Its evil, he told the Times. Scandal: After it was revealed the couple gave away the girls, their lawyer released a statement saying, 'Rep. When Justin Harris and his wife adopted 2 little girls from the foster system, they were making a commitment to protect them and provide the stability of a family. No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you, he added, quoting a Bible verse. He saw it as, Im with God. Equally as painful is being promised a family that you will never have to say goodbye to and then losing them. Speaking anonymously, she expressed frustration with both adoptive parents and DHS. I do have compassion for parents in the throes of dealing with this. Founded 1974, the Arkansas Times is a lively, opinionated source for news, politics & culture in Arkansas. See Photos. Discover Justin Harris's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Rep. Harris confirmed this in his press conference, saying he and his wife had been cleared of all charges. 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. After Jeannette entered DHS supervision in early 2011, she bounced around between foster care and inpatient psychiatric treatment before landing in a therapeutic foster home in May 2011. I know that the Harrises talk a lot about Christianity, but were Christians. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. All rights reserved. The story went public in March 2015. They had adopted three international children of their own -- one whom had RAD -- and Eric Francis was also an early childhood educator. RM 2E6B9B6 - Justin Harris (R) is escorted into the Cobb county Magistrate court house in Marietta, Georgia July 3, 2014. Cecile Blucker knew where the kids were. Eric Francis is serving 40 years in prison on charges of raping the child the Harrises rehomed and sexually assaulting other children. What happened next led to months of what the couple said were "terrified, sleepless nights" and a dispute about whether they should have taken the little girls in the first place. See Photos. Democratic Party Chair Vince Insalaco has called for Rep. Harris' resignation. But Dr. Peter Jensen, acting director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said that did not sound like an appropriate therapy for RAD. 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. "Exorcisms and telepathy are not part of the Harrises' religious practice. Because Im about ready to lose them to DHS. . Shed get overexcited or scared, and wed come back out and shed calm down with me. When DHS takes children from a home, its usually assumed to be temporary the eventual goal being reunification with the birth family but the agency will move to terminate parental rights if it determines the birth parents are unfit. We couldnt ever take [Mary] out. The former DHS employee confirmed this account. Select this result to view Justin Harris's phone number, address, and more. I'm sure by now nearly every one of you has heard about Arkansas state representative Justin Harris's decision to "rehome" his two . The legislator adopted three girls and turned them over to a man who abused one of them. He helps serious athletes who train hard by providing expert coaching built on results, from competitive bodybuilders and powerlifters to other athletes looking to crush their personal goals. People named Justin Harris. They got therapy every day play therapy, occupational therapy, anger management.. FOLLOW MORE IBT NEWS ON THE BELOW CHANNELS, IBT Fast Start - Let the best of International News come to you. And about a month later, the infant's 2-year-old sister was also placed with the couple. She lashed out at her brothers, threatened to kill people with knives and even crushed the family guinea pig to death. 'At this time, that situation, as far as we're concerned from the House perspective, is past tense, and we're moving forward and looking at the remainder of our calendar and finishing the month strong,' Gillam said. That summer, the adoption case went before 4th Circuit Juvenile Court Judge Stacy Zimmerman in Washington County. 'Faced with no help from DHS, we thought we had found a perfect solution,' said Rep. Harris. Organizations, counselors, therapists, caseworker after caseworker told them, you dont know what youre getting into. The two younger sisters have been adopted and are thriving and flourishing in their new home. The whole way through, we thought everything was perfect. Thats part of the process you want. . If Harris account of the girls as violent and threatening holds little water, however, the other half of his narrative presents a more immediately sympathetic defense: DHS is not a friend to parents in need. Justin Harris. We love them deeply and are committed to do everything we can to help them live healthy, happy lives. 