When I was a child, I was abandoned, then adopted, and then my adopted mom threw me back in the foster system because she didnt want me. For one of those girls, however, Arkansas Rep. Justin Harriss house came to represent something very different: a temporary stopping point on the way to some place much, much worse. Together, we can continue to hold the powerful accountable and bring important stories to light. — -- An adoption controversy in Fayetteville, Ark., has ignited a debate over the controversial practice of "re-homing" and caring for adopted children that have been abused. Finding the truth behind political rhetoric, reviewing claims to see whats accurate and whats misleading. The chairman of the Democratic Party of Arkansas, Vince Insalaco, released a statement earlier this week: "As a parent and grandparent, I am shocked to learn of Rep. Justin Harris's egregious action of abandoning two girls he adopted through DHS and placing them directly into harm's way. He also offered another explanation in an interview with Arkansas Onlinesaying: 'When our adoption became final, we went to the court, the whole family, exchanged teddy bears and everything - and it was like a light bulb suddenly flipped on for the girls. 3. They repeatedly told us they had degrees in early childhood development, they had therapists there at their preschool, and they had God to help them through this. But the Harrises explained that they were both early childhood educators, ran and operated a preschool and had experience working in therapeutic daycare centers. To both Young and the Harrises, it must have seemed like providence. Eventually she also testified in court against the Harris adoption. And I just said, 'God, I can't do it anymore.' Harris was sentenced to 12 years in all on those three charges: Ten years for one count of attempt to commit sexual exploitation of a child, and one year each for two counts of dissemination of. Supporting the Arkansas Times' independent journalism is more vital than ever. Chelsey Goldsborough was a baby sitter for Justin and Marsha Harris. In some ways I did break the rules and give [Mary] attention. The story first surfaced in April 2013. About us - Harris Residential. It is an overall forecast for the net worth of Justin Harris. Later, at an emotional press conference, Harris placed the blame squarely on the state health services department, which, he said, refused to help when he and his wife struggled with the girls they had adopted. Justin and Marsha Harris bought into this concept, and adopted because they wanted a family of five. But the source told the Times that Blucker was made aware that the girls had been rehomed days before the call was received by the hotline. Id watch her from a camera. Harris Residential, 35 Swain Street, Watchet, Somerset, TA23 0AE Harris Residential South West Ltd. Company Reg No: 11190218. The foster kids are cominginto the foster system because they have been abused or neglected. So you think of the typical labels these kids get, like Oh, theyre a sociopath, but when I asked her what she was doing she said, I was trying to get him to kill me, so I could go to heaven. It wasnt about controlling an animal she was so sad about everything that happened to her, she really wanted to die.. The story first . After Fridays press conference, Justin Harris gave a lengthy interview to a KARK-TV, Channel 4, reporter in which he told a similar story about how his troubled adoption began. Join the fight for truth and become a subscriber of the Arkansas Times. She told the Times that she wanted to get the girls into a permanent home and to keep the three of them together, above all else in large part because of her own unhappy childhood spent in foster care in Minnesota. Kyra Guthrie, a Fayetteville resident and friend of the Harts, sometimes provided respite care for the foster family. elitefts staff 2 hours, 15 minutes, 19 seconds January 20, 2022 Education, Exercise Index, Video & Workouts & Programs WATCH: Back Training with Justin Harris "Dumbbell rows are bodybuilding burpees." The legislator adopted three girls and turned them over to a man who abused one of them. Email justin.harris@sydney.edu.au Address A19 - Griffith Taylor Building The University of Sydney Websites Contact Details Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Lab Biographical details Justin Harris graduated with a PhD in Psychology from The University of New South Wales in 1995. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. See above to learn how much money does Justin Harris makes a year. ", In April 2013, the Harrises finalized the adoption of the two younger sisters. Find contact's direct phone number, email address, work history, and more. The girls were at one point placed in the care of methamphetamine users,according to the Times. Representative Justin Harris, pictured last month, gave his two adopted daughters to a friend after they threatened his family with violence, he said. In fact, because of the repeated sexual abuse she had suffered at such a young age, she had begun to exhibit predatory behaviors. See Photos. Their biological mother, who had a history of drug abuse and had lived with a string of abusive men, was deemed unfit to care for them. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Unless he gave them guns, they werent dangerous., He felt especially offended at Harris statement in the press conference thatthey had to medicate the middle child to prevent her from hurting her sister. He said Mary displayed only affection and kindness toward her younger sister. FOLLOW MORE IBT NEWS ON THE BELOW CHANNELS, IBT Fast Start - Let the best of International News come to you. Justin Ross Harris (born November 27, 1980, age: 41 years) is a web developer and a criminal from America. It is her opinion the Harrises called Cecile Blucker to expedite things.. Though no one can say for sure, child advocates believe that rehoming is relatively rare in the United States. Harris, who has three biological sons, said the eldest girl, who was eight, said she would 'kill everyone in the family'. He is also a Republicanformer state representative. "She was cute. HARRISRESIDENTIAL.CO.UK. (Video: KARK 4 News). Justin Harris told "20/20" the reason there was such objection to the adoption was "because [others] felt like we were a fanatical couple. Arkansas State Rep. Justin Harris and his wife held a press conference to address the fallout related to his adoption of three young girls. And Im shocked, because they did work with these children at Childrens House, and they saw how difficult foster parents have it with little kids who have mental issues. "If they were violent [in the Harris home], they were taught violence. Therapeutic foster parents are trained to deal with the intense demands of traumatized children and nudge them toward healing and bonding with intentional, careful steps. It may be in the report you have, but just in case the minors identities are known, we dont want to be specific for their own protection.. The two younger sisters have been adopted and are thriving and flourishing in their new home. This is hypocrisy at its highest level. They consider it to be spiritual warfare, the other source said. At a press conference last week, Justin Harris said the adopted girls' behavioral problems caused him to fear for his biological children's safety: One of his new daughters crushed a family pet. There is no question, however, that it became a perfect nightmare. She was really cute," Cheryl Hart told "20/20.". 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. Harris publicly announced on social media that the adoption had been finalized on March 6, 2013. Sometimes the girl acted out violently. We do not do exorcism. In fact, a past DHS employee at the time came to us and confirmed that the plan at DHS was to seek abandonment charges if we returned the girls.". They never once called us.. It was during that interview that police learned the 6-year-old had been the victim of sexual abuse. They are a beautiful example to us of Gods amazing grace and the power of love to heal the broken heart. He said he thought hed found the perfect solution in handing the girls over to Stacey Francis, a longtime friend of his wifes, and her husband, Eric Cameron Francis. They just were in denial the whole time about how troubled these girls were. Justin Harris is our managing director and the owner of Harris Residential. Describing the child's fits of rage, Marsha Harris told 20/20, "It never stopped. Cheryl and Craig Hart, an experienced foster couple who housed Mary and Annie for a year and a half before their adoption by the Harrises, said they tried to talk the Harrises out of adopting the sisters. For unknown reasons, Mary and Annie left the Francis home in early 2014 to live with yet another family, where they remain today. We've done everything.". In a good disclosure meeting, all the childs current and potential behaviors are discussed in depth and there is a clear road map of what it will take to make this adoption successful. All Rights Reserved. That is when they decided to give the girls to the Francis family, and at that point began sending all stipends they received to them. Cheryl and Craig Hart were opposed to the Harris adoption from the beginning. Tweet. The girls had regular counseling at Childrens House in Springdale, a center specializing in mental health treatment for young victims of abuse. The suburban Atlanta man charged with murder after his 22-month-old son died from being left in a hot car for seven . Luke Solomon. He said they suffered from reactive attachment disorder, a condition sometimes occurring among children with unstable backgrounds that results in severe emotional and social problems. She lashed out at her brothers, threatened to kill people with knives and even crushed the family guinea pig to death. 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. Jan Wallis is an adoption specialist at the Arkansas Department of Health Services (DHS). Hutchinson and Speaker Gillam will agree that Harris's resignation is necessary. The older girl, who would have been about 6 years old at the time she entered the Harris household, presented an imminent danger to his older three sons, Harris said. Chelsey Goldsborough was a high school senior when she started babysitting for the Harrises' two remaining adopted daughters in spring of 2013. See Photos. The teen claimed she would watch the girls for a few hours every day after school for several months -- a length of time disputed by the Harrises. 