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Dade County Father Charged With Child Abuse By LISA A. DAVIS The Tampa Tribune Published: June 5, 2008 DADE CITY - The 26-year-old father was upset that his baby wouldn't stop crying and had a soiled diaper, according
to a Pasco County Sheriff's Office report. The father picked the 2-month-old up by the arm, heard a "pop"
and immediately put the infant down, the report states. That was May 30. On Wednesday, Timothy Shawn Smith,
26, of 37313 Rose Ave., was arrested on a charge of aggravated child abuse. At first, Smith reportedly told
the baby's mother and deputies that he rolled on top of the child as they slept. A child abuse expert, however, determined
the injury was not consistent with the father's statement. In the expert's opinion, the baby had been
abused, according to the report. The injury was consistent with forcefully grabbing and twisting the child's arm, another
report states. The infant was taken to Pasco Regional Hospital and then transferred to St. Joseph's Hospital
in Tampa, where he was treated for a fractured right arm, according to sheriff's officials. Smith later
said he grabbed the baby by the arm, a report states. In April, Smith was arrested on another child abuse charge
stemming from a Sept. 13 incident. Sheriff's office reports say two mothers left children with Smith at a New Port Richey
home while they went to Wal-Mart. When the women returned, one girl had what looked to be a red handprint on her face. The
girl's mother asked Smith what happened. He said the child fell off her bike and bruised her face. Asked if he had hit
her, Smith reportedly said no, got angry, called his mother and then took a cab to Dade City. A deputy asked
the woman if there were any previous incidents of violence with Smith and she replied that he had kicked her in the stomach
knowing she was pregnant, the report states. He was not charged in that allegation. The other woman's children,
who were left with Smith that day, said they didn't see the girl fall off the bike but they did hear a slap from the back
room where Smith was at the time, according to the report. A physician at Spring Hill Regional Hospital examined
the girl's injured face. "He said he believed it to be a handprint and he could not imagine anything
on a bicycle to case the injury," the report states. Smith posted $5,000 bail and was released from jail
two days after his April arrest on a warrant. Coincidently, he was arraigned Wednesday in that case, and a pretrial hearing
is set for Aug. 11. He was being held on the new child abuse charge today at Land O' Lakes Jail, with bail
set at $50,000. When Smith was 15, he was charged as an adult with first-degree arson on allegations he torched
a mobile home in Dade City. No one was injured, but the home was destroyed. Smith was convicted and served two years in state
prison, according to records
Orlando-area father arrested on 350 counts of sexual abuse.
Susan Jacobson Sentinel Staff Writer March 3, 2008
The Seminole teens, who suffered for years, escaped and sought help, deputies say. Two children suffered
years of abuse at the hands of their father, investigators said Sunday as they described a litany of horrors
including sexual assault and stun-gun shocks on the daughter, as well as beatings with PVC pipe, belts and a paddle
on both victims.The ordeal, in which the brother and sister also reported being threatened with guns and forced to
drink alcohol, ended during the weekend when they escaped from their home and contacted the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.
The father, 37, was arrested on 350 counts of sexual battery by a custodian of a victim younger
than 12. He also was charged with 10 counts of aggravated battery using a deadly weapon, three counts of aggravated assault
with a deadly weapon, child cruelty and child neglect. He is being held without bail at the Seminole County Jail.
The children's mother, 36, was arrested on a charge of child neglect and released from jail.
Investigators say she let her husband abuse the children and twice allowed him to put guns to their heads and threaten to
kill them." The children lived in constant fear and . . . [their mother] failed to protect them," a sheriff's report states.
Reached at home, the mother would not comment on the charges. It's still under investigation," she said. "There's nothing
to say until the investigation is done."
Her daughter, 13, the girl's 14-year-old brother and another brother, 17, are in the custody of their
aunt and uncle in Orange County, the aunt said. The Orlando Sentinel is not naming the family to protect the children's identities.
The charges outlined in the report involve only the younger children. The older brother has been living
with his aunt and uncle. The younger children were held virtual prisoners at home and were home-schooled, their aunt said.
