ACS Faulted Again in Shaken Baby Case

Sigh. More news about how Administration of Children's Services caseworkers had a lot of contact with the parents of a 4 month old baby boy whose brain damage may be caused by shaken baby syndrome. In 2000, Antonio Patterson and Tamira Hertzog's baby daughter died, possibly by wounds inflicted by Patterson; the incident caused their children to be placed in foster care, but they were returned to their parents a few years later. A daughter with cerebral palsy was kept in foster care and the couple had recent supervised visits with her at the ACS offices as well as court appearances with ACS while the agency investigated claims that the parents. When ACS workers asked Hertzog if she was pregnant, she denied it.

Politiicans are outraged once again that a child may have been injured while his family is being investigated by the ACS. The ACS had been investigating the families of the following children who died: 7 year old Nixzmary Brown, 2 year old Quachon Brown and a 2 year old Sharllene Morrillo. The ACS promised to overhaul its system in order to better track cases, but tends to put children back with their parents, even in more serious cases. Still, it's hard to know what the ACS could have done in this case, as Patterson and Hertzog seemed to hide the birth of 4 month old Preston Hertzog.

Doctors are investigating the extent of the baby's brain injuries to determine if he is brain dead. Also suspicious: Patterson and Hertzog left the hospital after admitting Preston last Friday.