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. Goldsborough said she would watch Mary on a monitor linked to a camera in her room, but usually only entered the room to provide food or water. Demons told her to not appreciate [her toys] and all that, so they took away all the toys and her colored clothes., Although she was disturbed by what she saw in the household to the extent that she reported it to DHS*, Goldsborough said she felt compelled to continue babysitting for the sake of the girls. Justin Harris. Months later, the Francises transferred the girls to yet another family. Instead, after six months Mr. Harris and his wife re-homed the two girls like pets that didn't work out. They get desperate. 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. In October 2013, Justin Harris dropped off his two young daughters to begin their new life with the Francises. What she recalls is that Justin and Marsha Harris did not heed the warnings of person after person familiar with the sisters special needs, who uniformly counseled against placing troubled girls in a home with young boys and busy parents. Feeling they had run out of options, the Harrises decided to re-home their children -- a legal loophole that allows adoptive parents to hand over kids to another willing family -- to Eric and Stacey Francis, with the intention that the Francises would eventually adopt them. Months later, according to the Harrises, they were struggling to cope with the mental and behavioral challenges presented by the two girls, particularly the older one, who was 4 at the time. And throughout their childhood,police had documented sexual abuse in their home,which experts say can be a strong signal for potential predators. Despite what you may have read, we reached out to DHS numerous times and were met with nothing but hostility. He grew emotional describing his dilemma: We were threatened with possible abandonment charges and potentially losing our own boys as well if we returned the girls to DHS custody. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? 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." It was also this agency which Harris required to approve his controversial adoptions. JUSTIN@HARRISRESIDENTIAL.CO.UK. I knew [Jeannette] wouldnt last five minutes there., But Justin Harris now says he and Marsha were pressured to take Jeannette against their wishes. As she points out, these families are not vetted in the same way an agency would vet other potential parents. So one day in late 2011, a few months after they were first introduced, Young met with the Harrises. Justin Harris Presents Arthur Russell: Justin Harris Presents Arthur Russell - Moon (12") Eclectic Avenue Records: BEAR006: UK: 2011: Sell This Version: Image Title Label Catalog Number Year In Your Collection, Wantlist, or Inventory Actions Marsha Harris was friends with a woman named Stacey Francis, and Justin Harris believed Francis and her husband, Eric, would be a perfect solution to a seemingly intractable problem. Their attorneys pulled up all the paperwork for me. I don't care what the people of Arkansas think about me. Well, Cecile said this, Cecile said that, Cheryl Hart said. But it was not just DHS. He then said he and his wife became overwhelmed in caring for them, so he arranged for them to live with Eric Cameron Francis and his wife, Stacey Francis, after the state didnt agree with his request to take them back. Casting out demons: why Justin Harris got rid of kids he applied Gaudin makes good: Mini Maker Faire coming to NLR, Morning minutia: Legislation to protect bank from lawful taxes, When Love Is Not Enough, a Parents Guide to Reactive Attachment Disorder, a lengthy interview to a KARK-TV, Channel 4, reporter. We kept a loving Christian home for them to be a part of it. As part of his attempt to justify his actions, Harris has claimed the young girls, and their eight-year-old sister whom he also took in but did not formally adopt, were threatening to kill his family. Asa Hutchinson has ordered a review of the agencys practices regarding adoption. The idea that someone could use the foster care system to treat their adopted children like basketballs, tossing them from family to family is horrible. The former DHS employee confirmed this account. Though Rep. Harris is talking about this adoption, by law we cannot do so and are concerned about the very sensitive and protected information that has been released about vulnerable children. See who the key figures are in this strange story. 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.'. 