An extensiveReuters and NBC News reportin 2013laid out the series of events that often plays out online, where parents use message boards and Facebook groups to find new families for their unwanted adopted children: Faced with the allegations before they were published by the Arkansas Times, Harris first became defensive. But what of Jeannette, the oldest daughter and the first to be taken in by the Harrises, who the lawmaker said sometimes spent about eight hours every day screaming and in a rage and threatened violence upon his sons? Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. True, they looked to older children here in America who were in need of a stable and safe home; but the children were old enough to not want a new "forever family" as decreed by the courts. All I wanted to do was to make sure my girls were safe and in a good home, you know? Though no one can say for sure, child advocates believe that rehoming is relatively rare in the United States. Eric Francis is serving 40 years in prison on charges of raping the child the Harrises rehomed and sexually assaulting other children. and Mrs. Harris have suffered a severe injustice', Christian school: Pictured is Growing God's Kingdom Preschool, in which Rep. Harris owns, employed Francis for three months, It was also reported in the story that the Harris family 'continued to accept adoption subsidy money even after giving the children away.'. There is no question, however, that it became a perfect nightmare. The story went public in March 2015. Cheryl and Craig Hart, an experienced foster couple who housed Mary and Annie for a year and a half before their adoption by the Harrises, said they tried to talk the Harrises out of adopting the sisters. Later that year, the couple contacted DHS about their intentions. For the most part, Harris peers in the legislature are keeping quiet about the controversy, but the public at large is paying attention to the story. We had decided to add on to our house in order to expand the family, and we couldnt have any more children, so at that point we had decided we were going to adopt. The oldest daughter would be placed for a six-month trial period in the Harris home in June and the other sisters would be transitioned into the home in September in another six-month trial period. But around March 2013, he and his wife formally adopted the girls two younger sisters, according to the Arkansas Times. Sex crimes: Eric Francis (above) is now serving 40 years in prison for rape, Blame game: In a press conference on Friday Rep. Harris blamed what happened on theArkansas Department of Human Services. Im a Christian, and I have these beliefs, but this was completely beyond anything Ive ever seen or heard about., Goldsborough said the reason the family removed Marys toys was because a demon told [Mary] not to share. More shocking still: WhatHarris did, unofficially giving away an adopted child, is not illegal in Arkansas. The chairman of the Democratic Party of Arkansas, Vince Insalaco, released a statement earlier this week: "As a parent and grandparent, I am shocked to learn of Rep. Justin Harris's egregious action of abandoning two girls he adopted through DHS and placing them directly into harm's way. Watch popular content from the following creators: Justine Harris(@_justinemariah), Justine Harris(@_justinemariah), Justine Harris(@_justinemariah), Justine Harris(@_justinemariah), Justin Harris(@tiktokfamousjustinharris) . Now its safe for them to show all the disturbance that has been hidden, Jensen said. Justin Todd Harris(born August 25, 1975)[1]is the owner and operator of Growing Gods Kingdom, a preschool in West Fork in Washington County in northwestern Arkansas. And though the two youngest girls had never given the Harts any severe problems, they did not believe the younger sisters should be placed in a home with any young children because of the abuse they had suffered in the past. In fact, a past DHS employee at the time came to us and confirmed that the plan at DHS was to seek abandonment charges if we returned the girls.". Theyre just normal little girls. Period. We offered to be respite for them, to give them relief, to help out any way that we could because wed been living with [Mary and Annie] for a year and a half. Mary and Annie stayed in the Harris home for no more than 14 months (not two years, as Harris said at the Friday press conference). View Justin Harris's business profile as Assistant Vice President & Regional Manager, Underwriting, Southeast Region at PURE Insurance. After just four months in the Harris home, the oldest girl was placed in an inpatient facility and her adoption by the Harrises was never finalized. To at least keep them together, instead of DHS taking my rights, said Sarah Young, the biological mother of the three sisters, in an interview with the Times. Theyve already experienced trauma; theyve experienced separation from their birthparents.. The third result is Justin Cory Michael Harris age 30s in Lorain, OH. Describing the child's fits of rage, Marsha Harris told 20/20, "It never stopped. An attorney for Harris . It is for this reason that rehoming is such a scary practice according to Amy Webb, a spokesperson for theDepartment of Human Services. Justin Harris Assistant General Manager at Lenox Hotel & Suites Buffalo-Niagara Falls Area Community Services Foundation of Buffalo Inc. d.b.a. This couple, the girls fourth set of parents in two and a half years, has now legally adopted them. He also mentioned Cecile Bluckers name, but this time not in a congenial context. 