Arkansas horror story: Republican lawmaker gave up adopted 6-year-old to man who then raped her

[Galraedia]

Source: Raw Story

An Arkansas Republican state representative is facing serious scrutiny after he apparently “rehomed” his adopted daughters to a household where one of the girls, age 6, was raped by the father. Furthermore, Rep. Justin Harris is accused of continuing to take state funds intended for the girls’ care even after his family had given them away.

Wonkette reported on an Arkansas Times exposé about Harris and the Christian pre-school he runs with his wife, a school that employed the sexual predator who raped the 6-year-old girl.

When the Times asked Harris why he handed over his adopted daughter to a sexual predator without ever consulting state authorities or the foster care system, the legislator quoted the Christian Bible’s Book of Isaiah, saying, “No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.”

He then said, “You don’t know what we’ve been through this past year. You have no idea what my family has been through. I don’t care what the people of Arkansas think about me. I don’t care if I lose my position. I care what my wife thinks about me, and I care what my three sons think about me.”

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/arkansas-horror-story-republican-lawmaker-gave-up-adopted-6-year-old-to-man-who-then-raped-her/

[Demeter]

1. I care about that little girl--put this jerk in jail!

[Major Nikon]

2. Paraphrasing from Ulysses Everett McGill...

Even if that did put you square with the Lord, the State of Arkansas's a little more hard-nosed.

[kestrel91316]

3. "Rehomed"? I bet he SOLD the girl to the guy.

[LibertyLover]

4. Rehoming is a dirty little secret in adoptions

if you are having problems with an adopted child in many states all you have to do is sign over custody of them to another family. All it requires is that the document be notarized.

[treestar]

18. Not to argue with you but I thought an adoption makes the child

yours, to the same extent as if you have given birth. I would hope it would not be any easier than for biological parents. It probably is easier to sign custody over than get it. And it might be more likely to happen to adopted children.

[LibertyLover]

24. That's true, it does

but, as I mentioned "rehoming" is the dirty secret in the adoption world:

http://rt.com/usa/underground-adoption-network-rehome-children-634/

http://blog.legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.com/legal-research/free-good-home-re-homing-adoptive-children/

http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/states_start_to_crack_down_on_parents_re_homing_their_adopted_kids/

It's a disgusting practice, and I say that as an adoptive parent of a daughter,who at 12 going on 13, certainly has her moments.

[treestar]

26. That's scary

They really need to get more post-adoption support. If the child was biologically theirs, they would get help! Not just dump the kid. Good grief.

[happyslug]

30. Its done with natural children all the time.

And such "rehoming" is done all the time with natural children all the time. CYS encourage it for it avoids CYS having to go to court.

In many cases families send children to live with other family members. This happens a lot. By law adopted children are treated as you were that child's natural parent. Thus since natural parents can rehomed their children so can adopted parents.

The only legal requirement is the child must be safe. That rule applies to natural children as while as adopted parents. Any change would require a change in the law that no state wants to pay for. And I mean pay for, for any change in home would require additional CYS investigators that no state wants to hire.

[LibertyLover]

31. Yes, you are correct

apparently in this Arkansas case the governor asked state legal authorities to check and see if such re homing was legal and they came back with a finding that there was nothing in the state's legal code that precluded it.

[OldRedneck]

5. This case is only the tiny tip of a very large iceberg

I am convinced that the vast majority of "christians" who adopt children do so for very evil reasons.

First, read the story of "Preacher Combs" of Bristol, TN.
http://www.sullivan-county.com/nf0/combs/

Now, read about the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana. This is a LONG article and it will make you sick.
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/January-2013/Let-Us-Prey-Big-Trouble-at-First-Baptist-Church/

Here's the connection. "Preacher Combs" is/was a biblethumping, fire-and-brimstone preaching fundamentalist preacher in Bristol, TN. He and his wife "adopted" a young girl from an orphanage in Indiana. They kept her in their home for nearly 20 years -- for much of the time she lived in the converted warehouse that served as Combs' church. Preacher Combs and his wife were sentenced to a total of 179 years for child abuse. While Preacher Combs, his wife and son testified that the girl was clumsy and "fell down a lot," the jurors were swayed more by the 410 scars and medical testimony about the abuse the girl suffered.

Turns out that Preacher Combs is one of at least NINE "preachers" convicted of child sexual abuse who are affiliated with the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana. The church ran an orphanage from which children -- mostly girls -- were put out for adoption by "christians." This makes me wonder just how many more "Preacher Combs" cases are out there waiting to be uncovered.

The Arkansas case described in this diary likely is NOT an aberration -- it seems to be common among "christian adoptions."

I lived in Taiwan for two years, 1975 - 1977. One of my friends was a US consular officer -- actually, he was an FBI agent under State Dept cover. He had been sent to Taiwan to gather evidence about an operation that took orphaned Chinese girls from Taiwan and sent them to a "christian orphanage" in the States -- from which they were "adopted" by "good christian families." Investigators in the US had found most of these girls living in virtual slavery to the families that had adopted them.

And don't get me started on these "good christians" who adopt children from China, Russia, etc., etc.

