October 9, 2008


David Coughlin
Department of Social Services
24 Farnsworth Street
Boston, MA 02210

RE: JOHN CORREIA (COURT DATE OCTOBER 14, 2008)
REQUEST FOR INVESTIGATION OF DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN & FAMILIES FORMERLY DSS-FALL RIVER, MA 02720

Dear Mr. Coughlin:

Thank you for taking my phone call earlier this week. I am writing you requesting that your department please look into DSS in Fall River and my children (Justin Strollo, 13 and Samantha Correia, 10). My children have been going through this for over 7 years and I don’t know where else to turn.

I apologize if I repeat myself and that this letter is lengthy but there are so many details and I didn’t want to leave anything out. I tried to give a timeline and keep the details in order the best I could but it was difficult. Please review this letter and call me with any questions (508-567-6079 or cell 508-889-8436).

Everything in this letter is supported by evidence, reports, dismissal letter from District Attorney, etc. My attorney, Joseph Silvia (508-675-7770) has all paper work and his secretary, Dee can fax or email all reports to you. (DSS report, DA report and dismissal letter, Juvenile Court Investigator Report)

I believe DSS did not do their investigation properly in 2001 and still continues to do their job incorrectly. DSS has SUFFICIENT PROOF from a District Attorney my ex-wife Carrie Correia lied regarding an allegation she made against me in 2001. DSS also has proof my children were happy with me and my family for the past 2 years but they are trying to take away my rights as a father.

I BELIEVE DSS is ONLY INTERESTED IN PROTECTING THEIR MISTAKES and have NEVER had my children’s best interest at heart.

I cannot believe a service that is supposed to help families would be allowed to continue to get away with what they have been doing for years. Someone needs to take this serious and correct the problem so this doesn’t happen to other families.

I believe DSS was more interested in building a case against my ex-wife but over the years while they were in the process of building the case and adding more paper work to her file, DSS was putting my children’s lives at risk. DSS made mistakes and my children are caught in the middle and have been for 7 years.
1. DSS never contacted anyone in my family to take my children in 2001 or recently so they wouldn’t be separated. My children are extremely close and I know my son is having separation issues without his sister. I believe this is going to affect my son very badly. I told DSS this and they do not seem to care or take me serious. DSS will not even tell me or anyone in my family if my children are okay.
2. DSS has refused to look at sufficient evidence and legal documentation
3. DSS has left out extremely important facts in their reports, facts that have a severe impact on my children and this case
4. DSS refused to take information from me regarding my children or investigate any of my complaints
5. DSS has worded their reports incorrectly
6. DSS has contradicted themselves
7. DSS has not conducted themselves professional or appropriate
8. DSS (Steve Paquin) has tried to persuade other important people that have authority in deciding what happens to my children’s future
9. DSS has not followed their codes of value or statement according to the State of Massachusetts DCF website
10. DSS has allowed my children to suffer and live in an unstable home for years and I believe has caused my children many problems
11. DSS has not provided my children with proper, consistent medical (mental/emotional therapy) services necessary for them to grow and develop after all that has happened and the way they have been living
12. DSS never returns phone calls
13. DSS has attempted to intimidate me and my family
14. DSS withholds important information
15. DSS knows for a fact that my ex-wife is lying and has lied
16. DSS knows that my ex-wife is conditioning my children to lie and be afraid
17. DSS admits that while my children were with me and seeing me for 2 years nothing bad happened and they enjoy being with me

I know there are so many people with a story but my case is very unique and I appreciate any assistance you can provide. I have a court date at Fall River Juvenile Court on October 14 to decide whether my rights as a father are to be terminated by a judge because of DSS. I do not deserve to have my children taken from me or my family. My family has been through enough and what DSS is doing has to stop.

DSS had a responsibility to my children when they entered my children’s lives in 2001.

There are over 20 allegations of abuse and neglect charges supported and found to be true regarding my children on my ex-wife Carrie Correia in a DSS report that is over 250 pages long dating back to 2002 and yet DSS is trying to take my children from me and my family.

• DSS should have made sure the complaints they were documenting against my ex-wife were resolved and taken care of.

• DSS should not let the complaints be allowed to be continuously repeated for years and affecting my children with a severe impact on them which I believe has caused them issues today and will continue to cause them issues unless treated.

