In The Best Interests of the Child??

by Connie Lu For CourtWatch (with Dee Gray)/ PNN

"She wants to come home so bad. Her first foster mom said that Omani would cry for 3-4 hours. She would cry for so long that she would just have to put her into a room and close the door, and let her cry herself to sleep," says Johnny Brown as he and his wife, Lisa describe their experience with Child Protective Services (CPS) taking their five year old daughter, Omani away from them. I listen closely to the complicated background behind the difficult situation Johnny and Lisa Brown are facing. I am amazed by their calm demeanor, despite the stress and frustration swelling within them. The room that the three of us are sitting in is also calm. It is softly lit from the warm lamp standing in corner. Their eloquent voices are gentle, yet filled with strength and passion as they proceed to give further details about how their daughter was taken from them by CPS.

This complicated situation revolves around a series of three accidents that Omani experiences over a period of time, none of which any child abuse was found. The first accident occurred when Omani fell when she was jumping on the bed at home. She hit her head on the floor and began experiencing seizures. Omani was taken to the hospital and CPS was also contacted to conduct a full investigation. Lisa was accused of kicking Omani. However, Lisa explains that two doctors "confirmed and clarified that her mechanism of injury was consistent with a fall from a bed and NOT being stuck". The doctors also warned the parents of Omani experiencing possible future seizures and other side effects of her head injury.

The second accident took place in the bathroom at home. Just as Lisa was about to come into the bathroom to help Omani off the toilet she heard a loud "bang" and Omani was found seizing on the floor, face down. She is taken to the hospital and once again, CPS investigates but "no child abuse was found." However, later that afternoon Lisa goes to see Omani at the hospital, but she was gone! Lisa explains, "CPS had taken Omani into protective custody without even telling us". Fortunately, "There was no child abuse. It was a mistake. The investigator from the Solano County CPS apologized and returned her home after two days."

As Johnny and Lisa describe their separation from Omani, I begin to think about how scared Omani must have felt and how much she missed her parents. My experience of separation from my parents cannot even begin to compare to the degree of anxiety within the Brown family. But I remember the first time I was separated from my parents when they dropped me off at my babysitter’s house and how worried I was of not being able to see them for what seemed like forever to someone who had never spent time away from their parents and left alone with a stranger. I could feel the relief in Lisa and Johnny when Omani was back in their arms again after the two long days.

However, after another seizure incident and fractured arm, Solano County CPS contact Lisa and Johnny to tell them that a child abuse report had been filed against them by Dr. Torres, who claimed to be Omani’s Pediatrician. Johnny and Lisa are very confused at this point because Lisa explains, "Omani does not have a Pediatrician named Dr. Torres". Later, they discover that "Dr. Torres was actually Michelle Torres, a Vallejo Kaiser Hospital Social Worker, who impersonated herself as a medical professional to have Omani removed".

As a result, Omani was taken into protective custody by CPS based upon the false report of child abuse by Dr. Torres, who deceitfully committed fraud. Johnny and Lisa appear in court and Lisa is charged with four counts of child abuse. They are still in the process of trying to get their daughter back, but it is incredibly frustrating and exhausting both physically and emotionally for them and Omani because CPS is
such a closed and difficult system to crack and defeat. However, the love that Johnny and Lisa have for
Omani is what fuels their motivation to persevere against CPS.

After, talking to Lisa and Johnny I begin thinking back to the other mothers I met from before who told me about their painful experiences of CPS taking their children away and realize the many consistent
similarities each case shares. With each incident, the facts are first twisted into lies of accusation. I
remember a mother who was wrongly accused of being suicidal, which resulted in her son being taken into
custody by CPS.

But the hardest realization I came to was that throughout all these instances of separation, it is always the children who end up suffering the most. I feel happy when parents bring photos of their children to share with me because they usually show the photos of their smiling children first. But as I continue looking at the photos, the children are suddenly filled with sadness and pain after they are taken away from their parents. There is no longer that sparkle of joy in their innocent eyes, only the glistening of tears.

The trauma that these children have experienced cannot be simply forgotten because they are scared, which is why parents like Johnny and Lisa Brown strive to keep "Omani’s best interest in mind," says Johnny as he and Lisa continue to try to reunite their family.

If you are a Child Abuse Expert, Forensics Expert, lawyer or Advocate and are willing to help the Brown family please contact them at (510) 965-1209