More information is coming to light in the case of Arkansas state Rep. Justin Harris and his adoption and eventual "rehoming" of three sibling girls.
The Arkansas Times reported last week that Arkansas state Rep. Justin Harris and his wife took in three sibling girls, turning the eldest back to DHS before an adoption was finalized. They went on to adopt the three year old and six year old before "rehoming" them to a man who would go on to rape the six year old.
During a press conference on Friday, Justin Harris defended their decision to "rehome" the girls, saying they did all they could:
The Harrises provided the girls "intensive in-home therapy" and on the advice of the Ozark Guidance removed the middle girl's "toys and belongings" and were to slowly reintroduce them as a way to treat her "reactive attachment disorder." (The middle child, the 6-year-old abused by Eric Francis, told investigators that the Harrises had taken all her books and toys away and that she did not like them.) Harris also said they had to "medicate" the 6-year-old to prevent her from "hurting her sister." After the 6-year-old "crushed a family pet to death," Harris said they were advised by professionals to remove the children from the home. "At this point, we again reached out to DHS for help," Harris said.
"Then we were threatened with possible abandonment charges and potentially losing our own boys as well if we returned the girls to DHS custody."
And with that, the Harrises decided to give the girls to a family friend who they thought would be able to handle their behavioral problems. But, they did NOT notify DHS they had given the children away.
Head below the fold for more on this story and the press conference.
And now former DHS staffers and the girls' former foster family are stepping forward to dispute Justin Harris's claims:
An experienced foster family that housed the two younger girls for a year and a half prior to their adoption by the Harrises has approached the Times with their story. Craig and Cheryl Hart say, among other things, the adoption was allowed to proceed over the objections of the foster parents and local DHS staff only because the head of the the Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Cecile Blucker, exerted pressure on behalf of Justin Harris. DCFS is the arm of DHS responsible for child welfare.
The Harts also say the middle sister — who would have been 4 years old at the time she entered the Harris home in 2012 — was not violent or dangerous. They claim the Harrises were warned repeatedly by themselves and local DHS staff that their home was not a suitable placement for the two girls or their older sister.
Officials from the Division of Children and Family Services say they cannot comment on the adoption case, but Cecile Blucker needs to answer to the people of Arkansas—did she intervene on behalf of the Harris family over the objections of DHS staffers and the former foster family? Everyone involved in the case objected to the adoption, but later gave tentative approval, with conditions:
"And at the hearing, the ad litem attorney — you know, the one who is representing only the interests of the children — said, 'When we met less than a couple of days ago, everyone's recommendation was for these kids to not go to this home. Now, what has happened in the last 24 hours that everyone's recommendation has changed?'"
"Harris' face was getting all red," Cheryl said. "And the ad litem asked him, 'Did you make calls?' And he finally said, 'I did what I had to do to get these girls.' I expected the judge would [stop the adoption] but she gave them the oldest girl." The younger two soon followed.
Once again, we are left with more questions than answers. You can read more, including interviews with the former foster family and former DHS staffers, at
The Arkansas Times.
See the press conference from state Rep. Justin Harris: