How Could You? Hall of Shame-Paul and JoAnn Drake UPDATED and Lawsuit
This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.
From Ankeny, Iowa, adoptive parents Paul Drake, 45 and JoAnn Drake, 44, were arrested on November 7, 2012 and are “charged with two counts of neglect or abandonment of a dependent person and two counts of false imprisonment.
They are being held in the Polk County Jail,” according to KCCI. “The Iowa Department of Human Services is investigating allegations that an Ankeny couple locked their children in a basement anytime they were not in school for a three to four week period.
Police said the allegations involve a couple who locked their adopted boy and girl, ages 14 and 13, in a basement room for a period of three to four weeks and fed them under the locked door.
The children were locked in the room after school and on weekends, police said. The reports suggest discipline as the reason for locking the children in the basement.
Authorities said the allegations surfaced after one of the children told school officials who then contacted DHS.[in September 2012]
Neighbors said the Drakes were always friendly. The said that, other than a loud argument between the couple and one of their six children, they never suspected anything was wrong.
On Oct. 5, Ankeny police said they interviewed Paul and JoAnne Drake. Police said the couple was arrested and charged following a consultation with Polk County prosecutors.
DHS officials said they are not able to comment on the case at this time.”
KCCI says that both parents posted bail. When KCCI knocked on the door on November 8, 2012, a girl answered and said her parents weren’t there. This brings up the question of whether the other children were removed from the home. Some stories are vague and some say that just the adopted children were removed.
Daily Mail says “Ankeny police chief Gary Mikulec told MailOnline via email that when the children arrived home from school, they were required to go down into the basement. Their parents would push breakfast and dinner under the locked door.
Paul and JoAnn Drake told authorities that the children needed discipline due to behavior problems.”
“The abuse came to light in September after one of the children told a school employee and the Department of Human Services was informed. The boy and girl were removed from the home on October 5 as police investigated.
It is unclear when the two children, who cannot be identified, were adopted or how long they lived at the suburban home. There were three other children in the house, authorities said, but they did not suffer a similar treatment.
After being charged, the couple were released from Polk County Jail on bail. A trial date has not been set but they face up to ten years in prison.”
“Mr and Mrs Drake married in June 1989, according to Facebook, where Paul Drake lists ‘Devotional Christian’ and ‘I’m a CHRISTIAN & I’m PROUD’ among his interests.
WQAD says,”Online records showed arrest warrants were issued for the Drakes on November 6. They were each freed from the Polk County Jail after posting $22,000 cash bond.”
Press-Citizen says “A phone listed for the Drakes is no longer in service. Online court records don’t list attorneys for the Drakes.”
Des Moines Register says, “Both parents turned themselves in to Ankeny police, according to the report. They were arrested Wednesday and each charged with two counts of false imprisonment and neglect or abandonment of a dependent person, according to online jail records. They were booked in the Polk County Jail and released hours later.
The Department of Human Services has found a safe place for the children, said agency spokesman Roger Munns.”
“Neither Drake has a significant criminal record in Iowa — one traffic ticket for Paul Drake.”
Police: Parents locked adopted children in basement
[KCCI 11/8/12]
Teenage boy and girl ‘locked in basement for a month to teach them discipline’ by adoptive parents
[Daily Mail 11/8/12 by Louise Boyle]
Iowa couple accused of locking children in basement
[WQAD 11/8/12 by Shellie Nelson]
Ankeny Couple Accused of Locking Kids In Basement
[KCRG 11/8/12]
Iowa parents accused of locking teens in basement
[Press Citizen 11/8/12 by Associated Press]
Police: Ankeny teens were locked in basement for 3-4 weeks
[Des Moines Register 11/8/12 by Joel Aschbrenner]
REFORM Puzzle Pieces
Update: “The biological mother of a girl who was allegedly imprisoned in a basement for one month says her daughter was just the latest victim in a long pattern of abuse by the adoptive parents.
June Simpson, 36, of Truro said Thursday that her daughter, Savannah, told Simpson and others four years ago that adoptive mother JoAnn Drake had physically abused her.
Savannah, then 9, was living as a foster child in the Drake home.”
“A judge was among those the girl told about the alleged abuse, Simpson said.
