtime. Gabriels eyes seemed to ask Martinez for help. NEW social workers in the case of Gabriel Fernandez came under investigation after the child died at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend. On March 26th, 2013 therapist intern Barbara Dixon filed a report that Gabriel claimed a relative forced him to perform oral sex on them. Call or Email Stefanie Vitale now - (919) 374-4292. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. But she, too, said she didnt think about Gabriels casethat was in the past.. erritts team officially took over Gabriels case on February 1, not long after Jennifer Garcia had called to report the BB-gun marks on his face. Arturo Martinez, the security guard, asked to transfer to another office because he could not continue to work with the same people who had refused to help Gabriel. But we spoke again later that day. This time, the students didnt laugh. Did he have to dance when they shot him with the BB gun?. Over the years, the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services has taken significant steps to mitigate risk and improve our capacity countywide in order to best serve vulnerable children and families and as a department we remain committed to ensuring that reform continues. Looking for Stefanie Rodriguez online? Martinez called his own supervisor and was told the same: Thats not your job. Find contact's direct phone number, email address, work history, and more. When Barbara Dallis, one of the departments assistant regional administrators, showed up at Merritts desk that morning asking for the Gabriel Fernandez case file, he didnt immediately understand that something terrible had happened. Former colleagues told me he now mows lawns. Click the link in the email we sent to to verify your email address and activate your job alert. By contrast, Virginia, 14, appeared unable to escape her memories. ( Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Pearl Fernandez had a history of mental-health problems, which gave the family two points. The woman they knew was profane, ill-tempered, and prone to yelling at clients. Around this time, Gabriel came to class looking even worse than he ever had before. On May 22nd, 2013 paramedics rushed Gabriel to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles but doctors pronounced him braindead the same day. He whispered to Garcia that he didnt know what to say when they asked what had happened. Paramedics arrived at her Palmdale, California apartment to find Gabriel unconscious. She didnt want to tell him everything would be okaythat felt like it might not be true. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. More at IMDbPro Contact Info: View agent, publicist, legal on IMDbPro. Gabriel died in May 2013 and his mother and her boyfriend were later convicted of torturing and murdering him. The family called this cabinet the cubby. Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami claimed that Aguirre hated Gabriel because he thought he may be gay. When social workers interviewed him about that allegation, Pearl was present, and Gabriel took back each of his stories. 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. The law requires all reports to go through the hotline, the lawyer noted. All he knew was that Gabriel was old enough to be in school, which meant he had teachers who were required by law to report signs of abuse. Bom had managed to start a new career as a custody evaluator in divorce cases, but he lost that job after the criminal charges were filed. Yet she also noticed that ideas came easily to Gabriel, and he seemed to gain a small measure of dominion over his surroundings with a pencil in hand. But five years on, he believes he has the distance to see that he performed as well as anyone could have, under the circumstances. The girl later said that her mother asked her to help soak up blood from the floor. His eyes were swollen, his face dotted with bruises. 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. Wellington, Wellington Region, New Zealand, Senior PR and Communications Officer - British Consulate General Sydney, Information Technology Service Management Analyst, Manager, Corporate and Marketing Communications, SSC Malaysia - Finance Team Lead - Bill & Pay, Techtronic Industries Australia & New Zealand, Volt - International (An Innova Solutions Company). y then, Gabriels siblings later testified, he was spending almost all of his days and nights in the cubby. Ezequiel said he sometimes tried to crack open the padlocked door to sneak Gabriel a banana. The Auditor-Controller discloses information about compensations paid to employees of Los Angeles County in the form of earnings and fringe benefits. On walks, he lagged at the end of the line, saying that his arms and legs hurt. 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. The card was shaped like a house and said Open the door to see who loves you. He pasted his picture inside. View Stefanie Rodriguez results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Prosecutors say they failed to take the appropriate steps to protect Gabriel and then falsified documents related to his case. Mind your own business. Stefanie has been found in 13 states including Florida, Georgia, New York, New Jersey, Arizona. The thing she loves most about working at the Alliance, is connecting with caregivers. Still, Gabriel seemed desperate to win his mothers affection. They were informed of suicide notes written by Gabriel but they took no additional action. Instead, she asked Gabriel whether he really wanted to do that days assignment: making a Mothers Day card. The case made against the four social workers never made it to trial. She said yes because some parents spank their children, but asked him again about it at recess. Stefanie Rodriguez is an actress, known for Phil the Alien (2004). A motion to appeal the 2nd District Court of Appeals decision was denied in January 2020. Its destroyed a lot of lives. Please exercise caution when reading this, as there are accounts of very brutal abuse amounting to torture and a child victim. His one solace was a mens group at church, where he felt he was able to make his case to a higher power. The program is rudimentary and has been criticized for miscalculating risk, but an internal study showed that it is significantly more reliable than caseworkers own determinations. Adding that the two should have better documented the escalating violence and lack of cooperation by the family. Rodriguez made no entry in the case file to reflect the call. 