They played with my adopted son in my home.. I do have compassion for parents in the throes of dealing with this. Adoptive parents dont believe us. Francis is now serving 40 years in prison for his crimes against the six-year-old. Since 2009 . A source familiar with DHS indicated that there may be at least some truth to that claim. Casting out demons: why Justin Harris got rid of kids he applied pressure to adopt "Rep. Justin Harris blames DHS for the fallout related to his adoption of three young girls, but sources familiar with the situation contradict his story and paint a troubling picture of the adoption process and the girls' time in the Harris household." Despite the legal evidence, Harris at first refuse to confirm the link, then quoted a passage from the Bible. Cecile Blucker knew where the kids were. Justin Harris and his wife have three biological sons and were adopting for the first time with the two girls. The Arkansas Times piece, written by Benjamin Hardy, also points out that in that state there is no law that prohibits parents from leaving their child in another individual's care. Then, you have an elected leader who represents an antigovernment agenda; yet, he makes his living off of government funding. We had decided to add on to our house in order to expand the family, and we couldnt have any more children, so at that point we had decided we were going to adopt. The incident happened while his wife was away for two weeks on a trip to Pennsylvania. Lived In Chanute KS, Humboldt IA, Independence KS. Follow. Here bass player Justin Harris is seen live on stage. The Harts said that a local team working on the adoption including themselves, [Department of Health Services]caseworkers, adoption specialists, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and therapists from Ozark Guidance, a mental health provider made the Harrises fully aware of the girls history of neglect and sexual abuse and cautioned them that they were unprepared to handle children from such a background, especially considering their home included young boys. He saw it as, Im with God. 'There was anger and an instant behavior change.'. When a child has repeated changes of caregivers, that child is learning that the world is not to be trusted and there is no one there for me at a critical time, and I might be bounced out at any moment, he said. When they began living with the Harrises in 2012, Jeannette was around 6, Mary was 4 and Annie was around 2. About us - Harris Residential. 100g carbs. He then added: 'You don't know what we've been through this past year. | Learn more about Justin Harris's work experience, education, connections & more by visiting their . Young then became involved with a man who cooked and sold methamphetamine; a fire started by his meth lab provoked a police investigation that sent that man, too, to prison. All rights reserved. For this reason, parents that may be abusive or predatory can still manage to get custody of children through re-homing. 00:00. We do not do exorcism. She came to live with Eric Cameron Francis, a former employee of Rep. Justin Harris. I think its crazy. Justin Harris. Cheryl Hart also vividly remembers the roundtable meeting described by Harris, which she said occurred on Valentines Day 2012. They followed the techniques in a book called When Love Is Not Enough, a Parents Guide to Reactive Attachment Disorderby Nancy Thomas, who is a recognizedexpert on therapeutic parenting techniques.. Meanwhile, a babysitter claimed Harris and his wife confined two of the adopted girls for hours at a time in their room because the couple believed they were possessed by demons. See Photos. Revelation: Arkansas State Rep. Justin Harris and his wife Marsha (above, right with their three biological sons) gave away their adopted daughter, 6, to a man now serving 40 years in prison for raping the young girl. As a legislator, Harris knew Blucker personally and has some influence over her budget. But the Harrises were hell-bent on having it happen. Goldsborough, who is now a college student in Bentonville, said she would stay at the Harris house for three to four hours after school many days during the spring semester of her senior year of high school. Years ago, no states had explicitprohibitions against rehoming. Furthermore, Marsha Harris had been abused in the past, which she said would help her deal with the two older girls' special needs. 3. Play it now! Attachment to a mother or father figure is a deep, biological need and necessary for normal social development, Jensen said. This is not the norm in adoption; most families do well, saidMegan Lestinoof theNational Council for Adoption. Harris and his wife once hired specialists to perform an exorcism on the two sisters while she waited outside the house with the boys, she said. DHS has a long history of avoiding, lying, or otherwise hiding kids behaviors in attempts to place children quickly. First, the children. Harris also claimed that another of the girls 'crushed a family pet to death', further convincing them to get rid of their recently-adopted charges. The ex-wife of a Georgia dad on . The two foster families themselves strongly objected to the Harris adoption, whether done privately or through the system. The lawyer had not responded to a long list of other questions from the Times by midday Tuesday. The scrutiny-free practice of rehoming opens the door to children becoming victims once again. "We care deeply for the girls but we were failed by