Paul Alan Drake, 45, and his wife JoAnn Marie, 44, were charged on Wednesday with child abuse and false imprisonment.
The couple allegedly only allowed the children out of the basement to go to school in Ankeny, Iowa.”
“Police reported it was the couple’s way of disciplining Savannah, 13, and an unnamed boy, 14.
Simpson claims that Savannah described physical abuse, including being pushed down a flight of stairs and not being allowed to eat her dinner, before she was adopted by the Drakes.
‘No one really took it very seriously. Everyone said, well these are very serious accusations, we’ll look into this but they really didn’t,’ Simpson told the Des Moines Register. ‘They brushed it off like me and Savannah were trying to come up with accusations just to get her home.’
Simpson said her and her ex-husband’s parental rights were terminated while the couple was going through a bitter divorce.
She said her youngest son Adem, now 5, also was adopted by Paul and JoAnn Drake.
She does not know the name of the Drakes’ 14-year-old son, who allegedly was also imprisoned with Savannah.
Paul Drake hung up on a reporter who called him Thursday; he did not respond to a subsequent text message for comment.
Simpson, convicted of assault in 2008, said she now understands that the environment she provided was not healthy for children.
She and her now ex-husband regularly fought and she used alcohol to treat her severe depression.
But, Simpson said, neither she nor her ex-husband ever harmed their children.
Simpson claims that when she heard about the abuse she went to far as to contact the police, the DHS and an attorney.
‘We made our bad choices, but we never put our children in danger,’ Simpson said. ‘(DHS) took our children out and put them in a situation where they were actually being abused. It’s just unbelievable to me.’
Ankeny police chief Gary Mikulec told MailOnline via email that when the children arrived home from school, they were required to go down into the basement. Their parents would push breakfast and dinner under the locked door.”
“Paul and JoAnn Drake told authorities that the children needed discipline due to behavior problems.
The abuse came to light in September after one of the children told a school employee and the Department of Human Services was informed.
The boy and girl were removed from the home on October 5 as police investigated.
It is unclear when the two children, who cannot be identified, were adopted or how long they lived at the suburban home.
There were three other children in the house, authorities said, but they did not suffer a similar treatment.
After being charged, the couple were released from Polk County Jail on bail. A trial date has not been set but they face up to ten years in prison.”
[Daily Mail 11/9/12 by Louise Boyle]
Update 2: An in-depth update with police calls has been published. This highlights the postplacement issues that don’t seem to be handled well by any party.
“Since February, police were called at least 25 times on reports that the two children had run away; that they had abused their parents and a sibling; and that they were threatening to harm themselves.
Police reports also indicate that the parents and children were in counseling.”
“Paul Drake had an initial hearing in the case Wednesday. JoAnn Drake was scheduled to appear in court today [Thursday Novemebr 15, 2012.]
Court documents allege the couple locked the two teenagers, both of whom were adopted, in the basement for up to three days at a time with no way to escape. Windows to the basement had been boarded up and the door barricaded, according to court documents.”
“A neighbor of the Drakes said problems at the home had been growing in recent months.
“It was a last resort that the parents were doing to try to create some kind of safety, some kind of order and semblance in the home,” friend and neighbor Maree Ulrich said.
“They were worried about the safety of the other kids and themselves.”
Urlich said the accusations against the couple do not provide a full picture of what they have been dealing with.
Police records, however, provide a glimpse of the turmoil that existed in the home.
Authorities were called to the house in February when the male teenager reportedly threw a butter knife at his sister; in May, when the teenage daughter reportedly threatened to kill herself; and again in June after both children reportedly assaulted JoAnn Drake.
As mandatory reporters, police officers are required to alert DHS when child abuse occurs. However, the agency has declined to provide specific details about the Drake case, and spokesman Roger Munns said incidents such as a child harming a sibling or a parent, though “potentially serious,” do not demand notification.
Ankeny Police Chief Gary Mikulec said he had not had an opportunity to review the cases individually and could not say whether DHS had been called following any incidents.
“In some instances we may call upon Mobile Crisis if the situation is suggestive of mental health issues, but unfortunately our options are limited and we have no legal authority to order anyone to (an) intervention specialist,” Mikulec said.
