How Could You? Hall of Shame-Claybon Hawthorne 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 Glenside, Pennsylvania, foster and adoptive parents Claybon Hawthorne, 48, and his wife Renee Fennell Hawthrone, 50,  were “arrested after allegedly beating their 12-year-old foster child so badly that he needed 18 stitches to close a cut on his cheek”  in an April 30, 2013 incident.

According to public Pennsylvania court records Claybon (aka Clay,Clay E., Claybon Earl,Clayborne, Clayton), will be formally arraigned on June 19, 2013. His 12 charges include the following:

• one Felony 1 count of aggravated assault
• one Misdemeanor 2 count of simple assault
• one Misdemeanor 2 count of recklessly endangering another person
• one Misdemeanor 2 count of tamper with/fabricate physical evidence
• one Felony 2 count of Unlawful Restraint of Minor/Parent – Risk of Bodily Injury
• one Misdemeanor 1 count of  Terroristic threats with intention to terrorize another
• one Summary offense of Harassment-subject other to physical contact
• one Misdemeanor 1 count of Endangering Welfare of Children-Parent/Guardian/Other commits offense
• one Felony 1 count of Conspiracy-Aggravated Assault
• one Misdemeanor 2 Conspiracy- tamper with/fabricate physical evidence
• one Felony 2 Conspiracy-Unlawful Restraint of Minor/Parent – Risk of Bodily Injury
• one Misdemeanor 2 count of Conspiracy- simple assault

 $125,000 bail was set and posted on May 13, 2013.

Why was this man allowed to be a foster/adoptive parent?

According to public court records, Claybon has had many prior arrests with the many, violent charges dismissed or withdrawn. The charges that he was convicted of are as follows: In May 1991, he was found guilty of retail theft ( 5 separate incidents) and received a one year probation. In November 1991, he was found guilty of knowing/intentionally possessing a controlled substance. In 1997, he was found guilty of knowing/intentionally possessing a controlled substance with a sentence of one year probation. In July 1998, he was found guilty of obstructing highways or passages and received a sentence of one year probation. In November 2002, he was found guilty of buying controlled substances and knowing/intentionally possessing a controlled substance. The docket says he was confined and  had a one year probation.

Renee

A court file cannot yet be found. The Inquirer says she is charged with “terroristic threats and endangering the welfare of a child.”

“According to police, Renee Hawthorne accused the child of ordering an iPhone using her credit card. Apparently as punishment, her husband dragged him by a leg into a room in their home and beat him on the head and face with a broomstick, police said.

When that broomstick broke, police said, Hawthorne got another and continued the beating. He also used a belt, the boy told authorities.

Renee Hawthorne was in the room during most of the incident, police said. She allegedly later told the 12-year-old not to tell anyone about the beating.

The Hawthornes did not report the incident or injuries.

The boy had been placed in the Montgomery County foster home in October by the Philadelphia Department of Human Services through a private agency, Cheltenham Township police said. The case manager for DHS had gone to the house May 1 after the foster mother told her to come get the child, police said.

When she got there, the worker noticed a “large laceration” on his left cheek and a cut on his right ear. She took him to Abington Memorial Hospital, where police began an investigation.

DHS director of communications Alicia Taylor did not confirm the identity of the foster parents, but said “we place children outside of Philadelphia for a number of reasons,” such as the foster family’s being related or having experience with a special-needs child. A DHS worker then would continue visiting the child in the foster home.

Authorities said that after the 12-year-old’s injuries were known, the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth got involved and Wednesday obtained an emergency court order to move the Hawthornes’ three adoptive children, all under 18, to a foster home.”

Glenside couple accused of beating foster child

[The Philadelphia Inquirer 5/10/13 by Carolyn Davis]

” The attorney for a man accused of brutally beating his foster son defended his client and had harsh words for the alleged victim.

“This young man is an unapologetic, unrepentant thief,” said Michael Quinn, the attorney for 48-year-old Claybon Hawthorne.