• DSS should have made sure my children were given CONSISTENT THERAPY AND MEDICAL ATTENTION.

• NO ONE IN MY CHILDREN’S LIVES HAVE BEEN CONSISTANT OR A POSITIVE INFLUENCE WHICH IS NECESSARY.

• DSS should have made it MANDATORY AND NOT WAITED UNTIL NOW my ex-wife go to parenting classes on how to parent my children so she could provide a better stable way of living for them.

• In the DSS Report you will see that DSS only gives my ex-wife brochures and attempts to visit her FOR 7 YEARS but never takes important steps to have a strong impact on changing my children’s lives FOR THE BETTER and make sure my children were being assisted or raised safely or with stability.

Over the past year I would tell DSS mostly Steve Paquin while my children were living with me I was discovering that what my children were being taught was definitely going to affect their lives and the way they grew up would be hard to reverse. I learned that my children are being taught to steal, lie and cheat and apparently this behavior that my children are being taught does not matter to DSS. MY CHILDREN ARE AFRAID TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT ANYTHING BECAUSE THEIR MOTHER KEEPS TELLING THEM THEY WILL BE TAKEN FROM HER AND SHE WILL GO TO JAIL. MY OWN DAUGHTER TOLD ME SHE CAN’T HUG ME IN COURT OR HER MOM WILL BE MAD AT HER.

• For years DSS let my son continue to not get the medical attention and the medication he needed or therapy.
• DSS would investigate the accusation against my wife, find it to be true and supported and then do nothing. My son has and is still suffering without his medication because of my ex-wife’s inconsistency for necessary doctor appointments and medication. My son attends a special needs school and medication is required.
• DSS continued to let my ex-wife send my daughter to school dirty and smelling like urine for years. My daughter has missed so much school due to not being clean. She has been sent home so many times and missed school. She is 10 in the 2nd grade and there is no reason for this.
• DSS allowed my children to be around a known drug addict and still did nothing.
• DSS allowed my children to be left home alone.
• All these allegations DSS had to follow up on and I believe DSS wrote reports but honestly did nothing to help my children. DSS just added more pages to their file but because nothing was done years ago this hindered my children social, academically and emotionally.
• DSS did not remove my children years ago and took a chance with my kid’s lives knowing my ex-wife was not ensuring their safety or helping them grow into productive adults

Right now my main concern is that my children are separated from each other. Since DSS allowed my children to remain with their mother my children were put in a very dangerous situation. My ex-wife was involved in an armed robbery of the Stop N Shop in Fall River in July 2008. In fact my children were with her when the crime was committed and the police found the armed robber in her home with my children when they were arrested. DSS removed my children from their mother’s care.

Due to her arrest my children have been split up and I don’t even know where they are. My children are very close and they do everything together so I can only imagine what they are going through being apart. My son Justin has special needs and goes to the Bradley School in Portsmith, RI and I believe he will have a separation issue from his sister.

• NO ONE FROM DSS WILL EVEN TELL ME IF THEY ARE OKAY.

• My Aunt and Uncle that are well off financially called DSS because they wanted to give my son and daughter all new school clothes, shoes and supplies.

• NO ONE FROM DSS CALLED THEM BACK!

On the DCF website there is a program called Patch.
Patch connects families to community resources more quickly, minimizing the need for lengthy DCF intervention.
• DSS HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN MY CHILDREN’S LIVES SINCE 2002 AND HAS NEVER TRULY HELPED MY CHILDREN OR RESOLVED ANY ISSUES. THE ISSUES THAT DSS ALLOWS TO CONTINUE TO HAPPEN HAVE AFFECTED MY CHILDREN.
Patch prevents unnecessary placement, and places a larger percentage of children in need of placement with their kin.
• DSS NEVER CONTACTED ANYONE IN MY FAMILY IN 2001 OR CURRENTLY TO TAKE MY CHILDREN AND KEEP THEM TOGETHER. I have a number of family members that would have done anything to keep my children with family they are familiar with who loves them and would take excellent care of them. And most important keep my children together.

