Falsifications bring change in child abuse cases

The resignation of a child protection investigator accused of falsifying documents has prompted changes in how the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office handles child abuse cases.

An internal affairs probe found that investigator Heather Stokes falsified and/or fabricated 25 investigations, seven of them completely.

Stokes said she made up details and forged signatures on one investigation because she was "overwhelmed" with cases, according to an internal affairs report. The seven-year veteran resigned a day after being confronted by investigators.

Stokes was one of two child protection investigators to resign since April after being accused of falsifying documents.

No children or families were harmed as a result of any of the fabrications, according to documents obtained by The Tampa Tribune.

But every child protection investigator must now photograph the child at the child's home, and that information goes in a case file, sheriff's spokesman Larry McKinnon said Friday.

Supervisors also now are tasked with randomly reviewing cases and making 25 to 30 quality assurance checks each month; investigators aren't alerted beforehand to which families will be contacted.

"We're imperfect," McKinnon said. "We try to police our own. And when we find errors, we're going to obviously try to correct them."

He said there's no indication of a deeper problem with the department's child protection services.

The sheriff's office assumed responsibility for child abuse investigations less than 10 years ago after state Department of Children & Families employees were accused of shocking shortcomings, including falsifying records.

The sheriff's office has about 85 child protection investigators and handles roughly 1,100 cases a month.

McKinnon said investigators' caseloads should not be considered overwhelming, despite the recent misdeeds.

"There's no excuse for inappropriate behavior, regardless of whether you're overworked or not," he said.

Not just a local issue

Investigators falsifying records isn't just a local concern. In a two-year stretch, more than 70 child welfare workers in Florida were caught lying about their efforts to protect children, according to an Orlando Sentinel report in July.

When questioned, those workers generally complained they had too many cases.

The internal affairs probe of Stokes revealed that in one case she fabricated what she documented concerning visiting a family on four occasions. The mother told investigators she had never met Stokes, or signed a child safety plan or a consent form for medical treatment.

Stokes admitted she had never visited the mother, father, children or home, saying she was "overwhelmed with her cases," the report states. She also said she forged the signatures of the mother and father.

Field training officers were assigned to audit Stokes' 59 cases from December 2008 through April, and found seven to be completely fabricated.

The internal affairs report does not identify the families involved.

Taking her medicine

Stokes resigned in April.

The sheriff's office forwarded its findings to the state attorney's office.

Stokes avoided criminal charges by entering a pretrial diversion program. She performed more than 200 hours of community service, said her attorney, Fred Carrington.

"Heather took her medicine, lost her job, her career and moved on with her life," Carrington said.

Another child protection investigator, Jerimee Joyner, resigned in June after nearly three years with the sheriff's office.

A colleague who was straightening documents on Joyner's desk found a piece of paper bearing the signature of Joyner's supervisor that had been taped to a form, a report states.

Joyner told investigators he didn't realize the form could be considered a falsified document. He said his supervisor wasn't available to sign the form, so "what I did was I kind of just made the forms and put them in the file so I could close the file."