On Feb. 26, somewhere inside the Flathead County Detention Center, Brandon Lee Walter Newberry and Brandan Thorne probably passed each other, one coming from court, the other on his way inside.
Newberry, 21, of Evergreen, was coming from his arraignment where he had pleaded not guilty to charges of deliberate homicide in the death of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son. Thorne, 22, of Kalispell, was on his way to his sentencing, two months after he pleaded no contest to felony assault on a minor after beating his 5-month-old daughter in 2014. The daughter, now 15 months old, has undergone numerous surgeries and continues to go through physical therapy.
The two cases depict a growing problem in Montana: child abuse and neglect. Since 2008 there has been a 60 percent increase in children placed in foster care statewide, according to Sarah Corbally, administrator for the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services’ Child and Family Services Division. Many of those children have been placed in foster care because of abuse, neglect or because their parents or caregivers have struggled with drug abuse. According to Corbally, there were 230 children in foster care in 2010 because their caregiver was struggling with methamphetamine addiction; in January 2015, the number had risen to 630 children.
During Thorne’s sentencing on Feb. 26 he admitted he was abusing drugs in April 2014 when he grabbed his young daughter and reportedly slammed her into a wall while yelling, “shut up!”
“All I want to do is be clean and sober,” Thorne told the judge, who handed down a 15-year commitment to the state Department of Corrections, with 10 years suspended. “I’ve always had the burden of drug addiction.”
Jennifer Blodgett, a Montana Department of Child and Family Services protection specialist supervisor based in Kalispell, said in some cases the caregiver or parent who is dealing with drug addiction is putting personal needs above the needs of the child.
But abuse doesn’t always involve someone hurting a child, Corbally said. Neglect is another form of child abuse and includes anything from not feeding a child to not giving them warm clothing. Law enforcement, teachers or medical professionals often report instances of child abuse or neglect, but sometimes reports come from friends and family.
“If people are concerned that someone is abusing a child then they should always err on the side of caution and report it,” she said.
Whenever the DPHHS gets a report of child abuse it is given a threat rating that determines if a social worker should go to the home immediately, within 48 hours or within 10 days. When a social worker goes to the home they separate the alleged victim, witnesses and the accused, and interview everyone separately. They also look for signs of abuse, such as scars or bruises, and watch the alleged victim interact with the accused abuser.
“We watch children interact with the parent or accused caregiver because that interaction says a lot,” Corbally said. “A case worker can figure out if the child is fearful of the alleged abuser.”
If the DHHS employee determines that abuse is happening, the child can be removed from the home and placed in foster care. In some cases that placement can be long term, but in other instances the families are eventually reunited. Blodgett said those are the most rewarding cases.
If a child is removed from a home and the abuse leads to criminal charges, a forensic interview may take place. That’s where Devin Kuntz comes in. Kuntz is the forensic interviewer and program coordinator for the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office’s Children’s Advocacy Center, which was established in 2008. The center was created to guide abuse victims through the legal system and works with local law enforcement, medical facilities, the county attorney and the DPHHS to make sure young victims of abuse receive the help they need.
A forensic interview occurs in an unthreatening environment so that children are not intimidated by the experience. Kuntz is trained to ask open-ended and non-leading questions so what the child says there can be used in court.
Kuntz also spends his time educating the public about the issue of child abuse and said although the issue can be hard to talk about it is important to not ignore it.
“People can’t understand why someone would ever hurt a child but it happens every day,” he said. “We can’t turn a blind eye to it.”
To report a possible case of child abuse or neglect in Montana, call 1 (866) 820-5437.