CPS REFUSES CHILD SUPPORT FROM FATHER… IN FAVOR OF STATE/FEDERAL PROGRAMS!!

CONSIDER THIS…

Before you read the details of my story below, consider the following facts…

• 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes (U.S. Center for Disease Control);
• 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes (U.S. Bureau of the Census);
• 80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes (Criminal Justice & Behavior, Volume 14, p. 403-26, 1978);
• 70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes (U.S. Dept. of Justice, Special Report, Sept 1988);
• 85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home (Texas Dept. of Corrections 1992).

In fact, you can pick any social ill at random and you will find that the correlation with fatherless-ness is clear and direct; depression, suicide, dropping out of school, teenage pregnancy, and drug use.  In summary, fatherless children are:

• 5 times more likely to commit suicide;
• 32 times more likely to run away;
• 20 times more likely to have behavioral disorders;
• 14 times more likely to commit rape;
• 9 times more likely to drop out of high school;
• 10 times more likely to abuse chemical substances;
• 9 times more likely to end up in a mental institution;
• 20 times more likely to end up in prison.

Fatherless children are also, according to one British study, about 33 times more likely to be abused.  In 1983, the US Department of Health and Human Services found that 60% of child abuse is inflicted by mothers with sole custody of their children. Almost all of the rest comes from other members of her entourage, especially boyfriends and second husbands.

CPS workers Julie Riggins and Nikki Lyons regularly refused, and even returned child support to me after months of providing direct support; and after repeated requests by me in writing to allow me to continue providing support for my children.

When my children were first abducted and placed in foster care outside of our family home back in June of 2010, I made contact with CPS (Julie Riggins & Nikki Lyons) and offered to provide support for ALL of my children and ANY of their needs.

From June 2010 through December 2010 I provided CPS (Julie Riggins) with direct support in the form of cash, food, clothing, laundry soap, other hygiene items, and even made payments for extra curricular activities at school; anything requested was quickly provided (always within days).  Here are an example of an email communication during one of these transactions…

From: Julie Riggins
Sent: Tuesday, September 07, 2010 1:13 PM
To: Ron Reale
Subject: Follow Up on Needs of Children

I spoke with Natasha and she stated the following items would be helpful:

(1)  Pull-Ups, size 3T-4T–preferably the ones for overnight (these are more absorbent and that’s the only time they are being used)

(2) Individually wrapped snacks.  The school-aged children are supposed to take 2 snacks per day to school.  This can become pretty expensive and the EBT benefit the family currently receives is less than $300 per month so that amount is usually saved for the large purchases like meats, etc. Natasha said things like Lance crackers, goldfish, cookies, pretzels, etc. would be great.  It might even pay to buy the bulk size packs of snack foods and then a box of the Ziploc snack bags that Tasha can fill herself (that’s probably the most economical…more for the $$$)

(3)  Cereals.  Natasha said the children love cereal and they go thru it quickly.  Bulk packages of those are okay, too.

I will be going to Jacksonville on Thursday evening, 9/9, so please let me know if you can provide this before then.  You can either drop it off at the building or I can pick it up from you.  I will be leaving today at 3pm but will be here all day tomorrow until at least 7pm and on Thursday until 2pm.

Julie Riggins

As it is clear to see, I was given 2 days notice on ALL these items (which I ultimately accomplished).  This was always the case.  With a blanket offer from me “to provide anything my children need” CPS seemed to always forward these requests to me with only a day or two to respond – seemingly hoping/expecting that I would not comply.  They would like nothing more than to report that I was unwilling to provide for my children.  It is also clear that they did not expect this level of support from me as they are often dealing with “deadbeats” (99% of the time).

In any case was very diligent and aggressive in seeking out whatever my children needed often delivering various items weekly or every other week to Julie Riggins at her office in Raleigh.  I found out very quickly however that CPS did not approve of everything I provided.  Various items were returned to me and other items “lost” according to Julie Riggins.  The interesting part is that any items in question or “lost” were Christian books, cards, pictures, etc.  It seems CPS has no problem with violating the First Amendment right to freedom of religion.

In December 2010, I sent pictures of 6 donated shoe boxes (with goodies for children in need around the world); that I sent on behalf of each of my children to Samaritan’s Purse for “Operation Christmas Child.” These were returned to me as “inappropriate.” What was so inappropriate, I asked? I never received a response to that question. The Pictures were simply returned to me.