They now want to attend public school to be around other kids, she said. The girl, who was out of school for about a year,
formerly was active in chorus and track and enjoyed learning.
On Friday, the 13- and 14-year-olds saw their opportunity for escape when their father was working out.
They sneaked out the back door and contacted the Sheriff's Office. The girl told deputies that her father had sexually abused
her more than 350 times starting when she was 7 and ending Thursday. The findings of a sexual-assault examination "were consistent"
with the girl's allegations, according to the sheriff's report. She also said her father tied her to a bed, put socks over
her hands and feet and in her mouth and shocked her with a Taser.
The child's aunt said the father insisted she wear oversized clothing to avoid revealing her body. The woman
also alleged that he denied the children medical care. Both younger children told investigators that they were beaten with
a wooden paddle called, "The Be Good Paddle" as well as with belts and a pipe. At least a year ago, the state Department of
Children and Families got involved with the family and provided a caseworker for the older son, his aunt said. Details were
not available late Sunday. The aunt said she and her husband thought the father was controlling, but they had no idea the
extent of what investigators say went on. The children have scars, she said, but are safe for now. Mentally, it's another
story. "The kids have been through so much," the woman said.
Susan Jacobson can be reached at sjacobson@orlandosentinel.com or 386-851-7903.
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AP
Chris Benoit
Professional WrestlerChris Benoit kills self and family
Chris Benoit
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla — Three weeks
after they were found strangled in their home, the wife and 7-year-old son of professional wrestler Chris Benoit were being buried Saturday.
Benoit killed his wife, Nancy, and son, Daniel, in their home in the Atlanta
area, placed Bibles next to their bodies and then hung himself on the cable of a weight machine, authorities said.
Nancy Benoit's parents, Paul and Maureen Toffoloni, live in Daytona Beach.
Anabolic steroids were found in the Benoits' home, leading officials to
wonder if the drugs played a role in the killings. Results of toxicology tests on the three have not been released.
Benoit, born in Montreal, was a World Wrestling Entertainment star with a wholesome family man image. Despite that appearance, however, Nancy Benoit filed
for a divorce in 2003 alleging "cruel treatment." She dropped the complaint, as well as a request for a restraining order
in which she alleged Benoit threatened her and broke furniture. End
Mom Who Pressure-Washed Kid Charged With Child Abuse
(The state working to combat child abuse with compassion)
POSTED: 3:41 pm EST March 7, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The mother who was videotaped while spraying her 2 1/2-year-old daughter
with a high-pressure water hose at an Orlando car wash on Feb. 24 has been arrested and charged with child abuse.
Nikki Ramirez, who is pregnant, told authorities she did it because the child was throwing a tantrum, and that she
did not have the hose on full blast.
She was picked up from her home by Orange County detectives, and taken to the Orange County Sheriff's Office
for questioning. From there she will be taken to the Orange County Jail.
The surveillance video from a car wash near Rouse Road and the East-West Expressway showed the toddler trying to hide
her face as her mother sprayed her in the face and down her legs.
"After looking at her statement, statements of the car wash manager and looking at the video evidence, we feel that
we have a child abuse case here, so we made an arrest," Sgt. John Allen of the Orange County Sheriff's Office said. "We're
talking about a felony crime. We want to be sure. We returned to the car wash today, did some further examination of the pressure
washer."
Detectives said the second woman in the video is considered a witness and have not filed charges against her.
Many people said this form of punishment was abusive, but some people said it was tough discipline -- a parent's prerogative.
The girl was examined Thursday and a nurse found no bumps or bruises.
"Just because we don't remove the child doesn't mean we're turning our backs on this family. I assure each person who
saw the video and was alarmed that we will not turn our back on this child," Carrie Hoeppner of DCF said.
DCF said it can work with the family and offer other counseling services rather than permanently separating the child
from the mother.
"Removing a child is an extremely tragic experience for the child. We do that only when there's no other option. We
do all we can to help the child, and not all cases require removal," Hoeppner said.
