The evaluation covers the latest 5 years and an approximation for next year. With 15 years fostering some 70 children, the Harts were veterans at living with tough kids. Describing the child's fits of rage, Marsha Harris told 20/20, "It never stopped. They had adopted three international children of their own -- one whom had RAD -- and Eric Francis was also an early childhood educator. They are both extremely protective toward each other and love each other with all their hearts. 'There was anger and an instant behavior change.'. It really repulses us what he said. Harris, who was first elected in 2010, made his public statements after initially refusing to comment. She called Justin and Marsha Harris to take her daughters. Cheryl Hart also vividly remembers the roundtable meeting described by Harris, which she said occurred on Valentines Day 2012. The babysitter told the paper that the family hired specialists to perform an exorcism. By subscribing and supporting our efforts, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers to expand our coverage. Rep. Justin Harris adopted two girls in 2013 but gave them away to a colleague, Eric Francis, after six months, who then raped one of the girls Francis was convicted of sex crimes in 2014 and. Revelation: Arkansas State Rep. Justin Harris and his wife Marsha (above, right with their three biological sons) gave away their adopted daughter, 6, to a man now serving 40 years in prison for raping the young girl. "If they were violent [in the Harris home], they were taught violence. Former Arkansas State Rep. Justin Harris and his wife, Marsha, had always been eager to expand their family of three young sons. We are deeply grieved over Justin Harris accusations toward our daughters in order to self-protect;it is inexcusable. We've done everything.". The story went public in March 2015. I don't care if I lose my position. We checked on them, took them to the doctor.. Justin Todd Harris(born August 25, 1975)[1]is the owner and operator of Growing Gods Kingdom, a preschool in West Fork in Washington County in northwestern Arkansas. The Harrises are devout Southern Baptists. I don't care what the people of Arkansas think about me. They thrived in our home," said Cheryl Hart, who briefly cared for the children with her husband, Craig Hart. She came to live with Eric Cameron Francis, a former employee of Rep. Justin Harris. State Rep. Justin Harris, who gave his adopted daughters to a man who later admitted to sexually assaulting one of the girls won't seek re-election. The middle girl came maybe two months later she had a potential adoptive family that for some reason changed their minds very suddenly and said she had to be out right away, so we took her, too.. He said DHS threat to charge him with abandonment could have cost him custody of his three biological sons (and, though he did not say so, could have cost him his business as well, Growing Gods Kingdom preschool). Sometimes you see kids put in a safe environment and all hell may break loose. Rep. Harris confirmed this in his press conference, saying he and his wife had been cleared of all charges. We tried to sort of put all our cards on the table and say why this was a bad idea, Cheryl Hart said. So you think of the typical labels these kids get, like Oh, theyre a sociopath, but when I asked her what she was doing she said, I was trying to get him to kill me, so I could go to heaven. It wasnt about controlling an animal she was so sad about everything that happened to her, she really wanted to die.. Justin Harris said they took Marys toys away from her at the suggestion of professionals from Ozark Guidance. Justin Harris and his wife adopted three girls and later 're-homed' them. Affani. As well as production work, Justin's 25 year DJ'ing career has seen him play at hundreds of venues around the world (170 cities in 33 countries and counting) including such respected venues as Fabric (UK), The End (London), Planet K (Manchester), Fuse (Brussels), Rex (Paris), Batofar (Paris), Skanssen (Oslo), Lolita (Barcelona), Robert Johnson Mary and Annie stayed in the Harris home for no more than 14 months (not two years, as Harris said at the Friday press conference). The rehoming of Mary and Annie officially came to the attention of DHS on March 28, 2014, thanks to an anonymous call to the child abuse hotline operated by State Police. The separate source close to the Harrises reported seeing a video that Marsha Harris said showed a demon interacting with one of the girls. Founded 1974, the Arkansas Times is a lively, opinionated source for news, politics & culture in Arkansas. An extensiveReuters and NBC News reportin 2013laid out the series of events that often plays out online, where parents use message boards and Facebook groups to find new families for their unwanted adopted children: Faced with the allegations before they were published by the Arkansas Times, Harris first became defensive. Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. Supporting the Arkansas Times' independent journalism is more vital than ever. Try eating tuna and bananas, says the Gut Health Guru DR MEGAN ROSSI. View Justin Harris results in Kentucky (KY) including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Justin Harris. She just felt tired all the time, and she went in [to the doctor] and they found something and she said, I just dont know if I can handle all this. . They initially took in the third. DHS had placed her in a therapeutic foster home where the foster parents would be trained to deal with her special needs. On. Together, we can continue to hold the powerful accountable and bring important stories to light. An emotional Rep. Justin Harris (R-West Fork), his wife at his side, told reporters at a press conference last week that he sent his two adopted daughters to live with another family, where one of them was later sexually abused, because he would have faced abandonment charges by the state. ABC News "20/20" has declined to name the biological mother and the three girls out of respect for their privacy. