DHS accused of foul play

February 25, 2010

DHS accused of foul play

Justin Lofton Staff Writer
Ada Evening News

Ada — Following failed attempts to get custody of his daughter, an Ada man accuses Pottawatomie County Department of Human Services of violating the Indian Child Welfare Act and its own policies.

Jeff Larney, a member of the Seminole Tribe, said he learned Ann Marie Redmon, 6, was his daughter through results of a DNA test in October 2009.

“It was almost a week to two-and-a-half weeks later when I got to meet her for the first time,” Larney said. Larney said he was not happy with the strict visitation hours. He also claimed the Seminole Nation had not been contacted regarding the welfare of the Seminole child in the case.

“Through the Indian Child Welfare Act, she was basically supposed to be placed with me from the time I found out,” Larney said.

Teresa Leon, Larney’s fiance, said after four months of debating with DHS about visitation hours, a meeting was scheduled with DHS. At the meeting, Larney and Leon learned Redmon and her half-sister were being removed from their current home. Redmon would be placed with Larney and Leon and the half-sister would be placed in a shelter. Larney said he and Leon told DHS they would take both Redmon and her half-sister.

Leon said Redmon was placed in their home but Redmon’s half-sister was only “on a visit” until further investigation could be completed. She said Pottawatomie County DHS removed both girls from the home a week later, citing an eight-year-old Driving Under the Influence charge for Larney and an argument he had with his ex-wife.

During the altercation, Larney said his ex-wife ran over his foot and he broke a window in her vehicle. Larney said he had gone through an outpatient treatment program for alcohol abuse and sought anger management help following these incidents but prior to learning about his daughter.

“I get the feeling they want to keep them (the children) in Pottawatomie County at all costs, even though they’re not following procedure,” Leon said. “He (Larney) is not a party to the reason she got put into foster care to begin with. He didn’t even know he had her until after they had already been put into foster care. Our question is, why do they keep putting off placing her with him when we have done no harm to that child or any other child in our lifetimes?”

Larney and Leon allege that Pottawatomie County DHS has violated the Indian Child Welfare Act as well as DHS’s own policies. Larney said he contacted a representative for Seminole Nation Child Welfare on Feb. 18 and he had not been contacted regarding Redmon. Roy Yargee of Seminole Nation Child Welfare said he could not comment as the case was still under investigation, but he said the tribe had been informed of the case by Pontotoc County DHS.

Larney’s attorney, Kurt Sweeney, said, “I do feel like DHS has even violated their own policy.”

“They’ve got no reason to not place his (Larney’s) biological child with us,” Leon said.

“They need to be in a safe environment and a stable home where they’re cared for and they’re loved,” Larney said. “They’ve got that here.”

Attempts to contact Pottawatomie County DHS were unsuccessful.

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