Six children, apparently malnourished, found in Kenmore

Abuse alleged in home Six children, apparently malnourished, found in Kenmore Three boys say they were kept in closet for months By John Higgins and Andale Gross Beacon Journal staff writers

The Akron Police Department is investing an alleged case of child abuse that took place at this home at 1082 Florida Avenue in Kenmore. Karen Schiely, ABJ photo.

Three Kenmore boys told authorities their mother locked them in a closet since Valentine's Day until they escaped this week through a second- floor window.

Allegations of the boys' abuse were detailed Wednesday in documents for a Summit County Juvenile Court hearing to determine if the boys and their three siblings should remain in the county's custody.

``Their mother and her partner... created a substantial risk of serious harm to their health, safety and well being by treating them like prisoners, locking them in a closet for over three months, with little food, no light and no exercise, torturing them by making them eat cat and dog feces and vomit, which caused the children to be severely ill, as well as physically abusing them.''

The complaint presented to Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio by the county Children Services Board alleges that the six children, ages 6 to 14, all appeared to be malnourished.

One child, who is 8, weighed only 28 pounds, according to the complaint, and was admitted to Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron. Another sibling also was hospitalized, said CSB spokeswoman Louise Miller. She expected both children could be released as early as today.

The agency has received numerous abuse allegations about all of the children for several years, but never opened a case, Miller said. The last time CSB visited the Florida Avenue home was in February.

``There have been a number of calls,'' Miller said. ``Over the course of their lives there were calls.''

The children were living with their biological mother, Mary Rowles, and her partner of seven years, Alice Jenkins. Akron police are investigating the allegations. However, no charges had been filed as of late Wednesday. The women couldn't be reached for comment.

Police received reports Monday that three boys from the home were wandering in the streets, wearing sweat pants and T-shirts but no shoes or socks.

The oldest boy told authorities he had gotten rags from a garbage can and wrapped them on his feet because they were sore from walking without shoes.

The boys said they ran away from home because their mother and her partner had locked them in a closet for months, letting them out each day for dinner only.

They said the women blocked the closet door with a dresser when the boys were inside. The closet was always dark inside, was hot and smelled of urine and feces.

When police arrived at the home to remove the other children, they found the 6-year-old boy locked in a bedroom that smelled of urine and feces.

The children also told authorities they suffered beatings, according to the complaint.

Two of the boys reported that their mother's partner forced some of the children to hold the 10-year-old boy down while she kicked him in the groin with steel-toed boots after she accused him of urinating in the closet.

In November, CSB received a report concerning the welfare of the children, but nobody visited the home until February.

Three of the boys have been placed in a foster home and the two boys in the hospital will join them. The girl is in a separate foster home.

The next court hearing is May 23. At that time the court will determine whether the children have been abused or neglected. It's unclear whether the social worker who visited the home believed an investigation should be opened. The agency requires workers and their supervisors to make that decision together.

``There are things that should have happened that didn't happen,'' Miller said. ``Now that we know what is currently going on, we'll be able to keep the kids safe. We should have been able to pick up on things sooner.''

After 25 years of pain and finally asking for help , I found some.

I ended up becoming what I hated most. I ended up like my dad , one of the things that kept me out of relationships for most of my life. Because I didn't want to be like him , I swore I never would.

But it appears to me that regardless of what we know or want , just like animals the actions of our parents are imprinted in our subconcious and we are trapped.

There's something said in the Bible about our actions being like ripples that last for generations , that's what child abuse is and why it last for generations.

You hear about abusive people in a cycle of violence and depression. And as I once did , most people believe the person is no good or he or she would quit.

Because of my life I accepted bad things as normal , because they were in my life. When the hate got stronger than the fear inside of me , I began hurting people back and became just like the people I hated.

I was trapped in a cycle and none of it was good. I used to get into very violent fights , because after the fight I had relief from my constant anxiety. I hated myself and everybody else. And because people had always hit me , I accepted that was the way life was.

The other mistake I made was believing that if I found someone to love , the bad things would disappear. At first they did , but it all came back.

