Adding that the two should have better documented the escalating violence and lack of cooperation by the family. Martinez returned to his desk in disbelief. Stefanie A Rodriguez is an employee working in Children & Family Services. Rodriguez never went to the school or talked to the neighbors. Sign up here for our free newsletters. Track SoCal rain with LIVE Megadoppler 7000 HD, DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES, Uncle breaks silence on Gabriel Fernandez 7 years after his death, Prosecutor in Gabriel Fernandez case was a victim of child abuse himself, DCFS asks for public's help amid sharp drop in possible child abuse reports. Merritts attorney even accused Gabriels teacher, Jennifer Garcia, of not doing enough to protect him, because she had followed Rodriguezs instructions to call her directly when she had concerns. When she was finally alone with him at recess, she asked what had happened. In January, the Palmdale teacher testified that she reported Gabriels physical injuries as well as his allegations that the injuries were at the hands of his mother. Prosecutors say they failed to take the appropriate steps to protect Gabriel and then falsified documents related to his case. In 2004, a relative filed a complaint with CPS claiming that Pearl was beating that son. In January 2020 California 2nd District Court of Appeals threw out the charges against the four former social workers. When her students arrived, she braced herself to give them the news. Gabriel told her that the bruises on his face were because he had fallen while playing tag. Pearl and Aguirre eventually called 911. One was addressed to his mother: I love you so much that I will die. His brother Ezequiel discovered these notes days later, and Pearl discussed them with the therapist assigned to the family, Carmen Le Norgant, on the night of February 27. The caseworker told me she believes in her training. "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). Youd see people in the office that made you wonder, Wow, how did they get through the gates? Merritt told me. !. His mommy, she told them through tears, hurt him really bad.. He asked her to put an A on the paper in the hope that his mother would be impressed. Fernandez is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. They could have communicated with one another better, or pulled up the case history in the computer system. He occasionally took books off the shelf, copied sentences in his own hand, and took them to Garcia. All four of the caseworkers had been fired. It's time to end gun violence now. In a video shared to the Dillard family's. 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! After Jennifer Garcia called the hotline, it fell to Rodriguez to investigate and assess Gabriels safety. The least popular job in this least desirable place was also the most difficult and most important: child-abuse investigator. Stefanie's work & advice has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Cosmopolitan, Glamour and Oprah Magazine. Stefanie Rodriguez. In June 2018, Lomeli sentenced Isauro Aguirre to death for the boys first-degree murder and a special circumstance allegation of murder involving torture. Host Stefanie O'Connell Rodriguez turned to Jill Schlesinger, CFP, a business analyst for CBS News, for advice. 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. Garcia testified that she first called the child abuse hotline on Oct. 30, 2012. Like, You aint got nothing else to do? he told me. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. He walked into class with his head down. The practitioner's primary taxonomy code is 1041C0700X with license number P014141 (NC). Speaking to The Atlantic, Rodriguez explained that during the time she supervised Gabriels welfare, other children in her caseload seemed to her to be in equal or greater danger.. Meanwhile, the rate of child abuse remained steady during that period; according to a Yale study, at least one out of eight American children will be abused by age 18. The disclosed employee information includes last name, first name, middle initial name, position title, department, fiscal year, earnings and benfits. 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. Gabriel Fernandez: What happened to Gabriel Fernandezs parents? He then asked if it was normal for moms to hit kids with a belt buckle and make you bleed. CNBC - Fri, 08 Apr 2022 . In 2016, Stefanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement, two former LA County social workers, as well as two supervisors, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt, were charged with one felony count each of child abuse and falsifying public records. According to the next worker assigned to Gabriels case, Patricia Clement claimed that new abuse allegations were already being dealt with and that she was going to close the case because there were no concerns at the moment. By contrast, Virginia, 14, appeared unable to escape her memories. Visit the Career Advice Hub to see tips on interviewing and resume writing. They recommended the death penalty. On May 22, 2013 Pearl Fernandez called 911. A go-to money expert, Stefanie has appeared on ABC World News, CBSN, Fox & Friends, Fox Business, Bloomberg, Reuters, The Dr Oz Show and various other print and digital media outlets. The case made against the four social workers never made it to trial. Paramedics arrived at her Palmdale, California apartment to find Gabriel