How Could You? Hall of Shame-Florida DCF Worker Tara Vereen UPDATED

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 Jacksonville, Florida, DCF worker Tara Vereen, 36, has been fired for covering up her husband’s molestation of a 9-year-old girl and an 11-year-old girl in 2011. She was arrested on January 17, 2013 on two charges of  witness tampering and two charges of child neglect.

“Vereen’s husband, Louis Vereen, 38, was arrested on Dec. 23 for lewd/lascivious molestation, according to the report.
The two girls, now 16 and 13, were allegedly molested by Louis Vereen when they were around nine and six years old. The molestation ceased two years later.
Tara Vereen found out about the molestation in 2011 when she was going through one of the girl’s rooms. She found a letter that stated that Louis Vereen had molested the girls.
Tara Vereen told police she confronted her husband about the letter. “She said they handled it among themselves and he apologized,” the police report said.
The report also states that Vereen asked “why her husband had to be arrested, since the molestations happened so long ago.”
The molestation was reported to police after one of the girls disclosed the molestation to a counselor in 2012 after she was Baker Acted for cutting herself and taking an overdose of Zoloft.
DCF Investigator Susanna Fleming called police on Thursday, saying that the younger victim told her that the girls were made to write letters stating that their accusations against Louis Vereen were false.
Fleming later interviewed the older victim, who said she was asked to write a similar letter to the attorney.
Tara Vereen was then arrested and her children were taken into DCF custody, according to the report.
Louis Vereen was released on January 7, according to JSO jail records. According to Duval County Clerk of Courts records, his bond was $50,003.
Louis Vereen was also set to reside in his mother’s home, follow a curfew of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and have no contact with children 18 years or younger except for supervised visits with his biological children. ”

DCF worker arrested for not reporting husband’s child molestation

[First Coast News 1/18/13]

“After her arrest, 36-year-old Tara Vereen was suspended without pay and ordered not to report to work at DCF. ”

“Last year, a DCF investigator found out Vereen knew about the charges from the victims, and that led to her arrest last month, less than a month after her husband

Police said while investigating her husband, that Vereen asked them in an interview why her husband had to be arrested since the molestations occurred so long ago. Police also say she went to the victims and asked them to write letters to prosecutors saying that their statements about the sexual assaults were not true.

Vereen did not work with children in child abuse cases, she processed applications for food stamps with DCF.     [The January 18, 2013 article has a commenter that says Tara was her child’s adoption counselor, though.] 

She has been arraigned and her next court appearance is March 6 for a pretrial hearing.”

Florida Department of Children and Families worker terminated after child neglect arrest

[First Coast News 2/13/13 by Mike Lyons]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update:“A former Department of Children and Families worker and her husband have been arrested in connection with a child molestation case.

Louis Vereen was arrested in December and charged with child molestation. Tara Vereen, a former DCF employee, was arrested last month on a charge of child neglect after police said she failed to report the molestation.

Louis is facing two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation as the result of an investigation into accusations made by two children that dated back seven years, according to a police report.

Tara is charged with two counts each of child neglect and witness tampering. According to her arrest report, she contacted the two victims and asked them to write letters to the state attorney’s office saying they lied about the accusations.

DCF said Tara Vereen was employed as a processor of food stamp applications and had no contact with children.

DCF said its own investigation found that she knew of the abuse allegations against her husband and didn’t report them for years. That was conduct unbecoming and “does not reflect DCF values,” officials said. She was fired.

Both suspects are out of jail on bond.”

Police: Ex-DCF worker’s husband molested children[New 4Jax 2/14/13 ]

“The husband of a former Florida Department of Children and Families worker accused of molesting two minors pled guilty according to court documents.

Louis Vereen was arrested on Dec. 23 for lewd/lascivious molestation.

The two girls were allegedly molested by Vereen when they were around nine and six years old. The molestation allegedly ceased two years later.

Tara Vareen was arrested in January 2013 after she became aware in 2011 that her husband molested the two young girls and did not report it, according to a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office police report.

Tara found out about the molestation when she was going through one of the girl’s rooms. She found a letter that stated that Louis Vereen had molested the girls.

Tara told police she confronted her husband about the letter. “She said they handled it among themselves and he apologized,” the police report said.

The report also states that Vereen asked “why her husband had to be arrested, since the molestation happened so long ago.”

Tara Vereen was terminated from her job at DCF. She processed applications for food stamps for the agency.”

Husband pleads guilty on child molestation charges[First Coast News 5/27/14 ]