DCF said it is likely the child's grandmother will have temporary custody of the toddler as the state monitors the
situation.
Ramirez will be allowed supervised visits with her daughter. End
DOCTOR SAW PARANOIA IN FATHER BEFORE FIRE BYLINE: DON JORDAN, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer DATE: December 29, 2006
PUBLICATION: Palm Beach Post, The (FL) EDITION:
C SECTION: A SECTION PAGE:
1A MEMO: Ran all editions. A man who killed himself and his two children when he set his suburban Lake Worth home ablaze
last week seemed to be "a good parent" but had "extreme feelings of paranoia," said a psychologist who
evaluated Tony Camacho and his family in April. Phil Heller, a Boca Raton child psychologist with expertise in clinical and forensic psychology,
was appointed by the courts to conduct a series of interviews and psychological tests with each member of the family - Camacho,
39; his ex-wife, Jennie Carter, 37; and their children, Nelson, 10, and Crystal, 8 - to determine the best custody arrangement
in the couple's impending divorce. What he found in Camacho
was a man who obsessively craved attention, was racked by stress and failed to compromise. "He thought of the world as
a very threatening place," Heller said Thursday. "He would only deal with rationality, not with his feelings."
The April interviews offered a glimpse into the family's home life, where Camacho was the more active
parent while Carter worked long hours. According to court statements, Carter worked as a technician. Camacho
was self-employed and worked from home for Adjustable Comfort, which repairs adjustable beds, earning $33,000 a year. Carter
could not be reached for comment. "Camacho was a good parent," Heller said. "The kids were
never harmed. He took the children to doctor's appointments." But when Heller asked the children, both said they
would rather live with Carter. Nelson wanted to take care of his hardworking mom and be the man of the house. Crystal yearned
for a female bond. Camacho resented the children's love for their mother, Heller said. "They had
a fondness for her that Tony would obscure," he said. "Tony couldn't handle it." Camacho
constantly denigrated Carter in front of the children, and when Heller proposed joint custody on the condition that Camacho
change his behavior, Camacho wasn't interested, Heller said. He wanted only full custody. Heller recommended
that the courts grant Carter custody. That's when the doctor said he saw the full extent of Camacho's
obsessive behavior. "He would not stop calling me," Heller said. "He always had something new to tell me. Nobody
called obsessively like him." Camacho's emotional problems may have stemmed from a troubled childhood,
Heller said. His father abandoned the family after divorcing his mother when he was 5. He grew up in poverty and was forced
to quit high school and work to support his family, Heller said. "He really had lifted himself up by his bootstraps,"
Heller said. Heller never changed his recommendation, and on Dec. 13, the courts finalized the divorce. Camacho
was ordered to leave the house on Fairview Street, west of Lake Worth, by Jan. 12 so Carter could move back with her children. She had been living nearby
at her parents' home in Lake Worth. Camacho set the house on fire eight days after the ruling, Palm Beach
County Sheriff's Office officials said. He died of smoke inhalation after stabbing Crystal in the back, severing her spine
and leaving her paralyzed as the flames engulfed their home, according to the sheriff's office. The county medical examiner
has not determined whether she died from the wounds or from smoke inhalation. Nelson died of smoke inhalation the next day.
Heller said there may have been signs that Camacho could be violent - he was very stressed, he was obsessive,
Carter alleged he had been abusive - but said the man took care of his children. "I'm still going through my mind
wondering why I didn't think he would kill," Heller said. - don_jordan@pbpost.com
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42 CHLDREN WHO HAVE DIED IN OUR COMMUNITY
The names of these local children who died at the hands of
caregiver abuse or neglect over the last 10 years were read aloud at Thursday night’s public vigil.