In October 2010, Julie Riggins communicated to me in an email that my daughter Hannah (Second Grade) was struggling with reading requesting anything I could provide to further support Hannah.  I immediately ordered “Hooked on Phonics” for grades pre-k thru 2nd grade ($300), hoping to get a jump-start on my younger children as well (Sarah in first grade, Joseph beginning kindergarten next year, and Benjamin right behind him).  I also purchased a portable DVD Player to allow for flexibility in such a small apartment.  When I followed up with CPS months later to see how the program was helping, she informed me that “it had not been opened because they did not have time to use it.”  Julie Returned it to me unopened, 4 months after receiving it from me.  The DVD player however was “lost” according to Julie.

In August 2010, I sent some Christian books for my children to learn Bible Verses.  I am a Children’s Bible School leader at my church and teach boys and girls in the 4th-6th grade.  They study and recite Bible Verses every week and progressively make their way through a series of books that contain different levels of difficulty.  Since I was anticipating visits to commence at any time, I was eager to work with my own children on the same.  As it turned out, the visits never began until February 2011, however I did ask that my children bring the books and book bags I provided after the first few visits.  I was later informed that the books and bags were “lost” even to the extent that the CPS Agent claims that she helped the caregiver look for them, to no avail.

In January 2011, my sons Stephen and Matthew both have Birthdays.  I sent gifts and Birthday Cards to each of them through CPS.  The Birthday Cards were returned as inappropriate since I signed the cards “Mom and Dad love you so very much.”  Julie Riggins stated that it was not appropriate to include “Mom” since the cards were from only me.  Is this the twilight zone???  These people are PURE EVIL!

Over the last 4 months of 2010 I provided total support in excess of $6, 000 to CPS (Julie Riggins) without hesitation.  Along the way I discovered that my contributions of cash, food, etc. were also supporting another adult (Robin Dominguez) and another 9-year old child (Wendy).  That’s right, the caregiver’s mother (Robin Dominguez) moved in with her nine-year old daughter (Wendy – who was even enrolled in school with my other children).  This was not temporary or a visit, but actually a situation that became permanent, increasing the total number of occupants in this small 3 BR apartment to 2 adults and 8 children (not including Natasha’s live-in boyfriend).  My children have even been forced to share twin beds with each other due to lack of space for the duration of this placement up to and including the present day (June 2010 through July 2011).

When I began to ask questions about these other residents of the foster home, CPS either became very defensive or simply ignored my requests for answers.  This exchange went on for a few months until, it seems that sometime later (early to mid 2011) Robin and Wendy moved out.  Robin Dominguez is named as one of 32 Defendants in my Civil Action under 42 U.S.C §1983.  She was in fact, acting under the authority or color of state law at the time these claims occurred in that as a Foster Caregiver she did act personally and individually under the authority or color of state law when she acted in concert with local officials, including but not limited to, CPS agents, their supervisors, county attorneys and others, causing harm to our entire family in effecting the deprivation of rights, Dennis v. Sparks (1980).

In January, 2011 CPS (Julie Riggins) sent an email to me reporting that she would be declining to accept ANY further direct-support from me for my children.  I protested and appealed to her in several emails that she reconsider this position so that my children would not suffer; to no avail.  Julie Riggins stated that she would only accept support in the form of child support payments through “Wake County Child Support Enforcement.” Wake County (CPS) filed an action against me in November 2010 demanding child support in the amount of $1,400 per month.  This action has been challenged and continues to be disputed by me in court.  The first hearing in February 2011 was continued to May 2011, and yet again continued to August 2011.

You see, the real deal is that direct-support (over $6,000) benefits my children 100%.  Any child support collected through Wake County or any other agency does not.  Wake County would retain the support payments as reimbursements to the State of North Carolina for the services provided to the caregiver while my children have been in her custody (well over a year now, and counting).  Since I contend that CPS has been holding my children unlawfully, I absolutely can not willingly pay them for these so-called services!  This system is a disgrace.  CPS is a disgrace. 

So in a nutshell, if CPS accepts any direct-support from me and later prevails in their request for child support (with arrears), they will not be entitled to redirect (steal) from the arrears (if any are awarded) since credit for direct-support will be applied to off-set arrears.  Rather than allow me to provide direct-support in the meantime (pending the outcome of the child support case) for my children, they would prefer to “protect their investment” and take their chances, making a run for their “claim” to a piece of the pie (arrears) later.  Also, CPS is entitled to Federal “matching funds” through Title IV-D whenever there is a child support order in place.  Clearly, this is a full-court-press for the MONEY!

Even most recently, I made a very simple gesture during a visit on June 29, 2011 when my girls mentioned that they would like a haircut (clearly long overdue).  I gave the staff member $30 to pass on to the CPS agent Julie Riggins so they could get haircuts.  The cash was refused and returned back to me.