GUILTY FL - Cherish Perrywinkle, 8, Jacksonville, 21 June 2013 #3

[Magdalyn]

Not sure if this has been posted:

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -
After weeks under fire following the deaths of four children, David Wilkins on Thursday abruptly resigned as secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families.


Wilkins has endured a steady drumbeat of criticism since May 16, when the first of the four children died. All four had had contact with DCF before their deaths, which critics said could have been prevented.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/florida-dcf-secretary-resigns/-/475880/21036668/-/m4tp8o/-/index.html

I'm still stunned how long DCF left Cherish's sisters in the home while they decided if they were unsafe there. Many of us stated repeatedly that in cases similar to these (all over the country), most DCF will remove the children almost immediately, then return them fairly quickly once they have determined the children will be safe.

Not the reverse.

"Hey, you keep the kids for now, try not to hand them off to creeper guys while we peruse you files and do some interviews. We'll get back to you in a couple of weeks. If the kids get neglected, abducted, handed off in the meantime, and we've determined they've been in danger under your care all along, then we'll.....oh.....uh, wait a minute!" :doh:

 

[jjenny]

Did the judge really write a letter to the mother that she was an "excellent mother?"
If so, how bizarre.
I read up on the four dead children in FL who had come to the attention of DCF. DCF would either leave the child with the parent, or try to reunite them with an unfit/mentally ill parent, resulting in death of the child.
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/20...-20130712_1_dcf-sobel-secretary-david-wilkins

 

[Magdalyn]

Did the judge really write a letter to the mother that she was an "excellent mother?"
If so, how bizarre.
I read up on the four dead children in FL who had come to the attention of DCF. DCF would either leave the child with the parent, or try to reunite them with an unfit/mentally ill parent, resulting in death of the child.
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/20...-20130712_1_dcf-sobel-secretary-david-wilkins

AFAIK, that note, if it exists, was only mentioned by Rayne, to interviewers, so it's existence and/or authenticity is questionable.

If it is for real, it is beyond the pale.

 

[jjenny]

How outrageous is this? DCF decides to "re-unite" the little boy with his mentally ill mother who allegedly tried to suffocate him just a couple of years prior? Allow un-supervised visits. Child of course ends up dead.

"Antwan remained with his aunt until recently, when Broward’s privately run foster care agency, called ChildNet, suggested it was time to return him to his mother. In preparation for a reunification with Simmons, a Broward judge, against the objections of a court-appointed advocate, granted unsupervised visits."

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/06/12/3448104_p2/bso-says-woman-whose-child-died.html#storylink=cpy

 

[jjenny]

AFAIK, that note, if it exists, was only mentioned by Rayne, to interviewers, so it's existence and/or authenticity is questionable.

If it is for real, it is beyond the pale.

Sure would be
I posted an article how another judge in FL allowed unsupervised visits for a child whose mother had mental issues and allegedly tried to kill him prior. Child of course ended up dead.

 

[Donjeta]

I'm a little surprised that the reporter who wrote the article apparently made no effort to contact the judge and veirfy the existence and the contents of the letter.

 

[Miss_Diana]

I'm still not seeing anything about DS's court appearance, didn't he appear this week?

Does anyone know the results?

Thanks!

 

[No Stone Unturned]

Arraignment is July 24.
http://www.news4jax.com/news/donald...attery/-/475880/20825298/-/vhklc/-/index.html

 

[Cybermom]

I'm a little surprised that the reporter who wrote the article apparently made no effort to contact the judge and veirfy the existence and the contents of the letter.

Honestly, I am not surprised at all. News media seems to be about as grounded in truth nowadays as an episode if "real housewives of ____".
Facts, if reported; are edited to create the most ratings and sensationalize the story.
Right now the general public seems to more interested in Rayne and placing blame and judgement on her than even the real criminal Don Smith. That's why you hear so little about him, but get play by play on her.
The story has been slanted from the very first media release.

This is my opinion, of course- you can create you own. I wish the news media felt we were capable of forming our own opinions and just reported facts.

 

[my_tee_mouse]

How outrageous is this? DCF decides to "re-unite" the little boy with his mentally ill mother who allegedly tried to suffocate him just a couple of years prior? Allow un-supervised visits. Child of course ends up dead.

"Antwan remained with his aunt until recently, when Broward’s privately run foster care agency, called ChildNet, suggested it was time to return him to his mother. In preparation for a reunification with Simmons, a Broward judge, against the objections of a court-appointed advocate, granted unsupervised visits."