Mikulec said he was aware of one or two cases in which the mother was assaulted by one of the children and the department “worked feverishly to process the child into a diversion program. However, the mother would not agree to the terms and allow us to proceed, so we submitted the case to Juvenile Court.”
In other situations, officers restored order at the house “to the satisfaction of the parents” and did not leave until the children were settled and orderly, he said.
“The family already had counselors and life works assistants in place, and these professionals were conducting home visits and were regularly assisting the Drakes,” Mikulec said. “The Drakes made direct contact with these counselors following these events, and our agency offered several intervention possibilities. However, the Drakes felt comfortable with the success of those case works and life coaches they had in place.”
Children who are taken from their biological parents and adopted through the Iowa child welfare system sometimes continue destructive behaviors and can have more problems with acting out, local mental health service providers and those who assist families after adoptions said.
“If they’ve experienced abuse and neglect in their birth family, then those kinds of trauma experiences impact their development. They might have attention deficit issues, or they might have attachment issues or not trust adults to keep them safe, because that’s not been their experience,” said Tamra Jurgemeyer, associate vice president of the Orchard Place Child Guidance Center, a community mental health service provider for children and families in the Des Moines area.
Agencies around the state offer counseling services and mental health assistance to families and children to learn how to address destructive behaviors, as well as set up action plans for times of crisis.
In the heat of those crisis situations, however, the options for immediate assistance are fewer.
Many mental health offices provide on-call therapists. Families can call the police or take their children to the hospital if mental health issues exist.
What really is needed, local providers say, are more options for respite service — temporary care that would allow all family members a break from one another and a chance to cool down in heated situations.
Youth Emergency Services & Shelter in Des Moines provides such service, but it fills up quickly and cannot meet the demands for the entire metro area, Jurgemeyer said.
Finding family members and friends to help look after children can be more difficult when they’re older or often act out, she said.
“If you listen to anyone that has … an adoptive child that’s showing a lot of these types of behaviors and emotions, parents are burnt out and they’re trying to figure out, ‘Where do I find someone to give me a break?’ ” said Erik Oostenink, a system-of-care supervisor at the Child Guidance Center.
Kara Magnison, supervisor for post-adoption programs at Iowa KidsNet, which contracts with DHS to provide post-adoption support, said that it is difficult to look at a situation from the outside and make judgments on what should have been done differently.
How situations are approached can vary dramatically depending on the temperament of those involved, whether they are prepared to ask for support, and their level of perseverance.
“Our end goal is to try to keep the family together,” Magnison said. “You will find families that have (recurring) issues, and I don’t know that there’s an easy fix. There’s no easy answer. It all depends on what you do and how you do it.”
Police reports
Police reports
The following are summaries of calls for service and police reports to 3016 S.W. Westwood St. in Ankeny since February.
FRIDAY, FEB. 3
Time: Between 5:43 and 7:54 p.m.
Police report summary: 12- and 14-year-olds didn’t return home from school. Searches done; later mother said she knew where kids were, “just wanted ideas for future reference.” Officer told her to call if needed additional help.
SATURDAY, FEB. 25
Time: 9: 14 a.m.
Police report summary: Caller said her 14-year-old son threw a butter knife at his sister; no one hurt. Caller said boy was in the basement, alone and that he has “mental health issues” and had been at Mercy Franklin (which specializes in behavioral issues) until Feb. 24. Daughter, 19, went to basement and she’s “going to call her to have her lock her bedroom door. Other daughter has her bedroom door locked.”
SUNDAY, APRIL 1
Time: 4:31 p.m.
Police report summary: Officer reports that a female youth left home because she didn’t want to return because of arguing with her parents. About 4 hours later, girl’s mother called to say daughter is missing. Girl is found at a friend’s house because “she was upset with her parents over homework issue.” Girl released to parents custody.
Saturday, May 5
Time: 1:58 p.m.
Police report summary: 14-year-old male causing problems; pinched the mother.
MONDAY, MAY 7
Time:7: 18 p.m.
Police report summary: 12-year-old daughter beating door, threatening to kill herself with knife. Doesn’t have one. Girl became upset when parents asked her to help with housework and made comments of harming herself. She was calm when officer arrived at house. Parents said “this behavior is normal and (girl) has been evaluated and is in counseling for her behaviors.” Girl told police she would never harm herself; just makes these comments when she’s angry.