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. We couldnt ever take [Mary] out. Cheryl and Craig Hart, foster parents who had taken in the two younger girls before they were adopted by the Harrises, said the state lawmaker and his wife shouldnt have been surprised by the girls behavior, according to the Arkansas Times: Athis news conference last week, Harrisrattled off alitanyof offenses that brought his family to a breaking point. Justin Harris told 20/20, "We are Southern Baptist. For the most part, Harris peers in the legislature are keeping quiet about the controversy, but the public at large is paying attention to the story. In the last week alone, lawmakers have filed two bills seeking to outlaw the practice, according to KTHV. The scrutiny-free practice of rehoming opens the door to children becoming victims once again. Finding the truth behind political rhetoric, reviewing claims to see whats accurate and whats misleading. (Count 1: Malice Murder. They said the whole time in court they wanted all three, and thats why they were chosen [to adopt] They fell on their knees when they were told they could take her., As for the transfer itself, Craig Hart said, It was not the process normally followed when we had kids go into an adoption situation the court said there should be a transitioning period between us and them, and we saw them only once after they moved in [with the Harrises]. In court on Wednesday, detective Phil Stoddard testified to why Justin Ross Harris' ex-wife, Leanna, was under a cloud of suspicion after their toddler son died. The legislator adopted three girls and turned them over to a man who abused one of them. We do not do exorcism. But by January 2014,Francis had been fired for poor work attendance, the Arkansas Times said. 'We're just one radio call away from having the biggest aviation disaster in history': After ANOTHER almost catastrophic near miss at a US airport, just how can Americans trust their plane journey will be safe? Francis is currently serving a 40-year sentence behind bars. The oldest daughter would be placed for a six-month trial period in the Harris home in June and the other sisters would be transitioned into the home in September in another six-month trial period. In fact, a past DHS employee at the time came to us and confirmed that the plan at DHS was to seek abandonment charges if we returned the girls.". Includes Address (7) Phone (4) Email (2) See Results. [The biological] mom wanted to have control of what happened to the children and Marsha and I said we didnt want to go through DHS because of some issues wed had with them in the past. (Roughly around this time, in late 2011, the Harrises were feuding with DHS over an investigation involving Growing Gods Kingdom that found the school included overtly Christian instruction despite receiving public money. While caring for the two girls, Eric Francis wasemployed briefly at Growing Gods Kingdom, the Christian day-care owned by Harris. Harris, a Republican representing West Fork, Arkansas, said he was overwhelmed in caring for the three girls, ages 6, 4 and 2, who he said were violent and killed a family pet. It was during that interview that police learned the 6-year-old had been the victim of sexual abuse. Play it now! HARRISRESIDENTIAL.CO.UK. Responding to the Arkansas Times report that uncovered Harris rehoming of his children, the state legislator said he was failed by the Department of Human Services when he told employees the girls were too difficult for the family to handle. They were not a challenge compared to a lot of kids weve had, but we were familiar with their kinds of behaviors, Cheryl Hart said. On March 24, three weeks after the news first broke that state Rep. Justin Harris (R-West Fork) and his wife, Marsha, gave their two adopted daughters in 2013 to a family where one of them was later sexually assaulted, Rep. Harris returned to Twitter. She lashed out at her brothers, threatened to kill people with knives and even crushed the family guinea pig to death. A source familiar with DHS indicated that there may be at least some truth to that claim. Since they have been home with us, they have adjusted beautifully and are thriving in our home with unconditional love and patience. We are truly amazed at our daughters ability to love and bond with us, given all they have experienced. But the girls foster parents said they didnt experience those kinds of issues with the girls. Justin Harris. After one of the two younger girls crushed a family pet to death, Harris said, he and his wife were advised by a therapist, a psychiatrist and a pediatrician to remove the children from the Harris home. So in early 2011. when a mother of three reached out to the devout couple about adopting her three young daughters who were about to be permanently taken away by DHS, the family decided they wanted to make these siblings members of their family. About 18 percent were said to have a history that included sexual or physical abuse. Justin Ross Harris, who prosecutors said intentionally left his 22-month-old son strapped inside a hot car to die because he wanted to live a child-free life, sits in Cobb County Magistrate Court . Harris said he was only interested in taking the two youngest girls, but was pressured by DHS into taking all three. I don't care if I lose my position. According to the Arkansas Times, the girls were adopted through the Arkansas Department of Human Services. The lawyer had not responded to a long list of other questions from the Times by midday Tuesday. In November, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Id be pretty pissed off, too.. The suburban Atlanta man charged with murder after his 22-month-old son died from being left in a hot car for seven . Unless he gave them guns, they werent dangerous., He felt especially offended at Harris statement in the press conference thatthey had to medicate the middle child to prevent her from hurting her sister. He said Mary displayed only affection and kindness toward her younger sister. They kept up with the kids, he said, referring to the rehoming. We've done all this counselin'. This is God's plan. He said one of the girls the implication was the middle sister had to be medicated to stop hurting her sister, and that he was advised by therapists to treat her RAD by removing toys and other belongings from her room. Theres probably no greater trauma than thinking you have found a forever family and finding thats not the case, saidSandy Santana, interim executive directorof Childrens Rights, an advocacy organization based in New York. He said he thought hed found the perfect solution in handing the girls over to Stacey Francis, a longtime friend of his wifes, and her husband, Eric Cameron Francis. A former employee of Rep. Justin Harris caring for the children with her husband Craig! Up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know suburban., given all they have experienced said to have a history that included sexual or physical abuse Harris toward! To love and bond with us, given all they have been home with unconditional love bond... Demon interacting with one of them cared for the two youngest girls but., politics & culture in Arkansas was only interested in taking the two girls, Francis. To light other questions from the Times by midday Tuesday with her,. 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