http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=6303127&nav=HMO6HMaW
State Rep. calls for investigation into CPS
This all started with a call from our newsroom. News 4 asked State
Representative Jonathan Paton to look into the deaths of Ariana and
Tyler payne, as well as Brandon Williams.
Police say 4 year old Ariana and 5 year old Tyler Payne suffered
horrible deaths; broken bones and starvation during a 6 month period
last year.
Ariana's body was found in a plastic container inside a storage unit
last month. Her brother Tyler's body has never been found.
And then there's 5 year old Brandon Williams. Investigators say his
mother put the autistic boy's feet in scalding water to disclipline him.
And she admitted she pumped his system with more than a dozen sleeping
pills and liquid benadryl the night he died.
All three children were, at one time, an open CPS case, leading State
Representative Jonathan Paton to wonder how all three could have died
despite obvious concerns for their welfare.
Because the files at Child Protective Services are sealed, few can
access them. Because of a gag order, Rep. Paton couldn t give us the
specifics of what he read. But Paton did tell News 4, more must be
done; this is a bigger problem than we know.
"It s not just these cases," he says. "That's the point I want to make.
It's happening across our state."
News 4 asked CPS to comment on Paton's call for an investigation. We
got a statemen t from the agency that oversees CPS, that says when it
comes to the deaths of Ariana and Tyler Payne and Brandon Williams, the
Department of Economic Security says it's cooperating with the wishes of
the Pima County Prosecutor's Office.
The deputy director of DES tells News 4, "...the release of CPS
information related to the children, or their families, may jeopardize
the outcome of those cases."
Rep. Jonathan Paton wants to know what happened to these kids and make
sure other children, in the system, stay alive.
He has a lot of questions.
"Are there enough CPS case workers?" he asks. "Is there enough money in
the system? Is there enough accountability over how money is spent? We
need to ask all of those questions. That's why we need to have our
hearings. That's why we need to have an inquiry. And that's why I've
called on the speaker to do just that."
CPS opened its files for Representative Paton, saying it's "always
cooperated with legislative requests for confidential information."
Mmeanwhile, time is ticking for lawmakers to take action. The
legislative session is supposed to end this spring or early summer. And
the criminal cases against those allegedly involved in the childrens'
deaths are on-going. News 4 will keep you updated.
BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEIR
"FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...
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