In 2001 my ex-wife says I attacked her. I was at work at the time she alleges I attacked her in 2001 and had witnesses yet the police immediately believed my ex-wife Carrie and no one ever contacted me, my attorney, my witnesses or family.
Due to the legal system, NOT DSS I never saw my children for 5 years and my case was dragged on and continued for 5 years. I moved to Florida because my ex-wife would have a restraining order on me every weekend and I would wind up in jail because she would lie and say I violated the restraining order. I returned to MA time and time again over the years for court with proof supporting my ex-wife had lied to the DA about everything and the case would keep getting continued. Then the DA would find more evidence proving she was lying. During those years I heard stories from friends and family that would see my children at school and say my daughter would be sent home for being dirty and smelled (My step-mother is a substitute teacher). I found out my son had set fire to his Aunt’s home and sent to a psychiatric hospital and needed medical attention and therapy but my family and I had no way of knowing if my children were receiving the proper care.

• In the DSS report I read that my son never received consistent therapy for any of his issues or actions. DSS makes excuses for my ex-wife. If he did something that could have seriously injured himself or others or have the potential to do something again, why was nothing done or monitored?

My best friend Eric Gifford called me in Florida and said my ex-wife dropped my kids off with him and his wife because she needed to go to the hospital. She arrived in the afternoon 1 day and said she broke her arm but never returned until the next evening. She never called to check on the children or let him know what was going on.

Although things like this were extremely hard to hear I knew I couldn’t see them or help them. Even my family couldn’t be a part of their lives or help them either.

I KNEW IN MY HEART MY EX-WIFE WOULD DO SOMETHING SO BAD ONE DAY THAT SOMEONE WOULD TAKE MY CHILDREN FROM HER. I WAS AFRAID OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING OR COULD HAPPEN IN THE MEAN TIME WITH MY CHILDREN. I KEPT THINKING MAYBE SOMEONE WILL STEP IN AND CALL MY FAMILY TO TAKE MY CHILDREN. I HAVE HAD THE SAME NUMBER FOR OVER 8 YEARS AND ALL MY FAMILY LIVES IN FALL RIVER. DSS COULD HAVE GOTTEN A HOLD OF SOMEONE IF THEY WANTED TO.

NO ONE EVER CALLED MY FAMILY TO EVER TELL THEM WHERE MY CHILDREN LIVED OR HOW THEY WERE OR ASK IF SOMEONE WOULD TAKE THEM.

You can’t imagine what it is like to sit back and know there is nothing you can do and just wait. I waited patiently by the advice of my attorney for 5 years that all the evidence proving that Carrie lied would be heard and I would get my life back and most of all be allowed to see my children.

Eventually, the DA dropped the case and it was thrown out of Superior Court in 2005. My attorney has a signed dismissal letter from the District Attorney. This report stated my ex-wife committed perjury and was caught in numerous lies, the attack never occurred and she is not credible. You can read the report. The damage was done already and years with my children were already lost. PLEASE READ THE REPORT SIGNED BY THE DA TO SEE ALL DETAILS.

5 years is a long time for my family and I to wait to see my children especially knowing that your children are being raised in the projects and on welfare.

After the case was thrown out my ex-wife was calling me while I lived in Florida and letting me speak with my children 2005-2006. Because of this my girlfriend at the time that is now my fiancé of 4 years and I hoped for the best and decided to move to Fall River, MA at the beginning of 2006. We hoped I would be able to establish a relationship with my children. I started seeing them in June 2006.

My ex-wife would let me see my children as long as I gave her money.

At this time I had no idea that DSS was ever involved in my children’s lives or had been since 2001.

I was so afraid if I did not follow my ex-wife’s rules or cave to her by giving her money, it would be months or maybe years again before I would see my children. I was afraid she would use the children against me and I wouldn’t get to see them. I was afraid she would make up another story if I didn’t do things her way. I couldn’t bare the thought of that again. I felt like I needed to do what she said so I could make sure they went to school clean and I could help them if they had a problem.

Eventually my ex-wife asked me if my children could live with us for a while.

While my children lived with me and my fiancé at the end of October 2006-March 2007, I bought them new clothes, shoes and jackets. My children’s clothes smelled and were to small for my son and inappropriate for my daughter. I never knew my daughter wet the bed so I bought her pull-ups and a mattress cover for her bed. She told me when she lived with her mother she was not allowed to take a bath in the morning and the kids would make fun of her and she didn’t want to go to school. This broke my heart because I know kids can be cruel.

• This is one of the things I reported to DSS and this complaint has been going on since 2002

• Why was my daughter sent to school continuously being embarrassed and humiliated, which so obviously is a factor for her being held back and has other issues?