'I don't care if I lose my position. We've done all this counselin'. I knew the two girls for over a year and spent many hours with them, Guthrie told theTimes. Think this reporting is important? But recently,Wisconsin, Colorado, Florida and Louisiana havepassed laws addressing the practice. That was their number one issue.". This story will refer to the three girls taken in by the Harrises by pseudonyms: We will call the oldest sister Jeannette, the middle sister Mary and the youngest sister Annie. Harris is vice chairman of the panel. They have to learn skills most parents dont have such as how to talk a child down. Therapists need to become involved. More shocking still: WhatHarris did, unofficially giving away an adopted child, is not illegal in Arkansas. The first night I was over there, I just broke down and cried with this little girl because I just felt so bad for her, Goldsborough said. This practice is legal in almost every single state in the country, even though it is a form of human trafficking. Scandal: After it was revealed the couple gave away the girls, their lawyer released a statement saying, 'Rep. We still are in contact with a lot of our former fosters who have been adopted. 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." By Chris Spargo and Kieran Corcoran For Dailymail.com, Published: 18:20 EST, 6 March 2015 | Updated: 09:39 EST, 7 March 2015. They are fighters.". 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.. 'It was later reported to the Department of Human Services that Mr. and Mrs. Harris had left the children with another family and had basically abandoned them. Cyber Monday: Save big on the Creative Cloud All Apps plan for individuals through 2 Dec. Its just I dont know. Something somewhere along the line got them out of hand with their own children., The unnamed source close to the Harrises felt torn about speaking up. And about a month later, the infant's 2-year-old sister was also placed with the couple. They were looking for a new house because Marsha had gotten sick. Doctors found that Marsha Harris had a possible cancerous mass sometime in 2013; Goldsborough believes thats why the Harrises eventually sent the girls away. But by January 2014,Francis had been fired for poor work attendance, the Arkansas Times said. Primary Menu. They were not allowed to be around each other because of the Harrises belief in demonic possession and telepathy, she said. ABC News "20/20" has declined to name the biological mother and the three girls out of respect for their privacy. She called Justin and Marsha Harris to take her daughters. Rancher, 73, is charged with murder on his Arizona land after shooting dead Mexican, 48, who had history of illegal crossings into US and multiple deportations: Judge refuses to reduce $1M bail despite plea his wife is alone, Getting his Minnie's worth! The babysitter also alleged the Harrises would keep the younger sisters separated because they could supposedly telepathically speak to one another. Responding to the Arkansas Times report that uncovered Harris rehoming of his children, the state legislator said he was failed by the Department of Human Services when he told employees the girls were too difficult for the family to handle. The Harts kept the two younger sisters until October 2012, and their descriptions of the girls behavior throughout those 18 months stands in stark contrast to the harrowing picture painted by Justin Harris. Despite her reservations about the Harris adoption, Wallis thought things were going well with the Harrises and the two young sisters. Cheryl Hart recalls asking the Harrises, "Why would you subject your sons to a sexual predator?". The incident happened while his wife was away for two weeks on a trip to Pennsylvania. At the Friday press conference, Justin Harris said he and Marsha had their biological sons sleep in their room for their protection from the young sisters. They are both extremely protective toward each other and love each other with all their hearts. Since 2009 . Wallis stayed on the case as the girls were transitioned into the Harris home. Discover Justin Harris's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. He was told by many people in DHS, These are not the kids you want to just jump into. Thats why Im angry. A mother heard that we were wanting to adopt, he said. Now its safe for them to show all the disturbance that has been hidden, Jensen said. Im a Christian, and I have these beliefs, but this was completely beyond anything Ive ever seen or heard about., Goldsborough said the reason the family removed Marys toys was because a demon told [Mary] not to share. They married four months later. Both girls have since found a new home. Jan Wallis, a former adoption specialist with DHS, knew the two younger sisters. In 1998, when Craig and Cheryl Hart's biological sons were 11 and 14 years old, they decided it was time for their family to give back to the community and become a foster family for children in need. 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 . I knew how foster homes are some are good, some not. And then, she found the Harrises. When the therapeutic foster mother argued that troubled Jeannette in particular should not be placed into the Harris home, she said, Justin Harris waved away her concerns. Of health Services ( DHS ) knives and even crushed the family guinea pig death! Specialist at the Arkansas Times begin their new life with the Francises transferred the girls, lawyer... 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