OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — A Stillwater father is opening up, claiming the Oklahoma Department of Human Services is covering up abuse.
“My family has been damaged irreparably because of what they have done, and in working with these legislators, we have found hundreds, and I believe thousands of cases where criminal activity has happened against families from the top level of DHS, and I plead with our governor to fix it," said Darrell Dougherty.
Dougherty has been a child advocate for years. Now, he's fighting for his own child.
“My family has been damaged irreparably because of what they have done," said Dougherty. "In working with these legislators, we have found hundreds, and I believe thousands of cases where criminal activity has happened against families from the top level of DHS, and I plead with our governor to fix it.”
He said his child's complaints were never addressed nor documented by their case worker.
While Dougherty did not share details about the abuse, he said the Oklahoma Commission of Children and Youth determined their case was not appropriately investigated.
"The caseworker on my case was not prepared in any way, shape or form to be handling a case of a child complaining of these types of complaints," he said. "He knew it, he didn't know what to do with it and he didn't write a report. He was removed from his position. That's what Oklahoma DHS should have told me, they should've rectified it, they should have written the appropriate report. Instead, they doubled down."
Dougherty was told by the OCCY that ODHS is aware of the situation, and is going to reassess his child's case.
“All their staff had been notified that they had incorrectly investigated my son’s case," said Dougherty. "That same staff came to court and testified that they had done appropriate investigations, and they were all unsubstantiated. It was direct perjury in court.”
That staff, under the directive of outgoing Dr. Deborah Shropshire, the outgoing ODHS director.
In court, DHS leaders claimed Dougherty made frivolous calls to the police and the DHS hotline. Dougherty denied these claims and filed numerous open records requests to attempt to prove them.
However, he is under a protective order and was denied all open records requests. That is until the Stillwater city attorney authorized a release and gave Dougherty the complete OCCY report.
Because of an ongoing legal case of his own, though, Dougherty could not show us the full report.
He said it shows that Deputy Director Amy Whitson falsified call records to make it look like Dougherty called DHS.
He did show 2 News a copy of an email he obtained showing Whitson directing a staff member to copy and paste Dougherty's name on a call that they made.
“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 Dougherty. "When Oklahoma DHS doesn’t allow them to do their job appropriately it hurts children and when administration doesn’t want the public to see that it’s hurting children, they cover it up, and it ends up becoming crimes against children and family that hurts those children worse.”
The OCCY report was addressed to Dr. Shropshire in 2020. Shropshire previously told Dougherty's representation she had no knowledge of his case.
Doughtery said the report states Dr. Shropshire informed all of her staff that they had not properly investigated his case.
“I believe in a God that reunifies and heals, but we will carry scars. I believe my son will be a warrior because of this," said Dougherty.
Moving forward, one of his biggest concerns is Dr. Shropshire's involvement in training her predecessor.
"I would plead that whoever the governor chooses to put in the position is not related to any of these individuals."
Dr. Shropshire's attorneys reached out to Dougherty twice, asking he retract his request for law enforcement to get involved and to retract his evidence that would 'show the director of DHS is complicit in crimes against children and families.'
Dougherty told 2 News he has no plans to do so.
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