• Keymone
Leggett, age 2
• Andrian Zurita, 2
• B.J. Olivarez, 3
• Gretchen Grodin, 1
• Vernon Jackson,
2
• Lexus Bohannon, 6 months
• Barbara Clark, 2
• Sierra Jordan, 15 months
• Rebekah Saint
Ulysse, 2
• James Wallace, 6
• Jabriana Christmas, 2
• David Crump, 11 months
• James
Cotter III, 4
• Daniel McCray, 23 months
• Jacob Smith, 2 weeks
• June Jolene Bloomberg, 3 weeks
•
Michael Anderson, 21 months
• Leah Brown, 2
• Jorge Santos Diaz III, 2
• Gregory Fleming, 3
•
Amanda Martinez, 20 months
• Hannah Burns, 7
• Matthew Eubanks, 5 months
• Shane Poling Jr., 2
•
Alexis De La Cruz, 6 months
• Devin Ciccarone, 7
• Devon Matthew Clark, 2
• Camren McDowell, 5
•
Exavier McKay, 9 months
• Lavontae Williams, 20 months
• Philip Blasone, 2
• Ella Grace Dixon,
19 months
• Lauran Dixon, 5
• Justin Mark Krejci, 14
• Abigail Boran, 2
• Anthony Dume,
2
• Cheyenne Eairhart, 4
• Solycia Divine Clark, 2 months
• Michelle Fontanez, 13
• John
Hickman III, 3 months
• Samoria King, 1 month
• Zahid Jones Jr., 3
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| A Vigil was held in memory of these children.
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Monday, November 05, 2007 11:56:43 PM
A Brevard County father faces child abuse charges after his young daughter almost died in the bathtub.
Chris Summerfield, 21, was arrested Monday.
Investigators said over the weekend, he left his 6-month-old alone in the tub to talk on the telephone.
The young girl slipped, went under and nearly drowned.
A roommate found the child and was able to revive her.
To make matters worse, police said Summerfield should never have been in the house at all, because he had
a no contact order with his wife, who was also home.
The family has numerous child neglect and abuse investigations ongoing with the Department of Children and
Families
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Father Accused Of Breaking At Least 12 Bones In Infant's Body
A 2-month-old boy is clinging to life as his father sits behind bars, accused of breaking at least a dozen
bones in his infant son's body.
The child is in Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. His father, Nathaniel Bozarth, 24, is under arrest and
charged with aggravated child abuse.
Investigators with the Orange County Sheriff's Office told News 13 that multiple agencies had been investigating
abuse claims for several days after an anonymous caller tipped them off that the boy was not in good shape.
"He was documented with 12 different fractures in different stages of healing to include multiple rib fracture
and skull fracture," said Sgt. John Allen from the child abuse squad.
Officials said Borzarth confessed to injuring his son numerous times, but said he appeared to be remorseful.
Officials said the mother was apparently not at home when most of these incidents occurred
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Father's rights activists
quote from father's rights activist in response to Florida father who burned self and 2 kids to death
when he lost custody.
the reactions of men's rights advocates Gordon E. Finley, Ph.D. and the activists at the Manumit
Exchange to the Tony Camacho case. Camacho, a Florida father of two, was embroiled in a custody dispute when he set his house
on fire and killed himself and his two children, ages 10 and 8.
The reaction? One of the activists at the Manumit Exchange wrote:
"This tragedy may not have happened if a presumption of shared parenting (physical joint custody and
residency) were law and the father knew that his children were not going to be kidnapped from him by his ex-wife and the State."
Similarly, Finley penned the brief letter Shared parenting may save lives for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, in which he argues that if Camacho had been granted shared
parenting, the whole thing would never have happened, thus the family law system is at least partly to blame.
 In Apopka, Florida, Darlanne Toussaint, 24, poured hot cooking oil on his girlfriend’s 17-month-old
on, Kenneth. Then he shook the boy hard for 10 minutes, hit him, and used a hair dryer to burn
the child’s skin off - all because the toddler wouldn’t stop crying and whining. Toussaint is charged
with felony attempted murder.
Kenneth’s mom, Marlita S. Stokes, 23, was also arrested on charges of child
neglect and providing false information to police. Police found text messages on her cell phone that suggested she and Toussaint worked together on inventing a cover up story.