[byronius]

6. Truly, it should be a primary focus of international law enforcement.

And the thin guise of 'holiness' shouldn't work. It does, and that's a pathetic comment on our culture.

[father founding]

7. Yep !

Sounds about right.

[niyad]

8. and clearly, you self-righteous bastard, you don't give a DAMN what that SIX-YEAR-OLD RAPE

SURVIVOR thinks of you, or will think of you in the future.

may you and your whole rotten bunch receive everything you deserve.

this is the self-righteous bastard:

[Thespian2]

9. K&R

Unfortunately, most "christians" will not condemn these practices, especially the bible-quoting "christians."

[niyad]

10. hmmm, the facebook page of his "school" called "growing god's kingdom" "is currently unavailable"

contact info:


Justin T. Harris
Address
P. O. Box 880
West Fork, AR 72774

Phone
479-871-8542

[frylock]

11. this has child sex traffick ring written all over it

[niyad]

12. sadly, I think you are correct.

[Hestia]

13. Not that I am for this guy, but that is not what was report in today's paper - Ark Dem-Gaz

The girls were sent to the Francis home because they had become a danger to themselves and others in the Harris home, Harris said.

"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. They knew, suddenly knew, that this was their forever home, and they were no longer ever going back to Mom's house," Harris said. "There was anger and an instant behavior change."

Harris said he sought help for the girls and took them to counseling, but their behavior did not improve.

No law prohibits a parent from leaving a child in the care of others.

Harris and his wife have three biological children and had never adopted before. The Francis family had three children, all by adoption, he said. The Francis family had passed background checks for international adoptions, which are more stringent than those in-state, Harris said.

Francis had also worked for Harris' family-owned preschool, Growing God's Kingdom, for three months and had a clean criminal background check there, Harris said.

[snippage]

The Harris family maintained contact with the two sisters and forwarded any money received from the state Department of Human Services for their support to the Francis home, Harris said. The girls seemed to be doing well, he said. The state became involved with the girls while they were still with their natural mother, he said.

http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2015/mar/05/re-homed-by-legislator-girl-6-sexually-/
(probably behind a paywall)

[atreides1]

16. Uh huh

Don't you find the story a little self serving on Harris' part?

[Hestia]

19. Yes and No. The local paper really goes after legislature malfeasance - if they tie their shoelaces

wrong, it's a BFD that drags on for weeks. No new story today about it today, which is surprising.

Now, again, I am not supporting him in anyway whatsoever - never mistake that. His fellow legislature members and former governor had never heard of re-homing and were shocked that it could happen. (Who does their research? There has been big investigations about re-homing coming out in the last couple of months.)

He's a POS GOP member, so he can go as far as I am concerned and this story is getting big play on TV this a.m., more so for the fact it happens. Hopefully there will be a big follow-up on the story.

It sounds like he passed the kids on to a fellow church member who *just* has to be a good person, don't cha know? Whatever Dem runs against him in 2 years could get huge mileage out of this story.

[NancyDL]

28. Do you mean there's a possibility that this vermin will stay in office?

The people of Arkansas aren't too particular with their Republican politicians, are they? This is probably related to the "christian" "quiverfull movement" that has been involved in MANY adoption abuse cases.

[Ms. Toad]

21. Not to defend the "rehoming," but I have very intimate experience with adoptions of older children

Mine is dated, but from people I have talked with recently the system is not much better at warning parents what they may be getting into.

Many children, particularly those abused in their birth home, have so much emotional trauma that they wreak havoc on the adopting family. When my own parents adopted three older children, they were told that enough love everything would fix everything. To a large extent, placement agencies still play that game.

In our family, one of the three was able to overcome the harm done in their birth families (compounded by the challenges of being non-white in a white community). One was on death row for 20 years, his sentence commuted within 36 hours of execution to life without parole. The second is a sociopath and has also been an alcoholic since age 12. He has spent his life since then in and out of various treatment/mental health/incarceration facilities. He repeatedly stole from all of the neighbors within walking distance of our home. I was finally permitted to lock my room at night after I awoke several times as a young teen to find he had snuck in my room, uncovered me, and was fondling me. When I learned that one of my brothers had committed murder, my reaction was to assume that the second one had gotten in a bar fight and killed someone.

We had friends who, inspired by my parents' actions, also adopted older children - with similar results. They actually succeeded in undoing one of the adoptions.

The solution, when it is clear that the emotional damage during the first years is more extensive than realized, is not to informally rehome children.

The solution needs to start before the adoption, with extensive preparation of the adoptive family for the potential that the children they are committing to care for forever may have very intense - possibly forever - emotional damage. Potential adoptive families need to spend time with the parents or siblings of grown children who were adopted under similar circumstances so they go into the adoption without the rosy glasses. The state/placement agencies also need to have an extensive toolbox (with financial backing) for early intervention if/when the children start displaying troubling behavior - including respite care so parents do not become so desperate at seeing no way out that they feel the need to informally rehome. Finally, there need to be formal ways of addressing the reality that some of the children who were abused early in life are not being served well in a family setting - and their presence is harmful to the rest of the family and a more permanent solution than respite needs to be created.