They had their own rooms with furniture, would do homework, clean rooms, earn chore money, help with dinner, play games with us, watch movies together, take baths and be ready for school every day, have lunch money or snack money.

While my children lived with me I asked their mother for the medical records and doctor’s names. My son needed braces and my ex-wife kept telling me to give him Benadryl to help him sleep for his ADHD. I knew that couldn’t be healthy or safe.

• I eventually reported this to DSS as well and nothing was done.
• Later I read on the DSS report that someone reported my ex-wife was OVER MEDICATING my son to make him sleep.

• Why was nothing done back then or now by DSS? My son could have died and then what?

I wanted to be up to date on what had been going on in their lives. My ex-wife would never give me any information I requested. Eventually my daughter wanted to take cheerleading and we were looking into that for her. We were trying to give them a normal life, a routine and stability. For 2 years that we had been seeing each other we would go to dinner at Roger’s in Somerset, go to the parks, to my families homes for birthday parties and holidays. My fiancé would take them to their mother’s parent’s house in the morning and they would catch the bus to school there. We picked the children up at 5:30 or 6pm every night and they would sleep at my home. When my children first came to stay with me, they had no manners and were dirty. My children were out of control because they had no guidance for so long and were allowed to do what ever they wanted.

At one point I asked my son what he wanted to be when he grew up. He commented that he would get a “check” in the mail like mommy. I sat him down and attempted to tell him that it was wrong and that he could be anything he wanted to be and I would be proud of him. I couldn’t believe that was coming out of my son’s mouth.

My son looked at me as if I was crazy when I said these things to him as if he was confused why I didn’t get a check and he didn’t know what work was. He was 12 and should understand. I knew there was a serious problem and it was definitely going to be hard to reverse the way that my children thought about what was right and wrong.

• I eventually reported this to DSS as well and nothing was done.
• Why is my son even thinking like that and how does this way of thinking help him be a better person?

I had been asking my ex-wife to call my son’s school to release information since 2006. In February 2007 she finally called the school. While my children were still living with me I went to visit my son’s school in Portsmith, RI to see how he was doing and speak with the school psychiatrist. My son was excited that I was visiting his classroom and would get to see what he would do while in class every day. They told us that he needed to have a specific routine to ensure progress and be productive.

We tried to comply with what he needed when at home. Again, we tried to make their lives normal and give my children stability.

In March 2007 while at my doctor’s appointment at Dana Farber in Boston, I received a phone call from DSS informing us that they were investigating Carrie Correia.

DSS asked if they could come to our home. The next day we invited DSS into our home and showed them the children’s rooms and answered their questions.

At this time DSS asked about the allegations from 2001 and asked how long I had the children living with us. I told them I would have my attorney fax the documentation proving my ex-wife lied and the children had been with us for at least 5 months.

I had no idea that DSS was there to tell me I couldn’t see my children. I thought DSS was going to see the good things that I had done while being able to see my children but they were not interested.
• DSS TOLD ME “JUST BECAUSE THE LEGAL SYSTEM CLEARED ME THAT DIDN’T MEAN I DIDN’T DO WHAT MY EX-WIFE ALLEGED”.

• In fact in the DSS report they worded it that my ex-wife Carrie Correia dropped the charges because she did want to keep being put through the legal system and was tired of it.

• That is not true why the charges were dropped.

• The District Attorney dropped the charges because they proved
Carrie was lying and THEY HAD NO CASE

• DSS has legal documentation dismissing all charges against me from a Fall River District Attorney signed stating my ex-wife committed perjury and lied about the allegations she made against me in 2001 and yet DSS still wants to terminate my rights as a father.

It became clear not too long after DSS was in my home that they were not interested in the relationship between me and my children or that Carrie was neglecting them EVEN THOUGH DSS HAD A REPORT THAT IS OVER 250 PAGES LONG ABOUT COMPLAINTS THAT ARE SUPPORTED AND FOUND TRUE FROM SCHOOL OFFICALS, PHYSICAN AND OTHERS REGARDING NEGLECT AND ABUSE CHARGES AGAINST MY EX-WIFE ON MY CHILDREN.

DSS DID NOT TELL ME ABOUT THIS REPORT AT THIS TIME.