'Upon the advice of both a psychiatrist and a pediatrician, they were forced to move the children to the home of trusted friends, who had a lot of experience with children with reactive attachment disorder. ", In April 2013, the Harrises finalized the adoption of the two younger sisters. Chelsey Goldsborough, who regularly babysat for the Harrises, said Mary was kept isolated from Annie and from the rest of the family. The Harrises are devout Southern Baptists. Jan Wallis, a former adoption specialist with DHS, knew the two younger sisters. They had even put an addition onto their house in anticipation of one day adopting. Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has also instructed the state to review adoption procedures. Date: 2014-04-04 Placement type: Adoption Type of abuse: Sexual abuse Before he made that decision, Harris voted in support of a new Arkansas law, which went into effect in April, making "re-homing" of adopted children a felony. So, they decided to place the child for adoption. If they were violent [in the Harris home], they were taught violence. They are precious, precious, amazing girls, and we are so blessed to have them.'. The babysitter told the paper that the family hired specialists to perform an exorcism. | Learn more about Justin Harris's work experience, education, connections & more by visiting their . Im not trying to devastate them but people should know what theyve done to these poor little girls. The comments below have been moderated in advance. Justin Harris told 20/20, "We are Southern Baptist. Together, we can continue to hold the powerful accountable and bring important stories to light. Arkansas House Speaker Jeremy Gillam meanwhile said that Rep. Harris will face no repercussions for rehoming the two young girls. Justin Harris. Rep. Justin Harris adopted two girls in 2013 but gave them away to a colleague, Eric Francis, after six months, who then raped one of the girls Francis was convicted of sex crimes in 2014 and. Moving from home to home compounds the trauma and the loss, and the grief, Santana said. Here bass player Justin Harris is seen live on stage. Find your friends on Facebook. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Justin Harris and could vary in the range between $556.5K - $1.6M. Cyber Monday: Save big on the Creative Cloud All Apps plan for individuals through 2 Dec. In the KARK interview, Justin Harris noted that he and his future wife met at Childrens House. The failed adoptions that we have seen are parents who think they can love their child into being good, the therapist said. They loved each other. She was often confined for hours to her room, where she was monitored by a video camera. They think they are the fairy godmother and their charity is to save themselves a Cinderella.. We've done everything.". State officials also did not act when they learned that theHarrises had given the girlsto another family, according to the Times, until it was too late. March 12, 2015 8:00 am. Both girls have since found a new home. She did so good. I care what my wife thinks about me, and I care what my three sons think about me.'. A lawyer for the Harrises, Jennifer Wells, denied to the Arkansas Times that exorcisms and telepathy are part of the couples beliefs. Months later, the Francises transferred the girls to yet another family. The Harrises categorically denied all of Goldsborough's claims. I figured this was my winning battle. Due to the sensitivity of our daughters story, and out of respect for them, we are asking the public for privacy during this time., (Jeannette was eventually adopted by a therapeutic foster family and is said to be doing well. Includes Address (7) Phone (4) Email (2) See Results. Response: 'I don't care what the people of Arkansas think about me. 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. They say Blucker exerted pressure on the Washington County DHS office on behalf of Justin Harris to facilitate the adoption. (Count 1: Malice Murder. 'There are also other issues that need to be raised here. She said she was originally introduced to the Harrises by a former friend. Harris publicly announced on social media that the adoption had been finalized on March 6, 2013. In most cases, custody of an adopted child can be transferred simply by both sets of parents signing a document, and child protective services will only step in if they suspect the child is not being properly treated, which can be near impossible for them to judge at times. The ones that are good, that is their life. Others, she said, dont care. 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. The friend went on to sexually assault one. We are deeply grieved over Justin Harris accusations toward our daughters in order to self-protect;it is inexcusable. 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.. 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. He also said the younger sisters, ages 4 and 2 when they entered the Harris home, were violent. 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. It is an overall forecast for the net worth of Justin Harris. -- an often misunderstood psychological condition that can develop when a child's basic needs for comfort and affection are not met. ), Craig Hart also raised the issue of faith when addressing Justin Harris comments about the girls. 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