I never wanted to hurt my wife , but I did , nothing like my dad hurt my mom , brother and me. So it didn't seem as bad , but it was. Terroism is terrorism.

When I was a kid I felt weak because I heard about other kids in the news being burned with cigarettes , whipped with extentsion cords , and having bones broken. Why should I feel so bad , when all I saw was my dad beating my mom , fighting my brother or punching me in the mouth because he found a bottle cap behind the sugar canister in the kitchen. I used to have to have the house cleaned before he got home. Problem was , sometimes he came home early because he was drunk.

A week before my 18th birthday my dad was slapping me in the face for buying a 90cc Yamaha , of course he was drunk. He wouldn't quit , and kept following me around the kitchen and living room smacking me. I headed down the hall to my room to get away , hoping he would quit. He didn't and something snapped in me and I turned on him and got him down and started beating him , I couldn't quit. It always hurt that my mom got between us after I got him down.

After another 20 years of cycles snapping hurting people and depression I heard about a guy at work who went to the doctor and got a drug for violence/temper. I was at an all time low , I had just had a fight with my wife and I lost my temper and slapped her. She told me to get out , she was crying I was crying my daughter was crying. I had had enough , I grabbed my 45 and got in the car. I couldn't change so I had to end it. I sat in the car for awhile and decided I couldn't leave my daughter in this lousy world to fend for herself. I made an appointment with my doctor and told him what I had heard at work and how depressed I was.

He prescribed Pamelar. I think it took a couple of weeks but I can still remember sitting in the car one day and feeling happy for no reason.

Pamelar does something to correct a chemical imbalance. It changed my life , thinking back I wish someone would have helped me and got me started on the medicine as a teen.

I would fit the mold of the kids today that they put on Ritalin. My mind was like a run away frieght train , I had no idea where it was going to go or stop.

I believe after my experience that there are many people in prison for violence along with the pain and scars that they caused that didn't have to happen. That's where I was headed and why I believe children shouldn't suffer. It lasts for generations.

I hope someone watches out for these children and understands about ripples................

Peace

Vigilante is a dangerous thing , because like anything else there are degrees of something.

Vigilante would suggest small groups acting on their own , which could lead to anything.

What I have tried to share with people in many articles here on Free Republic , is that Christians need to quit sitting on their hands waiting for Christ to do what they should do.

But then they're not taught anything like that in "incorporated" churches.

If we simply worked together to hold ourselves and our politicians to Gods' Laws many of our problems would disappear.

But we continue to elect crooks , perverts , adulterers etc , make excuses for them and pray for them. If "We" simply listened to what God has already told us , we would not put them in power above us. And the ones that got past us wouldn't last long.

An "incorporated" church CANNOT speak out against any legislation or candidate without the threat of losing their state granted "Tax Exempt" status. It's in the tax code under 501 (c) 3. Show me the separation of church and state , when the state controls what churches can say.

The way I see it if a church cannot say about our society or government what Christ would say , then they no longer speak for Christ , but the state.

I won't get into Churches being TAX FREE preventing the government intrusion we have today , but these little deceptions can be very deadly. Because as You said , people have put their faith in the government.

I applaude Your Dad and the others. I can easily see myself doing the samething.

Without being there it's hard for me to say. If I knew half of what the article said was true , first I would try to get the State to get those children into a different home , which today seems pretty easy , according to my daughter who told us she could leave when she was 16.

We went through two years of hell with her , chemical imbalance also. It appears to run back through my family and is supposed to be hereditary. Luckily I understood and got her to a doctor. Which wasn't as easy as I thought.

I called her doctor and told her of my concerns , she said she WOULDN'T prescribe anything unless she went to a psychologist first. So we jumped through the hoops.

I have my daughter back , but not before she made mistakes that will last a lifetime. Even I didn't understand at first what was going on.

"I would have hurt those people so bad that they couldn't take care of children , let alone abuse them."

Whether we like it or not , life is a fight. We either get in it or sit on the sidelines.

Thank You for Your time , discussion is a porweful weapon.

Peace Rick

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