DSS did not seem to see that my children were better off with me and my fiancé. Again we were trying to give them a normal routine and a life where they didn’t have to suffer. We were trying to make their lives easier so they could enjoy being children.

DSS did not see that we could provide them with a better way of life.

DSS was not interested in helping my children.

I asked DSS to leave.

My attorney faxed DSS the documentation from the DA supporting that my ex-wife lied.

I received a phone call the next day from Steve Paquin at DSS telling me verbally that I was not to see my children and to return them to my ex-wife.

DSS worker named STEVE PAQUIN has been conducting himself extremely inappropriate for the past year and actually has been caught trying to persuade and influence other officials that have authority to help in the decision making process regarding my children.

I do not trust STEVE PAQUIN and I would like him investigated.

DSS had no court order or ANY written documentation was ever given to me or my attorney ORDERING ME NOT TO SEE MY CHILDREN.

From March 2007 to March 2008 my ex-wife continued to let me see my children every weekend as long as I gave her money.

During this time for 1 year and during the time they lived with us nothing bad ever happened while the children were in our care and in the DSS Report my children state they are happy being with me and enjoy our time and enjoy seeing my family. They also state they have never seen me hurt anyone and I have never hurt them.

My children have admitted to me that they get in trouble by their mother and are told to shut up if they say something fun we did together. My children have admitted that it makes their mother mad so they lie to their mom because they don’t want to make her mad at them. When my children were with me I tried not to ever say anything bad about their mom so that they wouldn’t feel uncomfortable or unsafe as if they couldn’t truly say how they felt or express emotions. They often asked how come we didn’t get along and I told them that if was for grown ups and they would understand one day.

In October 2007, my daughter told my fiancé she did not want to go to Stop N Shop because she wasn’t allowed in the store because her mother was caught stealing DVD’s. We went to DSS and told Steve. We also told Steve again of my daughter going to school smelling like urine and being sent home.
• Steve told us that stealing with your child is not reason enough to separate the children from their mother. Carrie is getting help from DSS and DSS can only hope that she will make better choices.
• Steve said that stealing with your children doesn’t make you a bad mother.
• Steve said told us the story of King Soloman. He said that we didn’t care about my children.
• Her stealing is not listed in the DSS Report.

*I asked Steve at this time, how he could continue to keep allowing my children be exposed to behavior that is damaging to their future. I expressed that I was concerned that because my children were being taught to steal is acceptable that my children would make bad choices later in life and have serious problems. I believe these future problems could be avoided if they are taught different now.

We also told Steve with DSS about another time in 2006 before my children came to live with me about my son’s toothache. My son came to visit and a few times had a tooth ache. The tooth ache was so bad that he cried and woke up in the middle of the night and rocked back and forth until the ibuprophen started to work. He was given an antibiotic to clear up the infection on several occasions and Tylenol with codeine for pain. I asked where the pain medicine was and he said his mother took it. The antibiotic would clear up the infection but then his mother would not take him to have his tooth pulled. My hands were tied because Carrie wouldn’t tell me who the dentist was or let me take him.

• Steve Paquin said that Justin and his mother are close and DSS is working with her on her parenting problems and this is not a reason to separate them. Steve told me that Justin being taken from his mother would be bad for him.

I told Steve I was sorry he felt that way but I believe my son’s mother is damaging my children more than helping them close or not and DSS is assisting her in doing this.

• DSS never helped my son with is pain and I believe my son still has the same problem with his teeth? Why is he made to suffer for so long?
• The complaints I made to DSS I learned after I finally got the report are not anywhere in their report. There were other complaints but nothing I ever said. There were things my children trusted to tell me but DSS did nothing to help.

• Why are my complaints not important, they are my children?

In March 2008 I had my daughter for Easter weekend and was to return her on Saturday night. I picked my daughter up on Friday night (voicemail of Carrie telling me she was ready). I gave Carrie $50. We went to CVS to buy pull-ups and then to Boston Market where my sister-in law works to get cornbread and cookies (surveillance tape of daughter with sister-in-law inside restaurant). The next day Carrie called screaming about wanting more money (cell phone records of her calling at least 5 or more times). I told her I didn’t have anymore. Carrie demanded I bring my daughter home or else she would call the police. I told her to call the police because then I could actually prove my daughter was at my home, something Carrie didn’t want DSS to know. I always used to cave to my ex-wife’s demands because I was afraid I wouldn’t know when the next time she would call so I would see my children. At this time Carrie’s boyfriend Jerry got on the phone and said “Remember John we have DSS on our side”. Jerry threatened me. My fiancé Manda took my daughter to the hair salon, Walgreens (surveillance tape of Manda and daughter in Walgreen’s), my grandmothers, and my brother’s house. Manda and my daughter returned home to dye Easter eggs.

