Foster Mother Arrested For Using Duct Tape On Kids

WTAE-TV ^ | April 17, 2003

[Gamecock]

Foster Mother Arrested For Using Duct Tape On Kids Three Children Have Been Placed With Other Families

POSTED: 11:58 a.m. EDT April 17, 2003 UPDATED: 2:04 p.m. EDT April 17, 2003 LEVITTOWN, Pa. -- A Levittown, Pa., woman, honored last year for her work as a foster mother by a local organization, is now under arrest for allegedly wrapping up her foster children with duct tape. Middletown Township police said Colleen Broe, 34, was charged Wednesday with felony counts of endangering the welfare of children and false imprisonment for restraining the children by using duct tape.

Her husband, Neil Broe, 41, was also charged with endangering the welfare of children by documenting his wife's activity for months without reporting it to authorities, police said.

Police said that digital photos of the children they obtained showed the children with their ankles, wrists, torsos and other areas taped, and some pictures depicted the children so severely taped up that they look "mummified."

Police also said that a search of the couple's home Wednesday morning at 82 Cobalt Ridge Drive East revealed pieces of children's clothing and evidence of duct tape that matched the manner in which they were depicted in the photographs.

A 2-year-old boy and a 1-year-old girl were allegedly taped up over the course of several months by Colleen Broe in order to keep them from taking their diapers off and crawling out of their cribs, police said.

Police said Broe's husband, Neil, took more than 30 pictures in order to document the abuse, after the couple started having marital difficulties.

Investigators said Neil Broe passed some of those photographs on to an acquaintance who then gave them to police.

Police said the couple's biological son, 5, told detectives he had been taped, as well.

A Feb. 15, 2002 article in the Bucks County Courier-Times reported that the Bucks County Children and Youth Social Services Agency based in Doylestown, Pa., had honored the couple for its efforts as foster parents.

The article quoted Roxanne Watkins-Hall, a placement resources supervisor for the agency, saying that, "The Broes were spotlighted because we wanted to recognize a couple who is fairly new to the program, and they've also proven to be very good foster parents." All children have been removed from the home for their safety, police said, and the girl still had small pieces of duct tape stuck to her ribs and back area when she was taken away.

All three children have been placed with other families, police said.

Colleen and Neil Broe were arraigned Wednesday before District Justice John Kelly and remanded to Bucks County Prison in lieu of $250,000 bail each.

[Gamecock]

Is there any reason I should reject my Atheism after seeing that picture?

The Bible states there is sin in the world, this validates that statement.

[Lady Eileen]

Why is it foster parents always seem to hate kids?

One reason is that many foster parents are in it only for the money. The foster children don't belong to them, and the foster parents usually wouldn't be permitted to adopt if they wanted to. Furthermore, as foster kids are frequently moved from place to place, their hosts don't want to become attached to children who will soon be gone anyway.

[Lady Eileen]

Is there any reason I should reject my Atheism after seeing that picture?

The Bible states there is sin in the world, this validates that statement.

The fact of sin generally is true but only half the story. The other half is that the church has disobeyed God's command to deal with problems like those in foster care. As it is written, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction..." [James 1:27.]

Because the church has disobeyed God's command to rescue the afflicted and oppressed orphan, it testifies falsely about God's goodness. The natural result is opinions like that expressed above.

[Iwentsouth]

'Duct Tape' Mom Makes Bail

LEVITTOWN, Pa. -- A woman accused of using duct tape to restrain three young children is now free on bail, while her husband remains in custody.

Colleen Broe, 34, was charged Wednesday with felony counts of endangering the welfare of children and false imprisonment for restraining the children by using duct tape.

Her husband, Neil Broe, 41, was also charged with endangering the welfare of children by documenting his wife's activity for months without reporting it to authorities, police said.

The Levittown, Pa., woman, made $250,000 bail on Thursday, while her husband was remanded to Bucks County Prison in lieu of $250,000 bail.

A 2-year-old boy and a 1-year-old girl were allegedly taped over the course of several months by Colleen Broe to keep them from taking their diapers off and crawling out of their cribs, police said. Police said the couple's biological son, 5, told detectives he had been taped.

NBC 10 has learned that according to police documents, Collen Broe acknowledged that she used duct tape on the children many times.

NBC 10 also has learned that the Broes filed for divorce in January 2003.

Neighbors were shocked when they heard the allegations about the children's treatment.

"It just blew my mind," said one neighbor interviewed by NBC 10. "That picture . . . definitely looks like a real baby. It just blows my mind."

Child-welfare officials interviewed by NBC 10 said they inspected the Broe's home regularly.

"These were agency foster parents," said Brad Jackman from the Bucks County Social Services Agency. "These are people we trusted to take care of these babies and they betrayed that trust and they betrayed the trust of people at the agency."

Jackman said on Tuesday, he received nearly 40 photos of the children after they had been secured with duct tape.

Middletown Township police said that digital photos of the children showed the children with their ankles, wrists, torsos and other areas taped, and some pictures depicted the children so severely taped up that they look "mummified."

