Wex Wimpy
August 23rd 03, 02:28 PM
DCF accuses woman of neglect
Associated Press
August 22, 2003
SIMSBURY, Conn. -- A woman who took in a 17-year-old girl and
terminated her guardianship when the juvenile became out of control is
being accused of neglect by the state's child welfare agency.
Carol Coburn, 42, of Tariffville, was scheduled to appear in New
Britain juvenile court Friday to continue her defense.
Coburn, the executive director of the Coalition to Strengthen the
Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood, met the girl at a neighborhood
event. She ran into her again five months later, and decided to take
her in when she found out she was about to be placed in state custody.
"I was immediately impressed," she told The Hartford Courant. "She was
pleasant, funny, bright and made direct eye contact."
When Coburn took her in, the pair went to the library. And church.
They went biking, adopted a dog and liked taking long walks. Coburn
taught the teen to ski.
But last spring, the juvenile had to be transferred to an alternative
school when she had problems at Simsbury High School. Coburn said the
girl had become disruptive and rebellious at home, and sometimes
threatened her. The police were called several times.
In May, five of the girls friends had broken into her home. The girl
ran away, and Coburn called the police. Then, she went to Simsbury
Probate Court to terminate her guardianship because she said she could
no longer ensure her own or the girl's safety.
After the girl was found, she underwent a mental health evaluation at
St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford. Coburn was asked
to pick the girl up from the hospital, but resisted.
"I would not sign her out and send her to her death," she said.
DCF eventually relented and picked the girl up after calls from a
hospital social worker, Coburn and a probate judge.
The next day, Coburn was charged by the agency with neglect.
DCF spokeswoman and program supervisor Maribel Vazquez said the agency
had no choice, because it needed something to present to a judge to
justify taking custody.
"We would have to file a neglect petition for us to be able to place
her," Vazquez said. "If we are going to keep a child under our care
and provide services, we need to do that. ... It's a Catch-22."
Coburn said no one warned her she could be accused of neglect. She was
never charged criminally, but is appealing the agency's allegations.
"People tell me I'm a hero," she said. "But I don't know what good it
did. All I did was buy her some time."
Associated Press
August 22, 2003
SIMSBURY, Conn. -- A woman who took in a 17-year-old girl and
terminated her guardianship when the juvenile became out of control is
being accused of neglect by the state's child welfare agency.
Carol Coburn, 42, of Tariffville, was scheduled to appear in New
Britain juvenile court Friday to continue her defense.
Coburn, the executive director of the Coalition to Strengthen the
Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood, met the girl at a neighborhood
event. She ran into her again five months later, and decided to take
her in when she found out she was about to be placed in state custody.
"I was immediately impressed," she told The Hartford Courant. "She was
pleasant, funny, bright and made direct eye contact."
When Coburn took her in, the pair went to the library. And church.
They went biking, adopted a dog and liked taking long walks. Coburn
taught the teen to ski.
But last spring, the juvenile had to be transferred to an alternative
school when she had problems at Simsbury High School. Coburn said the
girl had become disruptive and rebellious at home, and sometimes
threatened her. The police were called several times.
In May, five of the girls friends had broken into her home. The girl
ran away, and Coburn called the police. Then, she went to Simsbury
Probate Court to terminate her guardianship because she said she could
no longer ensure her own or the girl's safety.
After the girl was found, she underwent a mental health evaluation at
St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford. Coburn was asked
to pick the girl up from the hospital, but resisted.
"I would not sign her out and send her to her death," she said.
DCF eventually relented and picked the girl up after calls from a
hospital social worker, Coburn and a probate judge.
The next day, Coburn was charged by the agency with neglect.
DCF spokeswoman and program supervisor Maribel Vazquez said the agency
had no choice, because it needed something to present to a judge to
justify taking custody.
"We would have to file a neglect petition for us to be able to place
her," Vazquez said. "If we are going to keep a child under our care
and provide services, we need to do that. ... It's a Catch-22."
Coburn said no one warned her she could be accused of neglect. She was
never charged criminally, but is appealing the agency's allegations.
"People tell me I'm a hero," she said. "But I don't know what good it
did. All I did was buy her some time."