TUESDAY, MAY 15
Time: 7:44 p.m.
Police report summary: 12- and 14-year-old are out of control and trying to hurt the adults; adults are trying to contain children. Began because children didn’t want to eat dinner. “Mom and other daughter are trying to restrain them.” Two other adults and another child were in the house. Dispatcher notes lots of yelling and screaming in the background.
THURSDAY, MAY 17
Time: 8:49 a.m.
Police report summary: Paul Drake has questions about pressing charges on an assault that occurred earlier in the week involving his son against his wife and daughter. Drake given options; said he wanted to consult his wife.
THURSDAY, MAY 17
Time: 9:03 a.m.
Police report summary: JoAnn Drake wants son out of house; has called shelters and told they are full. “Wants to press charges if that is what it takes to get son out of the house.” Police unable to contact JoAnn Drake on callbacks.
FRIDAY, MAY 18
Time: 9:27 p.m.
Police report summary: 14-year-old boy ran away.
SATURDAY, MAY 19
Time:3:39 a.m.
Police report summary: Boy returns home.
SATURDAY, MAY 19
Time: 8:49 p.m.
Police report summary: 12- and 14-year old children won’t return home. About 30 minutes later, girl returns home. Paul Drake “wants no report or entry into NCIC. Just wished officers to know about the situation in case” they came across boy.
SUNDAY, MAY 20
Time: 7:12 a.m.
Police report summary: Missing kids return.
SUNDAY, MAY 27
Time: 9:19 a.m.
Police report summary: 12-year-old female out of control. Girl was in the back yard; husband with the girl. “Just an angry 12-year-old girl. Done this before.” Officers talked to the girl and calmed her down. Officer talked with parents and girl. “Mother and father were given options and advised to seek help from counselor for action plan when (girl) has issues. Parents agreed to get plan and speak with current counselor.
FRIDAY, JUNE 1
Time: 5 p.m.
Police report summary: Caller in dispute with 12-year-old, who is out of control, poking holes in wall, being physically violent with mother. “No assault took place. Child lashing out against property. Options given.”
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6
Time: 5:21 a.m.
Police report summary: 12-year-old and 14-year-old ran away sometime overnight. Parents tried for 90 minutes previous night to get children to come inside; children refused and said they’d sleep in doghouse. When police arrived at house, children were there. “They were asked to come in and complied. Going to counseling at 1 p.m. Parenting and behavioral issues.”
THURSDAY, JUNE 7
Time: 9:06 a.m.
Police report summary: Two teenagers assaulted mother. “Mom has them in the car in the garage.” Car wasn’t running. JoAnn Drake “wished to file assault charges on both.”
FRIDAY, JUNE 29
Time: 6:36 a.m.
Police report summary: Overnight there was a dispute between two children and their mother. Mom said she discovered bruises on herself and wants to file a report. Both children were hitting and pinching mother. Female juvenile cited for simple assault and male juvenile taken to Meyer Hall for assault with injury.
SATURDAY, JULY 14
Time: 8:16 p.m.
Police report summary: 12- and 14-year-old are “out of control.” Caller said that “YESS told her that if they couldn’t get the situation under control where everyone was safe” to call for assistance. Officer said children not following parent’s rules; they agreed to get along with parents.
SUNDAY, JULY 15
Time: 8:44 a.m.
Police report summary: Several people fighting. 14-year-old trying to run away. Child would not go to church so “father carried him upstairs and the child tried to run away, so father tackled him.” Officer reported male juvenile had small cut on forehead. Juvenile daughter also tried to run away; was stopped by older sister. Older sister was “clawed and bit by juvenile female.”
WEDNESDAY, JULY 18
Time: 5:39 p.m.
Police report summary: 12-year-old caller said she was afraid of her mom, who was refusing to feed the kids. Caller said the mother took the kids’ plates and threw them in the trash. When officer arrived, mother said she took an avocado away from daughter and threw it in the trash. Girl told police that mom “had called police in the past when she was in trouble so she wanted to call police before her mom did.” JoAnn Drake said daughter being rude and making crude statements about the avocado so she took it away from her.
FRIDAY, AUG. 17
Time: 11:13 p.m.