Toussaint sent text messages to Stokes saying that he was a bad parent and that Kenneth
had a bad rash and might have scratched himself. Then he sent more messages including one that read, “I
burned him.”
Good lord.
Stokes told police that she and Toussaint left their sleeping children (her
toddler and his three-year-old daughter) at home unattended while Toussaint took her to work at her job at McDonalds. Then
Toussaint drove two other women to work.
Leaving a two kids under four home alone for over an hour? Are you kidding me? Even before the
Kenneth suffered second-degree burns on his genitals, chest, head and back. His spine was
also fractured when Toussaint hit him. The boy is listed in stable condition
CENTRAL FLORIDA The Area In Brief
Father arrested on charges of arson, abuse
- January 1, 2008
The girl was treated for her burns and released.
In reality, Stewartson said, investigators
found that Stewart had set the fire himself in the hope of gaining an advantage in a custody dispute.
He was being
held without bail early today at the Seminole County Jail.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This is posted here for you to drawn your own conclusion. The family
claims the children have been taken from them unfairly. They are in the media a lot and many are fighting for them..
Please remember that CPS cannot reveal their evidence and therefore, one will never know all the fact. The following
article is being posted as we who work to Defend Children feel that a great deal of harm is being done by groups no matter
how well meaning they are that blatantly accused CPS of stealing kids.
We ask that anyone who really cares
for children go to adoptuskids.com and view the children CPS has put up for adoption. So many were not in our opinions
removed soon enough.
With woman missing, a mother worriesA Seminole woman hasn't been
seen since a court appearance Feb. 6, when she appeared to be pregnant.
By CURTIS KRUEGER
Published
April 18, 2006
Melissa Steenberge Pound, a 34-year-old Seminole woman with a history of
depression, was expecting to give birth to a baby two months ago. But she has disappeared, possibly with her infant
child, and the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office wants help finding her. So does her mother, who is worried about their
safety. "I just want to know that she's all right," Linda Steenberge said. It is the second traumatic
event for the family in as many years. In 2004, Melissa's then-2-week-old daughter, Susanna, was mauled by Spirit,
a wolf-dog hybrid owned by a relative. That event generated wide local publicity and focused attention on the question of
whether wolf hybrids should be allowed to live in urban and suburban areas. Spirit was soon put to sleep. In the latest
case, Steenberge said Gregory Steven Pound, father of Melissa's children, was jailed for failing to provide information
about her. Public records indicate Pound is being held without bail in the Pinellas County Jail on a charge of contempt
of court, but Pinellas sheriff's Sgt. Jim Bordner said he had no information on why. Steenberge said her daughter
and Pound consider themselves husband and wife, but are not legally married. Steenberge is especially concerned about
her daughter because she has suffered from postpartum depression. "I think she's ... in depression to where
she doesn't know where she is," Steenberge said. It has happened before. Steenberge said her daughter, after
giving birth in the past, became completely disoriented and "she didn't know who she was." She said her daughter
did not take her normally prescribed anti-depression medication during her pregnancy. It's not clear whether Melissa
has the baby with her. She was last seen in a Feb. 6 court appearance, but Steenberge said she seemed to still be pregnant
then. Bordner declined to say whether detectives had checked local hospitals to see if Melissa had given birth. But
even if she has, it might not have been at a hospital. Steenberge said her daughter previously had her babies at home. Melissa
last telephoned relatives on Feb. 9 and 11, according to the Sheriff's Office. After the dog bite two years ago,
child welfare workers took the Pounds' four children away and placed them with their grandparents, Steenberge and her
husband, in Largo. Since then, the youngest child's facial scars have almost completely healed, but she may have suffered
some brain damage from the attack, Steenberge said. Melissa has been working on a plan with foster care workers designed
to help her prove she could safely regain the custody of the children, who are 6, 4, 2 and 20 months. Now, she has not been
in contact with the kids for two months, and Steenberge said that's unlike her. The oldest child has started to
notice her mother's absence and recently said, "I hate my life," Steenberge said. When she asked why, the girl
said, "Because Mom's not coming to visit and because Mom's not calling me." Melissa Pound of 9166
Sunrise Drive in Seminole is described as a white woman, 5 feet 5 inches tall, about 120 pounds, with blue eyes and shoulder-length
brown hair. The Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with information to call Detective Ed Judy at (727) 582-6200. [Last
modified April 18, 2006, 01:48:05]
| 2 week old infant girl's head |
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| was punctured by this dog |
He says he plans to appeal the judge's order. His battle started
in 2004.
By CURTIS KRUEGER, Times Staff WriterPublished November 24, 2007
Greg Pound protests outside
the criminal courts complex early Friday morning. Greg Pound believes the whole foster care system is corrupt. He regularly
complains about the foster care system outside of the criminal courts complex, right near the main entrance. He just had his
parental rights "terminated,'' meaning he has no legal right to raise his five children anymore.
Gregory
Pound has battled the foster care system for years, ever since a purported "wolf dog" bit his 2-week-old baby in
2004 and child welfare workers took away his children.
He fought back in court, and has become increasingly visible
by founding a Web site (www.rescuemykids.com) and staging regular protests outside Pinellas County's criminal courthouse.
He even demonstrated outside a St. Petersburg church because a judge in his case worships there.
Now he has lost
in court.
This month a judge terminated his parental rights - meaning he no longer has a legal right to raise his
five children, ages 2 to 7.
"They called me today and told me that I have no more visits with my children,"
Pound, 51, said recently.
His wife's parental rights were severed earlier in the battle, he said. Melissa Pound
disappeared last year, along with the couple's youngest child.
Gregory Pound said he plans to appeal.
"Love never gets up," he said, adding: "Me and Melissa both love our children, despite what they say."
The Pounds' four oldest children live in Seminole with Melissa's parents, Linda and Stephen Steenberge.
The Steenberges said they assumed at first the Pounds would complete a list of tasks known as a "case plan"
to get their children back. But now that the Pounds' parental rights have been taken away, they said they intend to adopt
the children.
"It's a tragic situation in the sense that it could have pretty much been avoided,"
said Stephen Steenberge, 64.
Tampa Bay news media covered the dog bite case in 2004, widely reporting that the
Pounds' 2-week-old baby was bitten in the face by a "wolf hybrid." The dog was destroyed.
Since then,
Pound has said that the dog belonged to his sister, who denied it was a wolf hybrid.
Soon after the bite, child welfare
authorities removed the Pounds' four children from their home. The exact reasons are not clear because the records are
not public.
Pound said child welfare officials claimed Melissa was suffering from depression, but he denied that.
Pound also said he was asked to take a domestic violence class as part of a case plan in order to get his children back.
The Pounds completed parts of their case plans, but also fought unsuccessfully in court to prove the children should
never have been taken away.
When Melissa gave birth to their fifth child last year, they named him Moses, after
another baby whose mother sent him on a journey. Shortly after his 2006 birth, Melissa and the infant disappeared.
Pound was jailed for contempt of court for a month last year for failing to reveal her whereabouts, although he insisted
he did not know where to find her.
Now, factions of the family are cut off from each other. Greg and Melissa Pound
do not have a legal right to visit their four oldest children, who are living with the Steenberges.
Linda Steenberge,
meanwhile, said she has not heard from her daughter Melissa and has not laid eyes on her grandchild, Moses.
"That
would make me happy, just a phone call from her," Linda Steenberge said.
On the Web site, Pound claims that foster
care workers remove children from families for money.
But Pinellas County sheriff's Capt. George Steffen said
child abuse investigators work hard to find alternatives to removing children from their homes. "It's the absolute
last resort," Steffen said.
When children are removed, foster care workers try to help moms and dads complete
their case plans and bring their children home, said April Putzulu, a spokeswoman for the local foster care agency called
the Safe Children Coalition.
"We are totally invested in returning children home to safe environments,"
she said.
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