At 7:30pm, my fiancé and I brought my daughter to her mother’s house.

DSS HAS THE FOLLOWING WRONG IN THEIR REPORT

My daughter went up stairs and Jerry and Carrie came down the stairs. They first knocked on the passenger side window where my fiancé was sitting. My fiancé would not roll the window down.

Jerry walked to the driver’s side and I got out of the car. Jerry punched me in the face. Carrie climbed in the car and was hitting and dragging my fiancé out of the car. My fiancé dialed 911 as soon as Jerry hit me so the entire fight was recorded.

You can actually hear Carrie threaten to kill Manda. You can hear Manda screaming get out of my car.

We drove to the police station and the police arrested me

Someone had already called the police and by the time we made it to the police station the police said that Carrie said we had no reason to be at her home and that I attacked her and her boyfriend came out to save her. Carrie said Manda got out of the car and charged her.

• Carrie also told my daughter to lie and say she was not with me Carrie lied on the police report and later admitted in court that she did not have my daughter that day.
• Carrie made my daughter lie by making her afraid and continues to do so:
o My children are old enough to say whether or not they want to see me or live with me but my ex-wife Carrie Strollo Correia has my children so afraid that if they say how they really feel, it will be their fault if their mother goes to jail and she goes away from them or that she will be mad at them.
o She has had many years to condition them.
o It kills me to hear my daughter tell me she can’t hug me in court or else her mom will be mad at her.

The police did an investigation because we went to the Mayor’s office and tell them what happened because we couldn’t believe Carrie was going to get away with lying again.

We gave the police all the evidence contradicting Carrie and proving we did have my daughter

I am still going to court for this case.

• After this happened, we went to DSS to give them the evidence and DSS did not care. They automatically gave me a neglect charge and again did not care that Carrie lied.

• Some how even with a 911 recording of Carrie attacking my fiancé and lying on a police report, surveillance footage of my daughter being with my fiancé, DSS still wants to take my kids from me. DSS can clearly see that my ex-wife is not credible.

I asked in March 2008 for the DSS report and investigation from 2001 to see what exactly was said or done in 2001.
• I did not receive this report from DSS until October 2008 only 2 weeks before the court date.
• DSS made me wait 7 months.
• Also, important information supporting that they could prove my ex-wife was lying on several different occasions for other charges was blacked out on the DSS report
• I also ONLY found out today because my mother called DSS that DSS assigned an attorney to me. The Social Worker never told me who it was. That was very unprofessional because the attorney would have appeared in court without even speaking to me. I don’t trust DSS and I have my own attorney.
• When I read the report, there were so many allegations against Carrie for neglect and abuse. I didn’t know that people were saying the same things I have been saying about my daughter missing school and smelling of urine. And there are so many neglect charges against Carrie because of my son’s medical history. She didn’t keep up with his doctor’s appointments or comply with the school’s IEP plan for him for years, which is necessary for his condition. She continuously lies on the report about why she doesn’t take him or why he misses appointments.

My ex-wife is also was charged with leaving them home alone at night while she goes to work. My son told DSS that she would come home at 2am and he knew this because he can’t sleep at night (ADHD). She said her aunt would come and check on them. You can’t leave children that age home alone in the day time especially at night.

In the report, DSS addresses the issue of my daughter smelling like urine at school and numerous times with Carrie. But they don’t do anything to help my daughter and let it keep happening for years.

Yet when I told DSS about the things my daughter told me, Steve said “some children are just dirty”.

• Again, what I told DSS regarding my children is not in the DSS Report.

It makes me so frustrated because my daughter is not dirty and doesn’t like to be dirty. I told him that my daughter cried to me about kids making fun of her and she wants to live with us and no one would listen at DSS.

In the report from DSS you will also see that my children were interviewed and they say they were happy and enjoy seeing me.

In the past 2 years that I have been seeing my children, nothing has ever bad happened while they were in my care.