These children need a loving home more than most, but providing such a home often requires skills most parents don't have. Too many placements are made acting on the assumption that enough love will still cure any damage done in the early years. In some instances, it may - but all too often it doesn't.

My immediate thought when I read this story was to assume the children were just beyond Harris's ability to provide a home for. While I tend to disbelieve the description of an immediate change on adoption - I think that is self-serving - I do believe that children who were sexually abused prior to being adopted may well have had more emotional trauma than Harris (or most parents) could handle - based on my very intimate experience with similar children.

[sinkingfeeling]

17. Sorry, but does anybody believe anything published by the Arkansas

Hate-Gazette? Read the story in the Arkansas Times.

http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/a-child-left-unprotected/Content?oid=3691164

[Hestia]

20. Wow, the Ark. Times story does have much more information - thanks! A lot of what I try to read on

their website is behind a paywall.

The only reason I do read the Dem-Gaz is because I used to work there and know some of the reporters who just follow orders from upper management. If only Paul Greenberg would leave, there would be a lot of hope.

I do hope that more will come out about re-homing, especially with International Children and churches.

Dem-Gaz didn't report that the 2 girls had been re-homed again!

[Bartlet]

14. Huh

"I care what my wife thinks about me, and I care what my three sons think about me.”

Somehow handing his adopted 6 year old over to a child rapist helps his wife and sons think better about him? He must be a steaming pile of shit if this is an improvement. Here's hoping he never gets used to being raped in prison.

[atreides1]

15. Typical isn't it

Ask one of these Xtians about a questionable action they take...and immediately they whip out their book of stories and spew some verse in the delusional belief that it exonerates them from that action!!!

And then they use the family card...and this family comes off as being just as twisted as he does!!

[Hestia]

22. Some more info from Wonkette

Let’s Meet Justin Harris, The Arkansas House’s Godly Child-Abandoner
by Doktor Zoom
Mar 05 9:30 am 2015

For instance, Justin Harris is a small-government conservative who likes to say that government spending never created a single job — and whose daycare business depends almost exclusively on taxpayer-subsidized tuition, as an Arkansas Times column noted in 2011:

Harris’ business operates on almost $900,000 a year and serves about 150 kids. Of that, all but about 6 percent comes in the form of state and federal dollars in a program aimed at developmentally disabled and poor children. The money provides Harris and his wife almost $60,000 a year in salary and benefits. It also covers the mortgage on his privately owned building and rent payments to the Harrises. So the government spending hawk lives on government spending, a double dip of payroll, perks and rent payments.

In addition, while Harris was pushing a bill to deny state services and in-state tuition to any Arkansas residents who couldn’t prove they were U.S. citizens or legal immigrants, Growing God’s Kingdom Preschool was happy to take government subsidies for “perhaps a dozen undocumented students among his 150 pre-schoolers” — not that undocumented kids shouldn’t get daycare, but it’s rather rich that Harris was seeking to deny benefits to some undocumented people while collecting taxpayer money for others. As columnist Max Brantley put it:

An anti-tax, anti-government-spending, anti-illegal-alien legislator is living off a government program that includes payments for kids who haven’t produced proof of citizenship.

Oh, but that’s not all. God’s Little Acre Growing God’s Kingdom also came under fire in 2011-2012 when Americans United for the Separation of Church and State lodged a complaint against the state’s “Arkansas Better Choice” (ABC) program for granting funds to the Harrises, even though Growing God’s Kingdom explicitly advertised that it provided religious instruction, and would even turn out little evangelists. The preschool’s handbook promised parents that teachers and staff would:

“strive too [sic] ensure that your child feels the love of Jesus Christ while preparing them for Kindergarten.” The preschoolers, it continues, will be taught “the word of God” so that they can “spread the word of God to others.”

more at: http://wonkette.com/578427/lets-meet-justin-harris-the-arkansas-houses-godly-child-abandoner

[lark]

23. He obviously doesn't think the little girl is human and worth any consideration.

Why should fine upstanding rich folk like his kids and wife be forced to suffer with living with the not rich girl, especially when there was this weird man who was willing to take her. Why should be he held accountable for doing any checking, they were just getting rid of a pest.

God, this man makes me ill. His wife is a rape accomplice as well and hope they both live in shame the rest of their days.

If this doesn't disqualify someone from representing their area, then the folks in AR are totally deranged as well, tolerating a rape accomplice instead of putting him behind bars where he belongs. This is soooo shameful.

[smirkymonkey]

29. +1000

Seriously, this just makes me so ill. I can barely get my mind around it.

[hamsterjill]

25. This story makes me want to be sick.

I can barely get my mind wrapped around it. To simply "give away" a 6-year old child! What kind of a monster could actually do that???!!! I hope the bastard loses everything that he has and then some.

[Scootaloo]

27. My jaw is on the floor

And he seems unconcerned! It's all about him, apparently.

I can't even wrap my head around it right now.

[jpak]

32. but....but....but.... Teh Izlamm iz the bad relijun!!!!!11111

sarcasm\