How Could You? Hall of Shame-Oliver and Sara Marie Cole

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 Gulfport, Mississippi, foster parents Oliver and Sara Marie Cole, 28, “have been jailed in Harrison County since their Sept. 28 arrests. Gulfport police arrested Oliver Cole on two counts of sexual battery and arrested Sara Cole on one count each of sexual battery and child molestation.

On Wednesday, new details came out about how the investigation began after one of the alleged victims, both boys ages 6 and 7, told a counselor about the alleged attacks.

The State Department of Human Services had placed the boys in the care of the foster parents after their mother was arrested with a felony amount of drugs.

The boys lived with the Coles for about a year before the children spoke about the alleged sexual assaults, Harrison County prosecuting attorney Herman Cox said.

A Gulfport police officer testified at the couple’s preliminary hearings Wednesday, saying the couple allegedly sexually assaulted the boys in front of one another, among other things.

Among the allegations is that the couple forced the boys to perform oral sex and urinated on them during some of the alleged assaults.

The boys underwent a forensic interview before the couple’s arrest.

After the hearing, Judge Damon Reese denied a request from the couple’s attorney, Donald Rafferty, for a bond reduction for both defendants.

Oliver Cole remains jailed on a total bond of $900,000, and his wife remains jailed on a total bond of $575,000.

The case remains under investigation.

According to the prosecuting attorney, other charges are likely after authorities review the couple’s phones to determine if they took sexually explicit pictures of the boys.

During the forensic interviews, the boy said that the couple used their phones to take pictures of them during the alleged assaults.

Gulfport Police Detective Eli Zacharias is the lead investigator on the case.”
Gulfport foster parents charged with assaulting children for months, authorities say
[Yahoo 10/20/23 by Margaret Baker]

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