Police report summary: Two juveniles have run away.
THURSDAY, AUG. 23
Time:4:41 p.m.
Police report summary: Caller said 12-year-old daughter is “freaking out” and throwing stuff.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 27
Time: 6:50 p.m.
Police report summary: Juvenile throwing items, including plates and food.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 3
Time: 7:02 p.m.
Police report summary: Children didn’t come home from school. About 15 minutes later JoAnn called and said kids returned home.
FRIDAY, OCT. 5
Time: 9:27 a.m.
Police report summary: Two juveniles removed from the house. DHS is in the process of getting the 6-year-old half sibling removed as well. DHS has confessions from both parents and the children that they have been locked in the basement for the past month any time they are home.
THURSDAY, OCT. 25
Time: 5:10 p.m.
Police report summary: Drake’s son, previously of 3016 S.W. Westwood St., did not return to foster home after school was dismissed.”
Homelife for kids in Ankeny neglect case filled with turmoil
[Des Moines Register 11/15/12 by Emily Schettler]
Update 3/June 14,2014:”Polk County authorities have postponed the trial for two Ankeny parents accused of locking adopted children in their basement.
The postponement came after plea negotiations failed to move as quickly as planned. Paul Alan Drake, 45, and JoAnn Drake, 44, had been scheduled to plead guilty to unspecified charges this morning to stave off a scheduled June 10 trial on felony counts of false imprisonment and neglect or abandonment of a dependent person.
Authorities arrested the couple in November amid accusations that they locked their 13-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son in the basement for up to three days at a time with no way to escape. Windows to the basement had been boarded up and the door barricaded, according to court documents. The children were fed under a door.
Assistant Polk County Attorney Jaki Livingston asked today that the trial be postponed to September, because “we haven’t reached agreement to a plea at this time.”
Livingston later said negotiations are ongoing.
“We’ll get there,” said Jesse Macro, attorney for Paul Drake.
Ankeny police reports say authorities removed three children — the two teens and a 6-year-old — from the Drakes’ home on Oct. 5. The Iowa Department of Human Services first learned of the alleged abuse in September after one of the teens told a school employee.
A neighbor of the Drakes said problems at the home had been growing in the months before their November arrests.
“It was a last resort that the parents were doing to try to create some kind of safety, some kind of order and semblance in the home,” friend and neighbor Maree Ulrich said in November. “They were worried about the safety of the other kids and themselves.”
Urlich said the accusations against the couple do not provide a full picture of what they have been dealing with.
Police records, however, provide a glimpse of the turmoil that existed in the home.
Authorities were called to the house in February 2012 when the male teenager reportedly threw a butter knife at his sister; in May 2012, when the teenage daughter reportedly threatened to kill herself; and again in June 2012 after both children reportedly assaulted JoAnn Drake.
As mandatory reporters, police officers are required to alert DHS when child abuse occurs. However, the agency has declined to provide specific details about the Drake case, and spokesman Roger Munns said incidents such as a child harming a sibling or a parent, though “potentially serious,” do not demand notification.
Ankeny Police Chief Gary Mikulec last fall said he was aware of one or two cases in which the mother was assaulted by one of the children and the department “worked feverishly to process the child into a diversion program. However, the mother would not agree to the terms and allow us to proceed, so we submitted the case to Juvenile Court.”
In other situations, officers restored order at the house “to the satisfaction of the parents” and did not leave until the children were settled and orderly, he said.
“The family already had counselors and life works assistants in place, and these professionals were conducting home visits and were regularly assisting the Drakes,” Mikulec said. “The Drakes made direct contact with these counselors following these events, and our agency offered several intervention possibilities. However, the Drakes felt comfortable with the success of those case workers and life coaches they had in place.””
Trial postponed for Ankeny couple accused of locking kids in basement[Des Moines Register 5/7/13 by Jeff Eckhoff]
Update 4: “Ankeny parents JoAnn and Paul Drake are being sued by their adopted daughter, who accuses them of beating her and an adoptive brother and locking them in a basement years ago.
The plaintiff, 19-year-old SavannahRose Willow, also claims the Iowa Department of Human Services was negligent in failing to observe or investigate the abuse allegations.