2009. But recently,Wisconsin, Colorado, Florida and Louisiana havepassed laws addressing the practice. What she recalls is that Justin and Marsha Harris did not heed the warnings of person after person familiar with the sisters special needs, who uniformly counseled against placing troubled girls in a home with young boys and busy parents. 'It was later reported to the Department of Human Services that Mr. and Mrs. Harris had left the children with another family and had basically abandoned them. This is what I'm dealin' with eight to 12 hours a day.". With attachment comes a sense of security; without it, a child may experience a heightened wariness of his or her environment, become withdrawn, and be unable to respond to attempts at comfort. In the group Reuters analyzed, more than half were described as having some sort of special need. Their biological mother, who had a history of drug abuse and had lived with a string of abusive men, was deemed unfit to care for them. So in early 2011. when a mother of three reached out to the devout couple about adopting her three young daughters who were about to be permanently taken away by DHS, the family decided they wanted to make these siblings members of their family. Justin Harris told 20/20, "We are Southern Baptist. Justin Harris told "20/20" the reason there was such objection to the adoption was "because [others] felt like we were a fanatical couple. Shed get overexcited or scared, and wed come back out and shed calm down with me. It is known as rehoming, a name that describes a practice more common in pet adoption. I'm appalled. The story first surfaced in April 2013. Follow. 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. Adoptive parents dont believe us. Harris also claimed that another of the girls 'crushed a family pet to death', further convincing them to get rid of their recently-adopted charges. Eric Francis was later convicted of sexually abusing the 6-year-old and other girls and was given a 40-year prison sentence. Thats why we have supervisors and area managers because you want as many eyes as you can to help make sure we make the best, most appropriate decisions for those kids. The teen claimed she would watch the girls for a few hours every day after school for several months -- a length of time disputed by the Harrises. Discover Justin Harris's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. We've done all this counselin'. She said she was originally introduced to the Harrises by a former friend. Justin Harris and his wife have three biological sons and were adopting for the first time with the two girls. Goldsborough also alleged the family would keep the middle child isolated in her bedroom for long periods of time and blast Christian music at her doorway to help keep away demons. 00:00. Cheryl Hart also remembers Justin Harris often mentioning the name of DCFS director Blucker, the person ultimately in charge of adoption and foster care for the state of Arkansas. 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. And the ad litem asked him, Did you make calls?And he finally said, I did what I had to do to get these girls. I expected the judge would [stop the adoption] but she gave them the oldest girl. The younger two sisters soon followed. Marsha was showing me these really beautiful pictures of these rooms that they had supposedly set up for the girls, Young recalled. They genuinely had a commitment, I think, but it wasnt near as easy as they thought that it was going to be. About Justin Harris. Its really upsetting.. This is hypocrisy at its highest level. As she points out, these families are not vetted in the same way an agency would vet other potential parents. While some individuals from West Fork had nothing but harsh words for the Harrises, both Chelsey Goldsborough and the source close to the Harrises said they took no joy in speaking out against the couple. Something somewhere along the line got them out of hand with their own children., The unnamed source close to the Harrises felt torn about speaking up. Harris put a 6-year-old girl he adopted in the. Menu Log In Sign Up When news of the rape came out in April 2014 and Harris was questioned about his former employee, he told the Times hed fired Francis for a poor work record. Three separate bills have now been filed in the legislature to prohibit rehoming, and the governor is supporting such legislation. She didnt have boundaries, Cheryl Hart recalled. According to the Arkansas Times, the girls were adopted through the Arkansas Department of Human Services. They cut us off completely, quickly they just thought they knew so much., Cheryl Hart said their offers of respite care that is, extended childcare to allow parents time away from difficult kids went unanswered. Sign Up. The incident happened while his wife was away for two weeks on a trip to Pennsylvania. While the Harts were aware that the sisters had come from a troubled and sexually abusive background, the couple didn't notice any extremely alarming behaviors from the girls during the year and a half they spent in their home in Fayetteville, Ark. The practice in two and a half years, has now legally adopted.! As rehoming, a name that describes a practice more common in pet adoption practice. 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