Police said that a search of the couple's home Wednesday morning at 82 Cobalt Ridge Drive E. revealed pieces of children's clothing and evidence of duct tape that matched the manner in which they were depicted in the photographs.

Police said Neil Broe took the pictures to document the abuse after the couple started having marital difficulties.



Investigators said Neil Broe passed some of those photographs on to an acquaintance who then gave them to authorities.

A Feb. 15, 2002, article in the Bucks County Courier-Times reported that the Bucks County Children and Youth Social Services Agency based in Doylestown, Pa., had honored the couple for their efforts as foster parents.

The article quoted Roxanne Watkins-Hall, a placement resources supervisor for the agency, saying that, "The Broes were spotlighted because we wanted to recognize a couple who is fairly new to the program, and they've also proven to be very good foster parents."

All children were removed from the home for their safety, police said Wednesday

[Lady Eileen]

All children were removed from the home for their safety, police said Wednesday

By the same people that put them there for their safety.

[Madame Dufarge]

On the day of Logan's death, Schofield "secured Logan to the high chair by wrapping layers of duct tape around Logan's torso and behind the back of the chair to prevent her from getting out. To silence her screams she wrapped more duct tape under her chin, over her head and mouth. Having already violated the rules of discipline by physical confinement, Ms. Schofield then left Logan to struggle against her bonds in isolation."

[Lady Eileen]

"These were agency foster parents," said Brad Jackman from the Bucks County Social Services Agency. "These are people we trusted to take care of these babies and they betrayed that trust and they betrayed the trust of people at the agency."

Social workers aren't supposed to trust; they're supposed to verify. And regularly.

[CurlyDave]

How in the he11 does SHE get out of jail while he stays in?

She is the one who tied the kids up--all he is accused of is not reporting it.

[StriperSniper]

This is Tom Ridge's fault.

;-)

[CheneyChick]

Found guilty of manslaughter, Sally Schofield was jailed Tuesday afternoon after a request for a continuance of bail was denied.

[Lady Eileen]

Thanks for the article link.

Freepers who don't click through to it should at least note that the killer in question had been a state Department of Human Services foster care social worker... suddenly you see just how the foster care parents can learn how to use duct tape....

[TheSpottedOwl]

I often joke with my daughter when she's acting wild, "I'd like to get my hands on the guy who made it against the law to duct-tape your kids to a chair!"

They've made it against the law to discipline our kids in any meaningful way. I used to wash out my older kids mouths with soap (my mom used cayenne pepper), but if I did that with my 2 youngest ones, I'd probably be in trouble. Imagine if duct tape had been invented around the time we were kids ;-p

[farmfriend]

I don't know if I still have it. We used to threaten our oldest with this. We would tell him that we were going to tape him up and put him in the closet. He and my husband spent 2 weeks taping each other and seeing if they could get out of it. We were using masking tape though. The child is now bigger than me and could probably tape me up and put me in the closet.

[Yeti]

Is there any reason I should reject my Atheism after seeing that picture?

Because the more we see, the more a wrathful God looks like the only hope for us?

Because there is so much Evil in the world, there MUST be a Good to balance it out?

Because it might make you sleep easier to believe this stuff happens for a reason?

[Lady Eileen]

but if I did that with my 2 youngest ones, I'd probably be in trouble.

You sure would, especially if either of them attend government school. A friend of mine was tutoring a high school student for health class last year. He was quite appalled to see instructions in the textbook for students to immediately report parents that spank or yell or make them feel bad emotionally to Child Protective Services.

And, just in case the student might be concerned about how to live if her parents were carted off to jail, the text reassured that the students could collect welfare benefits if needed.

[Yeti]

And what's so sickeningly ironic is that the children were forcibly taken from their natural parents to be put in the "care" of these people.

[Lady Eileen]

And what's so sickeningly ironic is that the children were forcibly taken from their natural parents to be put in the "care" of these people.

And don't forget: government foster care was invented to fix the alleged abuses of private orphanages.

When will it sink into our thick heads that government and government programs can't love?

[zook]

Any Phil Hendrie radio fans? A couple years back he did one of his phony radio interviews with a child psychologist and author who was complaining about how it had become impossible to discipline kids anymore. He was going along kind of normal until he said something like, "remember back in the late 50's and early 60's it was considered appropriate for a parent to fill a pillowcase full of canned goods and hit their kids with it..." at which point, of course, Hendrie blows up and the calls start coming in! It was great stuff!

[TheSpottedOwl]

This kind of cruel behavior is literally common in foster care. It is one of those situations in which the evil is so vile that those not involved just can't believe it.

My ex husband's oldest nieces were removed from his sister's custody many moons ago. Two were adopted out, the oldest was returned to her mother(bump for huge social services blunder). The girl told me that they placed her in a home where only Spanish was spoken; they punished her for wetting the bed by stuffing her mouth with chili peppers. When the bitch from hell got her back, the child had lost her English and could only speak Spanish.

[Stop Legal Plunder]

Foster Care reform is Tom DeLay's biggest personal legislative priority. He's even set up his own foundation -- Shine the Light on children in the darkness -- to promote reform and help orphans.