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/06/12/3448104_p2/bso-says-woman-whose-child-died.html#storylink=cpy

But read closely: The JUDGE granted unsupervised visits. The JUDGE. Again. How many times does DCF/CPS/DHS get the blame when the children are returned to unfit parents, despite the agency's best efforts? Wonder how efficiently DCF/CPS/DHS would run and how many children would be in safer situations if JUDGES were left out of the equation?

 

[PlainJaneDoe]

Has anyone on here ever made a choice they ever regretted? I have. Thankfully none o those choices ever directly put me or my child in the position that RP and cherish are in. And I am ever so grateful for that. I will learn from her mistakes and from other mistakes, just like I hope that those who know me or meet me will learn from my mistakes. I am lucky and so is every parent who gets to tuck their kids in to bed tonight. RP doesn't get to do that and neither does BJ. And that stinks. And that is because DS is a monster and preyed on RP. And RP has to live with her choices every day for the rest of her life. Sometimes that is a worse punishment than prison.

Yes, I've regretted many personal choices. Sometimes I'd made the best choice I could based on the info I had at the time and it just didnt have the expected result, and sometimes I just made poor choices.

How does that relate to RP tho?

 

[Magdalyn]

Child endangerment is not a 'choice'. It is a criminal act.

 

[floridamomma]

But read closely: The JUDGE granted unsupervised visits. The JUDGE. Again. How many times does DCF/CPS/DHS get the blame when the children are returned to unfit parents, despite the agency's best efforts? Wonder how efficiently DCF/CPS/DHS would run and how many children would be in safer situations if JUDGES were left out of the equation?

AMEN.

don't get me started!

 

[vasportsmom]

Child endangerment is not a 'choice'. It is a criminal act.

THIS!!

Chicken or pork chops is a choice. Protect your children or send them off with a creepy man for the promise of a gift card and a cheeseburger is NOT a choice.

 

[1&2&3]

Florida is well-known for their poor run DCS dept. as we have seen in so many cases. These 4 children that were returned to unfit parents, by JUDGES, reminds me of the RSO's that are being turned loose early by JUDGES!

It appears no one is looking out for the children in Florida! Which, IMO, RP needs to have 3 charges of child-endangerment filed against her! She put all 3 children in danger with her actions even though the monster was interested in only Cherish. It baffles me as to why she is not being charged with something.

 

[YidArmyRach]

Has anyone on here ever made a choice they ever regretted? I have. Thankfully none o those choices ever directly put me or my child in the position that RP and cherish are in. And I am ever so grateful for that. I will learn from her mistakes and from other mistakes, just like I hope that those who know me or meet me will learn from my mistakes. I am lucky and so is every parent who gets to tuck their kids in to bed tonight. RP doesn't get to do that and neither does BJ. And that stinks. And that is because DS is a monster and preyed on RP. And RP has to live with her choices every day for the rest of her life. Sometimes that is a worse punishment than prison.

What? You only realised after Raine did it, what could happen if you hand your child over to an RSO?

Was it really a "mistake" you might have made, had this not happened? I really don't think so.

Funnily enough, I don't think there are many mums who need to learn from Raine.

And as for parents being "lucky" to be able to tuck their children in bed tonight - it isn't anything to do with luck. I tucked my sons up tonight, because I've properly looked after them today, same as I do every day. That goes for the vast majority of parents too. The only reason Raine can't do that tonight, or any other night, is because her desire for a few cheap dresses was more powerful than her maternal instinct.

Living with her mistake might be harder than prison, but its still a hell of a lot easier than Cherish's last minutes were.

 

[vasportsmom]

It feels more than a little condescending to be told that luck is why I have my kids to tuck in each night. Luck has nothing to do to with not handing my children over to random strangers, that is plain old common sense. If there is a parent out there that needed Cherish's death to teach them that it is a bad idea to let strangers walk off with their children then I pray those kids are quickly removed. Anybody that has something to learn from Rayne isn't fit to be a parent. EVER! I have to wonder if some of the people offering extreme excuses for Rayne realize how bad they are making them self look and how concerned others are becoming for their children. It's a mystery.

 

[thisiseku]

Have they found the stroller?

 

[PlainJaneDoe]

Child endangerment is not a 'choice'. It is a criminal act.

Yes, I just used "choice" to mean something that I did voluntarily, not something that happened TO me or I was forced to do. I didn't mean to minimize the issue at all.

 

[vasportsmom]

Have they found the stroller?

If so I have not seen a mention of it but the media seems to report rather strangely in this case.