On April 30, police say Claybon’s wife, Renee Fennell Hawthorne, accused her 12-year-old foster son of using her credit card to buy an iPhone. Renee called Claybon, who arrived at her home on the 600 block of Brooke Road in Glenside. Claybon, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 330 pounds, allegedly dragged the boy into a room, locked the door, and beat him with a metal belt buckle. Police say the buckle eventually broke and Claybon began to use a metal broom handle. After that broke, he allegedly used a second broomstick to continue the beating.

Police say the assault lasted more than 20 minutes. Hawthorne then allegedly ordered the boy to clean up his face with peroxide and throw away his bloody clothes. Sources close to the investigation say Renee was in the room the entire time during the beating.

The next day, a DHS case worker arrived at the home. Renee allegedly told the child, “you better not tell them what happened or I’m going to call Clay back here.” Police say the case worker noticed the boy’s injuries and took him to the hospital. According to investigators, the boy had welts, bruises and a gash to his face that required 18 stitches to close. Hospital workers contacted police. Police say the boy then told them about the abuse.

Hawthorne was arrested on Friday and charged with aggravated assault. He is currently being held in the Montgomery County Prison on $125,000 bail. His wife was arrested Monday and charged with tampering with evidence and endangering the welfare of a child. She is currently being held on $99,000 bail. Sources close to the investigation tell NBC10’s Deanna Durante that she could eventually face more charges. ”

“According to online records, Claybon Hawthorne has been arrested several times in Philadelphia and even pleaded guilty to drug possession charges. Despite this, he was still allowed to care for foster children. A DHS spokeswoman told NBC10’s Deanna Durante that they couldn’t’ comment on this due to privacy laws. However, the spokeswoman also said that not all criminal convictions prevent someone from being a foster parent.

Quinn defended his client on Wednesday, denying the allegation that it was a prolonged assault and also claiming the boy’s injuries were accidental and that Claybon didn’t mean to hurt him.

“From what I understand, there was a broom handle that had a shard on it,” said Quinn. “When he accidentally hit him with the broom handle, it caused the stitches.”

Quinn also claimed the boy had used his foster parents’ credit cards numerous times and was running up their bills.”

Foster Dad Accused of Beating Boy With Metal Handle

[NBC Philadelphia 5/8/13 by David Chang]

Another 2011 charge not found in the online court records is at Police Log Jan 6 [Montgomery News.com 1/9/11] “Harassment … Claybon Hawthorne, 46, of the 600 block of Brooke Road, Glenside, was cited for harassment Dec. 31 after he allegedly punched another man in the face at 7:47 a.m. following a dispute over a parking spot in the lot at Home Depot.”

 

REFORM Puzzle Pieces

Update/September 24, 2013

A search of the Pennsylvania court records reveals that Claybon was arraigned on July 17, 2013.  On May 31, 2013 his bail set on May 21, 2013 was reduced from $100,000 to $50,000. He posted bail on August 6, 2013. He had a pretrial conference on September 17, 2013. Another pretrial conference has been set for November 18, 2013.

He now has 10 charges:

2 felony 1 counts of aggravated abuse

2 misdemeanor 2 counts of simple abuse

1 misdemeanor 1count of Recklessly Endangering Another Person

1 felony 2 count of Unlawful Restraint/ Serious Bodily Injury

1 misdemeanor  1count of Endangering Welfare of Children-Parent/Guardian/Other Commits Offense

1 misdemeanor  2 count of Tamper With/Fabricate Physical Evidence

1misdemeanor 1 count of Terroristic Threats W/Int To Terrorize Another

1 S grade count of Harassment – Subject Other to Physical Contact

A court file cannot be found for Renee despite the Inquirer stating she has a charge.

Update 2/June 14,2014: A search of the Pennsylvania court records shows that 4 other pre-trial conferences had been scheduled.Another pre-trial conference has benn scheduled on August 25,2014. A court file cannot be found for Renee.

Update 3: “A foster father was convicted Monday of beating two children in his Glenside home in 2013.

Montgomery County Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy convicted Hawthorne at a brief bench trial on Monday.

Hawthorne, 50, who now lives in Philadelphia, was ordered to have no contact with the children as a condition of his bail while he awaits sentencing.