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. Gabriels grandmother told two sheriffs deputies that Pearl had a history of neglecting and abusing her children, but they didnt believe her. Chippewa Valley Museum in need of Summer volunteers. Browning, the head of the department, had referred the case to the district attorneys office in the immediate aftermath of Gabriels death. They didnt understand what they saw. The case against Rodriguez, Clement, Bom and Merritt never made it to trial after the Second District Court of Appeal advised that the case be dismissed. On November 26th, 2012 Gabriel showed up to class late. n April 26, Pearl Fernandez was at the welfare office with her children when a security guard named Arturo Martinez recognized what the trained professionals had somehow failed to see: that Gabriel was the victim of extreme abuse, and urgently needed rescuing. I dont believe you, Gabriel, she said, noting that this was the first time hed lied to her. Neither Rodriguez nor Bom thought the bruise warranted a doctors visit or Gabriels removal from the home, though they did ask Pearl and her boyfriend to undergo drug testing the next day, because of Garcias report that Gabriel had demonstrated how to snort cocaine. Find Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok profiles, images and more on IDCrawl - free people search website. An autopsy report showed bruises, fractures, and cuts all over his body including his groin as well as BB's embedded in his body. He lied because whenever a social worker would visit his punishments would increase. All four of the caseworkers had been fired. It was a calling. We further conclude that the petitioners were not officers within the meaning of Government Code section 6200, wrote Justice Francis Rothschild. We further conclude that the petitioners were not officers within the meaning of Government Code section 6200. Aguirre pleaded not guilty, however, the jury found him guilty and recommended he be sentenced to death. Garcia was telling him he was lucky his mother loved himnot everyone had thatwhen Gabriel chimed in. They alleged the officials failed to take appropriate steps to protect the boy. - nbcnews.com. 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. Stefanie A Rodriguez is an employee working in Children & Family Services. The question today is whether the felony counts against four social workers will be dismissed, reduced or stand. Rodriguez had moved to a new city but couldnt escape Gabriels story: Her picture had appeared on local TV and in the newspaper there. Advocates for family preservation have at times lamented that they lacked the kind of horror stories that could galvanize support for their position. Unlike her colleagues, Starr never faced any administrative consequences or criminal charges. The couple got married in Iowa in 2018. There is, therefore, no probable cause to hold them on charges of violating those laws and the trial court should have granted the motions to dismiss.. Virginia and Ezequiel, who now live with a relative in another state, asked Hatami to accept her plea; they didnt want to have to testify against her. Negligent child welfare workers may face prison time in connection with the death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez. The jurors deliberated for five hours before finding Aguirre guilty of torture and murder. Yet, despite the obvious and visible signs of abuse, documentation by both Rodriguez and Clement downplayed the injuries. They hid Gabriels bloody clothes and moved a picture to cover one of the biggest dents in their apartments walls. Clement paid her first visit to Gabriels home on February 13, but her notes contain few details. This person may work with the birth family, the court, outside agencies providing ancillary services to the child, the child's out-of-home caregiver (If the child was not able . They would later become the second and third workers, after Merritt, to be charged with child abuse and falsification of records. You can unsubscribe at any time. He had a masters degree from the University of Southern Californias prestigious School of Social Work, and was known as a fastidious micromanager who marked up his subordinates notes with questions and correctionsall of which makes his handling of Gabriels case even more baffling. Toggle primary navigation. Rodriguez told her that confidentiality rules prevented her from saying. View Stefanie Rodriguez's business profile as Collection Manager at GBMC HealthCare. 