How Could You? Hall of Shame-Saio Barzee
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 Syracuse, New York, 18-year-old Sierra Leone adoptee Saio Barzee was sentenced to 8 years in state prison followed by three years supervision after pleading guilty to “first-degree robbery for a crime spree that included knife threats, a stolen car and a 20-minute police chase.
Assistant District Attorney Michael Kasmarek said there was no clear motive in the case. Court documents describe the incident as such:
On Sept. 13 [2012] around 10:20 p.m., Barzee approached a 60-year-old man in the 1000 block of Comstock Avenue and asked for change of a $20 bill. The man told Barzee he didn’t have the change and walked away. Barzee then followed him for several blocks, at one point running after him while the man tried to get into his residence on Lancaster Avenue.
At 10:40 p.m., Barzee then entered a different Lancaster Avenue home.
He then threatened a man with a black handled folding knife and ordered the victim to place a lap top computer and Apple Mac Book into a laundry bag.
Barzee then forced the man out of the home and into the victim’s 1998 Chevrolet Prizm to drive to get money from a nearby ATM, papers said. The man ran away when Barzee got into the driver’s seat. Barzee sped off.
Police said that within about 10 minutes, an officer spotted the Prizm near South Salina Street and Roney Road. Barzee ignored calls to pull over and led police on a 20-minute chase that reached Thompson Road in DeWitt.
Officers placed stop sticks near Thompson and Alpine Drive. Barzee ran over the sticks, causing three of the car’s tires to deflate.
He then turned right on Erie Boulevard East and drove into the Goodyear Tire store at 3136 Erie Blvd. East and crashed into two police cars at 11:07 p.m.
Barzee then jumped out of the car and started running west on the boulevard until he was caught a short time later.
Barzee was on probation at the time of his arrest for driving a stolen car, according to Kasmarek. Barzee was sentenced today to another year in prison, to run at the same time as his eight year sentence, for violating his probation.
He was also sentenced today to three years of post-release supervision.
In 2002, The Post-Standard highlighted Linda and Bill Barzee’s adoption of an orphaned boy from Sierra Leone.
In a follow-up story in 2010, the Barzees lauded their then 15-year-old son’s achievements on the soccer field. ”
18-year-old gets 8 years for leading Syracuse police on chase in stolen car
[Syracuse.com 6/20/13 by Sara Patterson]
2010 Story Lauding “Adoption Day”
“Eight years after being adopted during Onondaga County’s annual Adoption Day ceremony, Saio Barzee is thriving as a soccer player at North Syracuse Junior High School. He is originally from Sierra Leone.
Syracuse, NY – It was a long way from his war-ravaged homeland of Sierra Leone when a tuxedo-clad 7-year-old Saio was adopted into the Barzee family of Cicero during National Adoption Day ceremonies in Syracuse in 2002.
Today, he’s a 15-year-old rising soccer star who’s looking forward to pursuing athletic dreams in college.
He’s the only remaining child at home with Linda and Bill Barzee as their older three children have grown up and moved on with their lives.
“He is every bit as amazing as we had heard that he was in his various orphanages in Sierra Leone and Guinea,” [Which country was he a citizen of and how did this adoption really come to be?What agency was used?] Linda Barzee wrote in sharing a bit of the family’s and Saio’s history since that joyful adoption moment eight years ago.
Family Court Judge Martha Walsh Hood began organizing the local celebration “as a labor of love” in 2001, one year after the Alliance for Children’s Rights created the first National Adoption Day in November 2000 to call attention to the number of children in the foster care system who are eligible for adoption.
About four dozen families will be creating their own joyful adoption moments today during Adoption Day 2010 ceremonies at the Oncenter.
With this year marking the 10th anniversary of Onondaga County’s celebration of National Adoption Day, The Post-Standard recently contacted families profiled in earlier Adoption Day stories and asked them to update their stories.”
“2002: Linda and Bill Barzee adopted Saio.
“Saio is most interested in forging his own path. . from the little boy whose only toy was a soccer ball, he joined our soccer family. Saio has become a respected soccer player in the state and in our local community. For years we have traveled to various states and watched as Saio and his teammates excelled, sometimes winning national recognition,” Linda wrote.
“Saio has been involved in the Olympic Development Program NY West and continues to play soccer for various high level club soccer teams (Blitz, Empire). We are now beginning to travel to various college show cases.
“Saio is now in school at North Syracuse Jr. High as he wanted to spread his wings and is the only freshman on the varsity soccer team where he is a starter. Saio’s dream is to attend college at North Carolina to play soccer,” she added. ”
Catch up with six families who have adopted since Onondaga County launched Adoption Day in 2001
[Syracuse.com 11/10/10 by Jim O’Hara]
REFORM Puzzle Piece
Saio was from Sierra Leone. His entire orphanage group were spirited away illegally to Guinea during the chaos of war. The entire situation involved corruption and forged papers on the part of local caregivers, parents cutting corners on paperwork, and government officials. Many of the kids adopted from S L have had problems like RAD, PTSD, FASD, mental, neuroissues and behavior issues. The group were primarily adopted by several upstate churches. Several beside Saio had problems. Sadly many of these adoptive parents thought prayer and love was enough, and are reluctant to admit the severe behavior problems and trauma.
I speak from bitter personal experience. I tried to do my adoption legally and properly, but as we later found out, the paperwork was bogus. Our adoptive child has had many issues and I am now suspicious of most adoption participants. No one does things for the right motivations.