DHS," Harris said at a news conference last week. It is known as rehoming, a name that describes a practice more common in pet adoption. According to Wallis, Harris told her they could no longer handle the girls, needed to give them back and that ministers came "to visit the house to try and get the demons out of the two little girls." To both Young and the Harrises, it must have seemed like providence. and Mrs. Harris placed the girls into the care of Eric Francis and his wife Stacy [sic] Francis in October 2013. Other sources confirmed to theTimesthat Marsha Harris told them at least one exorcism was performed on the girls. "Exorcisms and telepathy are not part of the Harrises' religious practice. The Harts said that a local team working on the adoption including themselves, DHS caseworkers, adoption specialists, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and therapists from Ozark Guidance, a mental health provider made the Harrises fully aware of the girls history of neglect and sexual abuse and cautioned them that they were unprepared to handle children from such a background, especially considering their home included young boys. Cheryl and Craig Hart, foster parents who had taken in the two younger girls before they were adopted by the Harrises, said the state lawmaker and his wife shouldnt have been surprised by the girls behavior, according to the Arkansas Times: Athis news conference last week, Harrisrattled off alitanyof offenses that brought his family to a breaking point. "If they were violent [in the Harris home], they were taught violence. Harris, who has three biological sons, said the eldest girl, who was eight, said she would 'kill everyone in the family'. Donna Ames On March 5, Benjamin Hardy of the Arkansas Times published an explosive investigation about how State Representative Justin Harris . She didnt have boundaries, Cheryl Hart recalled. Justin Ross Harris (born November 27, 1980, age: 41 years) is a web developer and a criminal from America. Justin Harris. Wallis warned Harris there was a possibility that DHS could charge them with abandonment if they took such action. For about half of that time, from the end of 2012 to summer 2013, Goldsborough would babysit the Harris boys, Annie and, in an unconventional sense, Mary. I never signed any parental rights away to DHS. I knew the two girls for over a year and spent many hours with them, Guthrie told theTimes. Mary and Annie stayed in the Harris home for no more than 14 months (not two years, as Harris said at the Friday press conference). Still, Justin Harris announced he would not run for reelection. SCOTUS Nom 10g EAAs. Rep. Eddie Armstrong released a statement on behalf of the House Democrats in the state, saying: 'First, our thoughts and prayers are with this little girl and other children that may have been exposed to injury as a consequence of this practice. Our daughters are a precious gift from God and truly a blessing to each one of our lives and our extended family and friends. See above to learn how much money does Justin Harris makes a year. Justin Harris also reached out to the Hart family who was fostering the two youngest sisters at the time. Eric Francis was later convicted of sexually abusing the 6-year-old and other girls and was given a 40-year prison sentence. These girlsare happy, healthy children who have gone through things no child should ever have to endure. Yetothers involved in the case say that the Harrises knew the girls had mental and emotional challenges due to past trauma butinsisted on adopting themanyway, the Arkansas Times reported. Supporting the Arkansas Times' independent journalism is more vital than ever. All I wanted to do was to make sure my girls were safe and in a good home, you know? He is also a Republicanformer state representative. I was shocked they seemed to have that mentality that they could fix these girls in a short amount of time and have a big happy family.. Gods going to solve this. There are lots of children you could adopt you dont need to take the most traumatized ones out of the system. Sign up and stay up to date with our daily newsletter. But recently,Wisconsin, Colorado, Florida and Louisiana havepassed laws addressing the practice. And here was a stable family with a successful business, the father a state representative, seeking new children. Former Arkansas State Rep. Justin Harris and his wife, Marsha, had always been eager to expand their family of three young sons. If Harris account of the girls as violent and threatening holds little water, however, the other half of his narrative presents a more immediately sympathetic defense: DHS is not a friend to parents in need. Includes Address (7) Phone (4) Email (2) See Results. Representative Justin Harris and his wife Marsha adopted the girl, six, and her sister, three, through the Arkansas Department of Human Services in March 2013. Count 4: Cruelty to Children in . There is no question, however, that it became a perfect nightmare. But the girls foster parents said they didnt experience those kinds of issues with the girls. After one of the two younger girls crushed a family pet to death, Harris said, he and his wife were advised by a therapist, a psychiatrist and a pediatrician to remove the children from the Harris home. In November 2016, Justin Ross Harris was found guilty on all counts in his son's murder. Another pet, which was a hamster, was hurt but not killed by another child. 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