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. "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. Prosecutors argued that only Merritt and Clement asserted that they were not officers, but the panel chose to apply the same standard to all four defendants, arguing that there was no reason to apply the law differently. (Le Norgant also called 911. Justice Francis Rothschild wrote: We conclude that the petitioners never had the requisite duty to control the abusers and did not have care or custody of Gabriel for purposes of Penal Code section 273a, subdivision (a). Gabriel's mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, were both charged and convicted of first degree murder with special circumstances of torture. Additionally, all four were fired from their jobs following an internal investigation into the group's actions leading up to Gabriel's death on May 23, 2013. The Second District California Appellate Court heard arguments from lawyers representing Kevin Bom, Stefanie Rodriguez, Gregory Merritt and Patricia Clement. Pearl Sinthia Fernandez was sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading to first-degree murder and admitting the torture allegation. Yet, he remained in the custody of his mother, Pearl Fernandez, 33, and then-boyfriend Isauro Aguirre, 36, until his death on May 24, 2013. This dataset includes compensation information of about one hundred thousands employees working in Los Angeles County, provided by the Auditor-Controller office of Los Angeles County as required by public disclosure laws. Its over now. But the operator wouldnt give her any information. During the final eight months of Gabriel Fernandezs life, numerous concerns had been made to the Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services [DCFS]. Social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, 35 and Patricia Clement, 69, and supervisors Kevin Bom, 41, and Gregory Merritt, 64, had each been charged with one felony count of child abuse and one felony count of falsifying public records. Gabriels eyes were swollen, and squinty like a cats. {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}Your submission failed. Pearl admitted to hitting him with the belt. Gabriel was absent the next day, and when he returned on Wednesday his hair was styled into a mohawk, which seemed normal enough. Lets talk about this at recess., When recess came, he pressed on: Is it normal for your mom to hit you with the part of the belt that has that metal thing on the end?, Yeah, he said. 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. Social workers Stefanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement and supervisors Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt are charged with felony child abuse and falsifying public records in the 2013 beating and torture. Garcia called Rodriguez and left yet another message. We processed them for discharge, he said. A few days later, Gabriel came to school with a split lip from Pearl punching him in the mouth. Garcia cracked a smile as the girls eyes seemed to say, Get me out of here. That would be reportable. She also told Reid that during Red Ribbon Week, when teachers talked about staying away from narcotics, Gabriel had announced that cocaine was a drug. Everyone in the office knew that Palmdale had its share of caseworkers whom no one would choose to look after endangered children. 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Lauderdale, FL 33304, 259 Clermont Avenue, Lake Mary, FL 32746-3669, 8639 N Himes Ave Apt 3924, Tampa, FL 33614. They did nothing. Username. Theres hardly a night I dont dream about the department, she told me. We have been six years fighting this battle," says the boy's cousin Olivia Rubio. It is this [workers] assessment that mother is overwhelmed with her own emotional pain, she is unwilling to continue counseling at this time, Clement wrote. Rodriguez visited the familys apartment, but again Gabriel recanted. No one could protect them alland he felt frustrated that both administrators and the public expected him to do the impossible. His classmates laughed and pointed when they saw him. She became a caseworker in her 50s, after spending much of her career as a counselor at the church where her husband was a pastor. Strictly star bags life-changing EastEnders role as part of new family, Baby's body found after huge search as cops quiz Constance Marten & lover, Bianca Gascoigne reveals very unusual name for her newborn daughter, I took pic of son, 18, before his first night out then the worst thing happened, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. stefanie rodriguez social worker now. "There is, therefore, no probable cause to hold them on charges of violating those laws and the trial court should have granted the motions to dismiss," the opinion continued. After all, Kate was mysteriously absent from the season three finale fast-forward scene and Toby seemed hesitant . Stefanie Rodriguez in Texas. My mom punched me in the mouth, he said. You survived. His hair cut was awful and sloppy, and chunks of his scalp had scabbed over. The charges against the four social workers will be dropped Thursday, the Los Angeles County district attorneys office said. It was very clear that this was no accidental fall. It will always be Gabriel's number. 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 felt brushed off, judged. Stefanie Rodriguez. In June 2018, Superior Court Judge George G. Lomeli sentenced Isauro Aguirre to death for the boy's first-degree murder and a special circumstance allegation of murder involving torture. Instead, she punished him by sending him to school in girls clothing the next daya tiny pink shirt and tight polka-dot leggings. Others had witnessed the abuse, too. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. Gabriel, by contrast, had a striking innocence. There is, therefore, no probable cause to hold them on charges of violating those laws and the trial court should have granted the motions to dismiss, the opinion continued. 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