Lived In Chanute KS, Humboldt IA, Independence KS. By Chris Spargo and Kieran Corcoran For Dailymail.com, Published: 18:20 EST, 6 March 2015 | Updated: 09:39 EST, 7 March 2015. Justin is related to Janon L White . Harris, who has three biological sons, said the eldest girl, who was eight, said she would 'kill everyone in the family'. They thrived in our home, Cheryl Hart said. When it was just me and her one night, I took her on a walk down the street to hang out and took her to the playground., When asked whether either of the girls displayed any signs of violence, Goldsborough said, Yeah theyd throw a fit sometimes if I made them eat their broccoli. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. I turned them over to these people, Young said. And though the two youngest girls had never given the Harts any severe problems, they did not believe the younger sisters should be placed in a home with any young children because of the abuse they had suffered in the past. and Mrs. Harris have suffered a severe injustice', Christian school: Pictured is Growing God's Kingdom Preschool, in which Rep. Harris owns, employed Francis for three months, It was also reported in the story that the Harris family 'continued to accept adoption subsidy money even after giving the children away.'. By then, the 4-year old girl Harris had adopted and then given away was 6. When Justin Harris and his wife adopted 2 little girls from the foster system, they were making a commitment to protect them and provide the stability of a family. About 18 percent were said to have a history that included sexual or physical abuse. While caring for the two girls, Eric Francis wasemployed briefly at Growing Gods Kingdom, the Christian day-care owned by Harris. Asa Hutchinson has ordered a review of the agencys practices regarding adoption. -- an often misunderstood psychological condition that can develop when a child's basic needs for comfort and affection are not met. Justin Harris suggested he used his influence to obtain the three girls during the adoption hearing, according to Cheryl Hart. Eric Francis, the head teacher at a Christian school Harris ran, was allowed to look after the two girls, and had custody of them for more than a year before he was arrested for sexual assault. Multiple sources who interacted with the family confirmed Goldsboroughs account that the Harrises believed the children were possessed, and another source close to the family said that Marsha Harris spoke openly about the supposed demonic possession. 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. Together, we can continue to hold the powerful accountable and bring important stories to light. Wallis left DHS in fall 2012. Count 2: Felony Murder. While Harris slings barbs at DHS, Republican Gov. We do not do exorcism. "Exorcisms and telepathy are not part of the Harrises' religious practice. Shortly after the oldest girl arrived, the Harrises said she began to display disturbing behaviors. First, the children. The rehoming of Mary and Annie officially came to the attention of DHS on March 28, 2014, thanks to an anonymous call to the child abuse hotline operated by State Police. I do have compassion for parents in the throes of dealing with this. The evaluation covers the latest 5 years and an approximation for next year. I don't care if I lose my position. The Times had reported on the third sister before the press conference, held Friday afternoon in the old Supreme Court chambers in the state Capitol. They think their family is different. Its odd, because theyre not bad with children, said Goldsborough, relating how the Harrises had her watch educational videos about child development before she baby sat. On Wednesday, Arkansas Rep. Greg Leding introduced a bill to prevent rehoming. Eric Francis was later convicted of sexually abusing the 6-year-old and other girls and was given a 40-year prison sentence. Due to the sensitivity of our daughters story, and out of respect for them, we are asking the public for privacy during this time., (Jeannette was eventually adopted by a therapeutic foster family and is said to be doing well. This is what I'm dealin' with eight to 12 hours a day.". DHS was still trying to go after me, and when they talked about terminating my [parental] rights, I said, I dont have any rights. He then added: 'You don't know what we've been through this past year. It is for this reason that rehoming is such a scary practice according to Amy Webb, a spokesperson for theDepartment of Human Services. We are aware of the very public conversation going on about events pertaining to our daughters, they said in an email to the Times. Harris also placed some of the blame on officials in the Arkansas Department of Human Services, whom he said misled them as to the abuse suffered by the girls. 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. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. The incident happened while his wife was away for two weeks on a trip to Pennsylvania. Other sources confirmed to theTimesthat Marsha Harris told them at least one exorcism was performed on the girls. 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. The Arkansas Supreme Court today dismissed a lawsuit against the state brought by Justin Harris, the former Republican state representative from West Fork best known for a tragically botched. In October 2013, Justin Harris dropped off his two young daughters to begin their new life with the Francises. Thats something I didnt want for my girls. Rep. and Mrs. Harris are devastated about the outcome of that decision, but faced with no good option, they did the best that they knew how.'