Willow said in a statement that she suffers from debilitating post-traumatic stress disorder and regularly has anxiety and nightmares about the abuse. She said she wants “justice for the trauma I experience every day because of the system” and is sharing her story to try to spur change in the foster care system.
“It’s really hard to share my story. It’s traumatizing, and scary. But no matter how hard this is, I want to do this,” she said in the statement. “This isn’t only about me, it’s also about all the other kids that are being failed by the system at this very moment. I’m doing this for all the kids who have died, and all the kids who have survived but still live with the trauma every day.”
Willow says in a lawsuit filed Sept. 10 that she was adopted by the Drakes in 2009. From that point until she was removed from their home in 2012 she says JoAnn, Paul and their oldest daughter, Kaitlin Drake, regularly locked her and her adopted brother in their basement, propping a chair or board against the door to block it and letting them out only to go to school.
The lawsuit claims Willow was locked in the basement without adequate food or water. The claim against DHS alleges Willow and her oldest adoptive brother were fed peanut butter sandwiches under the door, which were sometimes moldy.
Willow is suing the Drakes for assault, battery, false imprisonment, infliction of emotional distress, causing her emotional distress when she witnessed the abuse against her brother and outrageous conduct. She said she has suffered physical injuries and has had to seek mental health treatment.
Court records show the Drakes have been served with the lawsuit, but have not filed a response.
After Willow and her adopted brother were removed from the home in 2012, JoAnn and Paul Drake each pleaded guilty to one count of false imprisonment and received deferred judgments and probation, according to Willow’s claim against DHS.
After moving to another foster home where she witnessed more abuse, Willow says she was placed in DHS custody in 2013 and the Drakes’ parental rights were terminated.
The Drakes also physically abused Willow, she alleges in the lawsuit. She accuses JoAnn Drake of pulling her hair, using her body weight to pin Willow down and choking Willow or blocking her air supply by holding her hand over Willow’s mouth “to the point (Willow) thought she would die.”
JoAnn Drake on multiple occasions put soap on her fingers and shoved them down Willow’s throat to make her gag, she alleges, and on one occasion this caused her to vomit blood.
The Drakes, particularly Paul Drake, would beat Willow’s adopted brother in front of her. On one occasion the abuse continued until blood pooled on the ground, according to the lawsuit.
Kaitlin Drake, who was an adult at the time, regularly participated in the abuse, the lawsuit alleges. The claim filed with DHS also alleges the Drakes’ other two biological children were encouraged and allowed to physically abuse Willow and destroy her property.
Willow alleges that an elementary school teacher reported possible abuse to DHS when she was placed in the Drake home but before her formal adoption. She says the department “had ample opportunity and a duty to protect her.”
“DHS workers in the Drake home knew or should have known of physical abuse, denial of critical care, mental injury or other potential abuse, and they had a duty to report it,” Willow’s complaint against DHS states.
Willow alleges DHS was negligent in investigating claims and reports of abuse by the Drakes and in inspecting the conditions in the Drake home. She’s requesting $500,000 in damages for past and future pain and suffering.
Matt Highland, a spokesman for the DHS, said in an email that he was unable to comment on the case.”
“Those numbers come in the wake of several instances of child abuse that have grabbed headlines.
West Des Moines teen Natalie Finn died of starvation in October 2016. She and two of her siblings were confined to a bedroom in their adoptive mother’s home and deprived of food.
Another 16-year-old, Sabrina Ray of Perry, also died of starvation in May 2017. She was kept in a locked room with limited access to food, water and a bathroom. She weighed 56 pounds and was extremely malnourished at the time of her death.
Both girls were adopted from state care and home-schooled.
Finn’s parents are serving prison time; Ray’s are awaiting trial.
Willow cited the story of Malayia Knapp, who ran away from her Urbandale home in 2015, when she was 17. Knapp said her adoptive mother, Mindy Knapp, routinely locked her in a basement room and beat her.
“Hearing Malayia Knapp’s story is proof that my story is not uncommon,” Willow said in the statement. “I don’t want my story to be forgotten, because it isn’t just my story.””
Lawsuit: Ankeny parents beat adopted children, locked them in basement
[Des Moines Register 9/25/18 by Stephen Gruber-Miller]
Recent Comments