DSS still found all of us at fault and neglect for the incident in March even though they have the evidence.

Charges were thrown out by the DA against my fiancé on Carrie because they listened to the 911 call and Carrie didn’t have a scratch on her.

I also asked them to reopen the case and review the items that proved I didn’t do anything to Carrie ever in 2001 or recently.
• DSS said no they would not open the old case again no matter what evidence we had
• DSS did not care about the new evidence from the new charges proving Carrie lied about why we had my daughter that day.
• My fiancé went down to DSS to give them the evidence (surveillance tapes, 911 call, etc and DSS did not want to even review it.
• DSS told my fiancé, that my daughter was with someone else in Walgreen’s when you can clearly see it was the two of them

An investigator for the Juvenile Court system named Keith Quint 508-889-9998 came to my home at the end of September-2008. He asked questions about all of the allegations over the years against Carrie. We had no idea that Carrie had so many charges and wondered why was DSS believed her and not helping my children?
• I wondered why DSS never told me about all the other complaints on Carrie when they were in my home in 2007.

• If DSS was truly interested in my children’s well being, why wasn’t anyone contacted in my family for 7 years?

I asked DSS why no one from their office ever (2001) contacted me, anyone in my family or my witnesses to ask about what my ex-wife claimed and why they wouldn’t contact people now since they had new documentation?
I have had the same number for over 7 years and no one every contacted me.
• DSS did not have an answer.

• Why did DSS automatically believe my ex-wife? And okay if DSS initially believed my ex-wife’s accusations, why after I provided DSS with legal documentation from a DA that proved she lied is DSS still allowed to treat me like a criminal and tell me I cannot see my children and break up our family?

I believe DSS is more interested in making a case against my children’s mother Carrie Correia (my ex-wife) all these years and had plenty of repeat offenses and reasons to remove my children from her years ago but did not. I believe DSS was never going to inform me that they were going to take the kids from my ex-wife eventually and that they were building a case against her because they wanted to take them from me as well and if they thought I was not involved in my children’s lives it would be easier.

DSS was shocked when they learned I was seeing my children and that my children lived with me for a while and when DSS discovered this they didn’t know what to do except go back to the past allegations because they don’t have any other reason to keep me from my children. DSS refused to see the good and what is going on with me and my children now.

I am very concerned that a judge is going to read ONLY what DSS has chose to put in their report without having the chance to review all evidence/facts and reports that are so very important to my case.

I have tried to cooperate with DSS since March 2007. Each worked has made it very difficult for me and my family. They have acted unprofessional, purposely ignored important information, withheld information from me, refused to contact me, refused to look at legal documentation, and made a number of serious mistakes that have and will continue to affect my children.

There are so many things DSS could have and should have done different.

According to Angelo McClain, DCF Commissioner for MA, DCF claims the following:
“Every child is entitled to a home that is free from abuse and neglect. The Department’s vision is to ensure the safety of children in a manner that holds the best hope of nurturing a sustained, resilient network of relationships to support the child’s growth and development into adulthood”.
DSS in Fall River did not ensure my children lived free from abuse or neglect for 7 years.
DSS did not ensure safety or nurture a sustained, resilient network of relationships to support my children’s growth and development into adulthood.
I have a good job and can provide for my children. I couldn’t understand why the State of MA would rather pay my ex-wife and allow her to not work for 10 years and be on welfare and let my children suffer when I can take care of my children financially and emotionally. I will make sure they get medical attention and be consistent with their education.

I do not deserve my children to be taken away from me or my family. I never did what my ex-wife said I did or anything her family says. I am not a bad person. I love my children, and will do anything to see them and anything for them. I only want the best for them.

Because of this allegation, my family and I lost 5 years with my children. I can’t go through this again and my children have been raised a certain way for so long, they are seriously affected and need therapy. Everyone claims they care about what happens to my children but I do not believe that to be true.

We have lost so much time together and deserve the chance to have a future. My entire family and I are so exhausted from this long drawn out unnecessary process that DSS has put us through.

Please assist my family in this very important matter and if you are unable or not the correct person, please guide me in the direction of someone that will be able to help us.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Sincerely,

John K. Correia
Cell: 508-889-8436
Home: 508-567-6079

CC: Department of Social Services (DCF) Fall River
Judge John Spinale, Juvenile Court-Fall River