HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) -
In November 2012, after two-and-a-half years of
fighting a battle against the Department of Human Services, Lamar County
Chancery Judge Ronald Doleac gave Michael Garrett and his wife Julie permanent
custody of 3-year-old Kelly Rose. Though Michael still can't understand why DHS
would want to fight to keep a child in an unsafe home with her parents.
"We're talking about a two time convicted sex
offender that under oath said he's never heard a child in his life. We're
talking about a mother where a child's already died in her home, another child
was taken out because of neglect, serious neglect and sexual abuse, and again
she admits no wrong doing in her past," said Michael. "These are the people
that DHS decided to defend, these are the people that they decided to fight
for."
Despite the mother's mental health issues and the
father being a registered sex offender, DHS still found the parents suitable to
care for Kelly Rose and their other four children.
"There's need to be a change in the system," said Michael.
"If five DHS workers can come to court and claim that this situation is safe,
then how many more children out there are suffering right now? How many
children are going to die because of this type of judgment?
In 2010, Michael and his wife received guardianship
of Kelly Rose when she was only 18 months. A couple of months later, Kelly
Rose's biological parents decided they wanted her back and it's been ever since
that Michael has had to fight to keep Kelly Rose and her four siblings from
being back in that home.
"You would have thought that I had this man's
background and he had mine by the way DHS treated us," said Michael. "They
wouldn't listen to anything we had to say, they disregarded any of the concerns
that we had, they went to multiple hearings over the last two years and claimed
that there were no issues with this couple."
Since the governor over seizes the DHS, Michael
decided to call them for help at a time when he didn't know what else to do.
"The main response I got from the governor's office
was, I had one of his representatives tell me to call Barack Obama, that was
his solution to my problem, call Barack Obama," said Michael "If that's the
level of accountability that our legislators are going to dish out then it is
no wonder that this system has as many issues as it has."
Although Michael believes that DHS covered up and
lied about the children and their abuse and neglect, he is happy that he can at
least provide a better home for Kelly Rose.
"She is so happy and I thank God that we were able to
fight this battle," said Michael. "It hasn't been cheap, it's cost us basically
all that we have, we're in the process of selling our house, but we did what we
had to do."
Spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services
Julia Bryan was contacted, but she acted unfamiliar about the case and declined
to comment.
Copyright 2012 WDAM. All rights reserved.