unconscious. Towards the end of January, when Gabriel came to class, there was no more laughing. The Auditor-Controller of Los Angele County provides financial leadership and expert advice on a wide range of fiscal matters and advocates for financial integrity and accountability in all County business practices, and also develops financial policies and guidelines for departmental operations and issues checks to vendors, employees, child support payments, judgments and damages and other claims against the County, as well as other financial responsibilities. Ezequiel, who was now 16, had a faint mustache and a face shaped like Gabriels. The area had seen an influx of poor families, and the number of calls to the child-abuse hotline was rising faster there than anywhere else in Southern California. But Merritt was proud of his work, especially his efforts to keep together families that might otherwise be separated. 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. Stefanie Rodriguez's lawyer states that there were three subsequent supervisors, two subsequent social workers, one subsequent emergency response worker, two other mental health professionals, and two law enforcement officers all of whom are mandatory reporters as well. During the seven months when caseworkers were ostensibly watching over Gabriel, evidence of his abuse steadily accumulated. Bom declined to comment for this article. Fernandez pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty and received a sentence of life in prison without parole. Select this result to view Stefanie Denise Rodriquez's phone number, address, and more. The haircut? Some of his teeth had been knocked out. In the end, it all added up to very high risk, meaning that the caseworkers had no choice but to promote the case for further attention. Prosecutors had granted immunity to a caseworker and a therapist, in exchange for their testimony against Merritt and the other defendants. On March 28, an arrest warrant was issued for Stefanie Rodriquez, Patricia Clement, Kevin Bom, and Gregory Merritt. Stefanie Rodriguez Found 287 people in California, New York and 39 other states View contact information: phones, addresses, emails and networks. I still have nightmares. On May 22nd, 2013 paramedics rushed Gabriel to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles but doctors pronounced him braindead the same day. An unfiltered extrovert known as Mama Starr, she put Merritt, a stoic introvert, at ease. As time went on and new injuries kept appearing, I started to feel like nothing was happening (with the case), Garcia testified. Merritt told me that he gravitated to Family Preservation because it aligned with his highest aspirations for his work. The second best result is Stefanie Denise Rodriquez age 40s in Fort Worth, TX. 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. Social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, 34, and Patricia Clement, 69, were charged along with two supervisors, Kevin Bom, 40, and Gregory Merritt, 64, with one felony count each of child abuse and . Other Payments such as Shift Pay, Allowances and Bonuses. 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. On March 26th, 2013 therapist intern Barbara Dixon filed a report that Gabriel claimed a relative forced him to perform oral sex on them. He was a devout Christian, and to him this wasnt just a job. A motion to appeal the 2nd District Court of Appeals decision was denied in January 2020. Jennifer Garcia began calling social workers in 2012. 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. Payments of Excess and Unused Leave Time at Termination. One of his eyes was a deep red. Once again, Rodriguez and Bom decided not to remove him or order a medical exam. Breaking news for Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. BB pellets pockmarked his skin. She then called Pearl Fernandez to pick Gabriel up. Despite their risk level being very high, Merritt manually changed the level to moderate and closed the case. In 2007 a complaint against Pearl claimed she didnt feed one of her daughters and threatened to break her jaw if she cried. Shortly after Gabriels birth in 2005, he went to live with his maternal grandmother, because Pearl did not want Gabriel and had no love for him. On Thursday, Gabriel arrived at school with a busted lip. arlene Starr, the worker who accepted Gabriels case into the Voluntary Family Maintenance program, was one of Greg Merritts closest confidantes at work. Arturo Martinez, a security guard at the welfare office had also noticed Gabriels injuries and also tried to report his concerns. 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. This seemed like the perfect case for us, Starr told me. he next day, the principal at Summerwind called Garcia into his office to tell her that Gabriel was dead. On May 23, 2013, this grim assembly line paused at Greg Merritts cubicle in the Palmdale branch office. You do it like this, he said, holding his nostril as if he were snorting a line. Thats why its so crushing to see him treated this way, she said. stefanie rodriguez social worker nownyproduktion mlnlycke. In 2010, a department study showed that the evidence caseworkers gathered was often insufficient to accurately judge a situation. invisible stranding in knitting. Until, of course, another one did. When he looked at Gabriel, he saw cigarette burns all over the boys head and neck. 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