His wife, Renee Fennell Hawthorne, was also charged with terroristic threats and endangering the welfare of a child for the 2013 incident. She has since died, Feden said.”

Montco man convicted of beating foster children
 [Philly.com 6/22/15 by Laura McCrystal]

Update 4: “A Glenside man was sentenced to state prison Friday for beating his 12-year-old foster child with a broom to the point that the boy needed 18 stitches and multiple surgeries to fix the scar.

Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy sentenced Hawthorne to 2 1/2 to 10 years in state prison and five years probation for aggravated assault, unlawful restraint, and related crimes.

“You took weapons, and you hit this boy,” the judge said. “You could have killed him.”

Patricia Cassidy, Hawthorne’s public defender, said Hawthorne “made a terrible mistake that day” but was otherwise a loving father.

Hawthorne’s wife, Renee Fennell Hawthorne, was also charged in the 2013 beating. She has since died.

Several friends who testified on Hawthorne’s behalf said that he loved his foster children and biological children equally and sought to adopt each foster child he took into his home.

Hawthorne, who was found guilty during a brief bench trial in June, apologized for the day that he lost control of his anger.

“I did not mean to hurt my son,” Hawthorne said. “I’m not a monster.”

He said the boy was “unruly” and had made purchases with his credit card. Hawthorne said he was not aware that he had made the boy’s face bleed that day. But the child told police in 2013 that Hawthorne instructed him to take a shower and discard his bloody clothes after the beating. He did not receive medical attention until the following day, when a caseworker arrived at the home for a visit and noticed his injuries.

The child, now 14, sat in the back of the courtroom Friday with his aunt, who is his current guardian. He came forward so the judge could view the scar on his face, and a lawyer serving as the child’s legal advocate read a statement he wrote.

When Hawthorne took him in, the boy’s statement said, “It was like having a family all over again.” Once the beating happened, he wrote, “It made me feel like crap.”

Demchick-Alloy told the boy he was brave to appear in court. She said foster homes should serve as safety nets for vulnerable children.

“And, in fact,” she told Hawthorne, “you were the opposite.”

Montco man sentenced for beating foster child
 [Philly.com 9/18/15 by Laura Mc Crystal]

Update 5:“A personal injury case involving a minor previously in foster care may be discontinued, due to the filing of a similar but separate action.

On July 28, plaintiff counsel Prince Holloway filed a motion for application for distribution of minor’s compromise, seeking to discontinue the instant matter filed by Flora D. Williams on behalf of minor Frederick Peaster, both from Landsdowne.

The plaintiffs filed a similar action in July (and an amended suit in August) versus defendants Juanita Park and Progressive Life Center (PLC) in Philadelphia (case 150700269), and their motion seeks to discontinue the previously-filed Writ of Summons from April versus defendants Renee and Claybon Hawthorne of Glenside and PLC in Philadelphia.

A hearing in this case was set for Wednesday in Court chambers, at Philadelphia City Hall.

On April 30, 2013, Peaster was injured when he was allegedly beaten with a metal belt buckle and broomstick by his then-foster father, defendant Claybon Hawthorne, in addition to being punched and kicked.

Peaster now resides with fellow plaintiff and natural guardian Williams in Landsdowne.

The plaintiffs filed a Writ of Summons in April, and PLC likewise filed a motion to dismiss itself from the litigation on June 8. PLC is a non-profit, community-based organization offering human services to individuals and families in urban communities.

In its motion to dismiss, PLC claims it is a sole location in Washington, D.C., providing mental health treatment, a place the defendant alleges the plaintiffs had never been to or received treatment. It claims to have had no involvement with the case and sought dismissal from the litigation without prejudice.

The plaintiffs are represented by Prince Holloway of Stampone Law, in Cheltenham.

The defendants are represented by Francis J. Deasey and Rachel Mandell of Deasey Mahoney & Valentini, in Philadelphia.”

Foster care injury case may be discontinued in wake of second lawsuit [Penn Record 10/15/15 by Nicholas Malfitano]