. By subscribing and supporting our efforts, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers to expand our coverage. Although they still decline to share the full circumstances of their adoption, the parents said they felt compelled to respond to the statements Justin Harris has made this past week that portray the girls as dangerous and violent. They never once called us.. We also are prohibited from clarifying any inaccurate information.. Goldsborough said the exorcism was performed by specialists from Alabama who came to the house to orchestrate the event. The Harrises learned that this behavior could be related to the girl's diagnosis of Reactive Attachment Disorder (R.A.D.) "We care deeply for the girls but we were failed by DHS," Harris said at a news conference last week. The Harts also said the adoption was allowed to proceed despite their objections because of the direct intervention of Cecile Blucker, head of the Division of Children and Family Services, the arm of DHS responsible for child welfare. Follow. We could reason with her and talk to her. The source close to the Harrises said the pet a guinea pig belonging to one of the boys was killed not by Mary, but by the oldest sister, Jeannette, who had long since left the home by the time the Harrises, allegedly on the advice of therapists, rehomed the girls with the Francises. It was the only chance I had to keep my girls together. An emotional Rep. Justin Harris (R-West Fork), his wife at his side, told reporters at a press conference last week that he sent his two adopted daughters to live with another family, where one of them was later sexually abused, because he would have faced abandonment charges by the state. Harris later suggested in the KARK interview that the agency was threatening him because of his political beliefs. The ones that are good, that is their life. Others, she said, dont care. Everyone testifying before the judge had stipulations, like To be followed up, To continue their therapy at Childrens House, but nobody would say, We really dont think this is a good idea. The Harts believe Bluckers influence made the adoption happen. Startled by the Harris case, Arkansas could be next. The legislator adopted three girls and turned them over to a man who abused one of them. 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. They said the whole time in court they wanted all three, and thats why they were chosen [to adopt] They fell on their knees when they were told they could take her., As for the transfer itself, Craig Hart said, It was not the process normally followed when we had kids go into an adoption situation the court said there should be a transitioning period between us and them, and we saw them only once after they moved in [with the Harrises]. They are both extremely protective toward each other and love each other with all their hearts. Cheryl Hart also vividly remembers the roundtable meeting described by Harris, which she said occurred on Valentines Day 2012. An attorney for Harris . 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.. 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.. They just were in denial the whole time about how troubled these girls were. Because of my behavior, my problems. This incident was reported to the child abuse hotline and the children were interviewed.'. 'I think everyone in our caucus was dismayed to learn that rehoming is allowable in Arkansas, and a bill has already been filed to address this tragic gap in the law so that our children can be protected.'. The suburban Atlanta man charged with murder after his 22-month-old son died from being left in a hot car for seven . She called Justin and Marsha Harris to take her daughters. First, Young discovered her husband sexually assaulting Jeannette, the oldest of the three girls, and turned him in; he is now in prison. Rep. Justin Harris, R-West Fork, asks a question Friday in the House Committee on Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs. But the Harrises were hell-bent on having it happen. But things quickly took a turn for the worse as the middle child, also diagnosed with RAD, began to act out despite regular therapy sessions, the Harrises said. and Mrs. Harris placed the girls into the care of Eric Francis and his wife Stacy [sic] Francis in October 2013. Both sides agree that the Harris family was approached to adopt three girls by their biological mother. They are fighters.". Representative Justin Harris, pictured last month, gave his two adopted daughters to a friend after they threatened his family with violence, he said. We decided to adopt two girls. In most cases, custody of an adopted child can be transferred simply by both sets of parents signing a document, and child protective services will only step in if they suspect the child is not being properly treated, which can be near impossible for them to judge at times. They get desperate. So, sure, higher-ups will get into discussions about what is best and what is not., However, a source familiar with the workings of state-level DHS informed the Times that Blucker supposedly remarked in 2012 that Harris threatened to hold up the budget for the division if he didnt get to adopt those girls.. 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. Chilling 911 dispatch describes how 'overmedicated' midwife mom Lindsay Clancy cut her own wrists before jumping from top window of her home in suicide attempt after strangling her three children, Biden STILL refuses to accept responsibility for classified documents debacle: President says 'the answer is no' when asked if takes blame for sensitive files found at multiple properties, Inside Jim Carrey's secret 'sanctuary': Comedian lists LA estate of 30 YEARS (complete with infrared sauna and tennis court) for a whopping $28.9M after announcing plan to retire from acting at 61, World-first pill for postpartum depression could be rolled out in US by AUGUST, High blood pressure? March 12, 2015 8:00 am. 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. 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