TULSA, Okla. — After problems with the initial filing, advocates returned to the Tulsa County Courthouse to submit a petition for a grand jury investigation into the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.
This comes after countless families have come forward, alleging the state agency has neglected to protect their children.
“Children are being hurt, reports are being made and there is simply not enough accountability,” said Francetta Mays, the woman who filed the petition. "We’ve given our local government time to work things out, we’ve dealt with our DA’s even right here in Tulsa attempting to get these things worked out. And we can talk about it but it’s time for us to do something about it now.”
The petition calls on six entities and leaders, who 'acted in collusion' to commit crimes against children and families.
Those include DHS, the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth, the Director of the State Bureau of Investigation, the Tulsa County District Attorney, two Tulsa County judges, and the former director of Oklahoma Juvenile Affairs. 2 News reached out to all of them. OSBI, the DA's office, and OCCY got back to us and said they could not comment.
“They’re guilty of the same crimes of committing crimes against families as any of these crimes that were initially turned into the hotline in the first place," said Darrell Dougherty.
The father of four shared his story back in August. In devuldging pieces of his years long battle with DHS, he said the agency's leaders tampered with call logs to remove his parental custody.
He also said they lied in court.
“These children have been through enough if they receive services from DHS. They do not need a higher level of crime silencing their voice and hurting their family," he said. "My family has been damaged irreparably because of what they have done.”
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Mandy Reed's family is also reeling from what she calls a failed state agency.
She wishes it didn't get to this point, but said families had no choice.
“I mean you’re almost to a point where you almost give up your child, just to make it stop, and you hope when you relinquish your own rights that it just stops for the child, and maybe the abuse gets better,” she said.
A judge has four days from the time of the filing to either grant the petition or deny it.
If approved, the petitioners must garner 500 signatures for a grand jury to be summoned.
"We need to do what's right by the children," said Reed. "I would love to see these children protected. I want to see DHS do what they are designed to do. I want to see them protect the children that need to be protected."
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