Foster parents guilty of violence, fraud

Carrolls' children in foster care
Cincinnati Enquirer, The (OH)
August 30, 2006
Barrett J. Brunsman Enquirer staff writer

Investigators tell juvenile court of violence, fraud
BATAVIA - Liz and David Carroll Jr., charged in the death of 3-year-old foster child Marcus Fiesel, beat their four other children with belts and defrauded taxpayers out of thousands of dollars, according to affidavits filed Tuesday in Clermont County Juvenile Court.

A judge ordered the children who shared a Union Township home with Marcus to be placed in foster care after an emergency custody hearing.

"During recent interviews with the children they have stated that their mom and dad get 'really mad' and hit them with belts and their hands," according to the affidavits submitted by investigators for Clermont County Children's Protective Services.

The Carrolls are being held in the Hamilton County Justice Center.

The affidavits were submitted by Tammie Armstrong and Susan Grabowski, supervisors of investigations for Children's Protective Services.

Each woman swore in court that, to the best of her knowledge, the allegations in the complaints against the Carrolls were true.

It wasn't until Marcus' disappearance that the agency became aware that David Carroll Jr. had been arrested on a domestic-violence charge in June, a little more than a month after Marcus was placed in the home by a Butler County agency, according to the documents.

That charge, filed with Union Township Police on June 18, said Liz Carroll reported he pushed her into a door and a pool table.

According to the documents filed Tuesday, David Carroll threw a knife that broke a microwave oven and "punched holes in the walls of their rental home."

"When the police were called, Mr. Carroll ran upstairs and said he would hang himself if he were to be arrested.

"This all occurred in the presence of their children."

The documents also say:
David Carroll "reportedly suffers from bipolar disorder and has explosive outbursts toward and in the presence of the children."

The children "state that their dad held a knife to their mom's throat, threatening to cut her, punched holes in the walls and yelled at them when police came to their home."

Liz and David Carroll "have consistently failed to accurately report the number of persons living in their home (to the Clermont County Department of Job and Family Services), thus falsely receiving thousands of dollars from the government."

Neither Liz nor David Carroll has stable employment, and they have lived in at least 10 places since 1998. "(They) rely on government assistance, day-care and foster-care reimbursements to support their household."

The Income Maintenance Department of the Clermont County Department of Job and Family Services "began gathering all available information regarding this family" after Marcus disappeared, according to the court documents.

Anne Arbaugh, deputy director of Children's Protective Services, said after the hearing that the children were taken into custody and placed in foster care on Monday, the same day their parents were indicted in connection with the death of Marcus.

After the Carrolls claimed Aug. 15 that Marcus was missing from an Anderson Township park, Children's Protective Services launched an investigation of the family.

Juvenile Court Judge Stephanie Wyler on Tuesday granted the agency's request that Calvin Carroll, 7; Dallas Carroll, 5; Bryce Carroll, 2; and Kaylan Adams, 8, be placed in the custody of the Clermont County Department of Job and Family Services until a formal custody hearing Sept. 18.

David Carroll is the father of Kaylan Adams. While Liz Carroll is not her mother, she had custody of Kaylan, Arbaugh said.

Kaylan's birth mother, who lives outside Ohio, was notified about Tuesday's hearing, and will be informed about September's hearing, Arbaugh said.

While some relatives of the Carrolls were at the Tuesday hearing, they didn't testify.
Before any relatives could take custody of the children, a background check on members of the household would have to be made, Arbaugh said.

Citing confidentiality requirements, Arbaugh said she couldn't discuss specifics of the investigation of the Carrolls.

In general, Arbaugh said, "as soon as we get a report that there's some risk of abuse or neglect of children that live in Clermont County, we immediately begin an investigation that day. We interview all of the children residing in a home. We do that in conjunction with law enforcement."

E-mail bbrunsman@enquirer. com