Posted on 10/28/2011 8:20:16 AM PDT by Morgana
(CNN) -- A Cleveland couple faces child endangerment charges after giving away their neglected 2-year-old girl, authorities said.
The parents were arrested Thursday after authorities learned that they gave away the toddler 10 days earlier, according to Cleveland police reports.
Police got a tip Thursday and went to the parents' home, where they found an emaciated pit bull and fecal matter.
The child was nowhere to be found, police said.
Officers learned the suspects had given the child away to friends in their neighborhood, who said they agreed to take custody of her if the couple agreed to get help for their alleged drug addiction, according to police reports.
The parents, Courtney Followay, 23, and Gavin Aldridge, 24, face charges of child endangering, obstructing official business and cruelty to animals.
When the child was given away, she had bug bites and her eyes were crusted shut, police reports said.
Officers gave the child to her maternal grandmother after she was taken to a hospital.
(Excerpt) Read more at wlky.com ...
Before we pass harsh judgement on them, remember they were trying to do the right thing. At least this is not a tragic story of a dead child. Try to find it in your hearts to pray for these two that they make a full recovery and turn out to be good parents.
I agree 100%. They acknowledged they couldn’t care for their child and gave her to someone they thought could. I wonder if the maternal grandmother, who now has custody of the child, pressed the police to charge the people who had her grandchild as a gambit to ensure she — not they — will end up getting legal custody.
I have no harsh judgement for them. As you said, the recognized the condition they were in and found a person they thought was responsible enough to care for her. As long as the friends weren’t their drug dealers.
It looks like only the parents are being charged, not the neighbors who, presumably, immediately took the child to the hospital. The grandmother needs to push for the strongest charge possible to keep the girl from going right back to the parents as soon as Social Services (fill in local version) helps them clean their place up and listens to their excuses.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Very sad, but agree with all comments. Damned shame this happens in a country where political leaders blindly blather about legalizing and decriminalizing the drugs that are at the root of such behavior. I can’t see how making drugs legal (and just perhaps more available and cheaper) is going to do anything to stop this kind of tragic waste of humanity.
I agree with you.
What’s the crime? That they didn’t give the kid to the government?
A few weeks ago, my daughter and her mother-in-law took our grandkids to the local park to play. After awhile they noticed a small boy that didn’t seem to have a parent escorting him. As it grew darker, most children were taken home by a parent but this one simply stayed. My daughter stayed with him and even changed his diaper. After awile they were the only people left in the dark park so my daughter called the police. The police called in the child welfare people who took down as much information as could be gleaned from a stranger (my daughter), then took the boy to a clinic for an exam, fed him and placed him in a foster home.
We don’t know what has happened to him since then - the records are sealed - but I’m glad my daughter knew to do the right thing. Fifty years ago we’d simply have added a new child to the household but I’m too old for that now.
There is a park and playground next to the state office building that houses the state police, social services, welfare, etc.
Children have been abandoned in that park every now and then for decades.
I was thinking that too....that giving the child away was actually the best thing they could do....giving the child a chance....
The foster care system is a complete mess.
We need to go back to orphanages... run my churches and nuns... open to the media for public inspection.
Prospective parents are interviewed and the home is inspected - if they look like a decent couple, they get the child. After six months, if the family is doing well and the kid has no signs of abuse, the adoption is official. No charge.
The whole system is so convoluted and expensive that it makes adoption prohibitive for most people. We have thousands of children cleared for adoption in this country and yet people find it easier and cheaper to adopt from foreign lands. Too many of our own children are hidden and lost in some pretty horrible situations.
(And yes, I know that there are many loving, stable foster homes - but there shouldn’t be ANY bad ones.)
“We have thousands of children cleared for adoption in this country and yet people find it easier and cheaper to adopt from foreign lands”
Not exactly. There may be thousands of children in this country available for adoption.. but you better read the fine print. For one thing, many of those children have extreme issues. Some are starting fires at age 3. Some have already killed pets by age 6. Unfortunately, the children that are available have spent years of extreme abuse and neglect prior to the birth mother signing permission for the child to be adopted.
What about private U.S. adoptions? Easy... if you are young, very pretty and have a huge mansion and a Summer home. Most private adoption companies may recommend plastic surgery to the waiting parents and professional photographs of you to include in the album. Many young women want something “better” for their child; unfortunately, many define “better” as wealthy and “pretty”. With open adoptions, the birth mother sets the contract. She may require weekend visitation and even require entire summers with the child. That is the deal... you can have the responsibility but only at the discretion of the birth mother.
Those of us that have adopted from foreign countries wanted a child that needed parents. Unlike U.S. law, when we signed in Russia, China, etc... we became the full parents. We didn’t have one worry that within a 6 month period, the birth mother could change her mind. We don’t worry that the biological father’s step-sister can petition the court and be awarded full custody. As for “cheap?” China cost us about $35,000. Russia costs approximately $50,000.
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