DAYTON — The Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) has released its completed review of two local children services departments connected to the death investigation of 7-year-old Hershall Creachbaum.
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The department began the review into the Department of Jobs and Family Services (DJFS) in both Montgomery and Clark counties after Creachbaum’s remains were found by police near a wooded embankment in July.
In it, state investigators do not detail any instances of children services workers breaking the law, but they did find several times where they say Clark and Montgomery County Children Services did not follow state administrative rules.
Parts of the 19-page report are redacted, but it includes a review of a 14-month stretch and includes several details News Center 7’s I-Team has previously reported.
The findings are tied to the child welfare case of Creachbaum and what Ohio Governor Mike DeWine first described to the I-Team this summer as his “in-custody” death.
DCY investigators said they found five instances where local children services agencies did not follow state administrative rules. As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, four happened in Clark County, and one was in Montgomery County.
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In Clark County, DCY investigators said they found “a concern Clark County (Children Services) didn’t take into consideration the disability of (Hershall) and his inability to communicate when making the decision to screen out the intake received.”
As the I-Team previously reported, Creachbaum was non-verbal autistic.
The review also stated that Clark County failed timely safety assessments, and when it came to welfare concerns about him, Clark County officials did not interview his mother’s boyfriend, Michael Kendrick, even though he was the adult subject of a report.
Saying of Kendrick, “...without an interview or even attempts to interview the mother’s paramour, his impact on safety and risk was not assessed.”
Finally, state investigators found Clark County did not contact Creachbaum face-to-face in a timely manner.
For Montgomery County Children Services’ part, the state found they did not complete a waiver at the end of their investigation documenting that it was not possible to interview Creachbaum.
The state confirmed to the I-Team on Thursday that’s because the 7-year-old was already dead.
The Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office previously confirmed to the I-Team that the Montgomery County child welfare case with Creachbaum wasn’t opened until two days after investigators found his remains in Dayton.
Montgomery County released a statement after the review found that Montgomery County Children Services followed all requirements under the Ohio Administrative Code for intake and referral.
“We want to be clear: the proper agency was immediately notified for every report we received,” the county said in a statement.
Matthew S. Teetor, a lawyer representing Clark County DJFS, shared the following statement with the I-Team:
“The administration and staff of Clark County Department of Job and Family Services are heartbroken over the tragic loss of Hershall Creachbaum, Jr. In difficult times like these, our Agency remains steadfast in its mission to protect children and to connect the families and citizens of Clark County to needed resources and services. If you know of or suspect that any child has been subjected to physical abuse or neglect, we urge you to contact our Agency and let us know.”
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