How Could You? Hall of Shame-Anna and Ernest Fugate 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 Cleveland, Ohio, foster parents Anna Fugate, 56, and Ernest Fugate, 54, “pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor endangering children charges after police say they were leaving the Cleveland Browns game Sunday without their 9-year-old foster son” in a Tuesday, September 27th arraignment.

Fox8 reports “According to police reports, Anna and Earnest Fugate of Circleville had come to the city’s muni-lot where they started arguing while “partying” before the Browns-Dolphins game.

Their report says Anna then smashed her husband’s cell phone and then her own.

Earnest then went on to the stadium, leaving their 9-year-old foster son with Anna, even though she was “obviously intoxicated,” “acting loopy, bumping into other people,” according to police.

“Anna then gave the boy to two strangers, who were heading into the game with game-day tickets,” according to the report. The two strangers turned him over to a security guard at the stadium.

Police say detectives escorted the child back to the muni-lot to where the family’s car was parked. “We observed a broken phone on the front seat. Other fans still in the area did not recall seeing the boy or anyone searching for the boy,” the report says.

Detectives say they then went to the area where the Fugates’ tickets were in the upper part of the stadium’s Dawg Pound, but found no one there and were told by other fans that the seats had not been used.

A police lieutenant later stopped the Fugates’ vehicle as they were trying to leave the muni-lot together, without their foster son.

“Anna and Earnest Fugate stated they wanted to go home,” according to the report.

When a sergeant arrived they again told officers they wanted to go back to Circleville “without inquiring about their son,” according to the police report.

“When asked why they were leaving without their child, they shrugged,” the officer reported. “When asked why they did not report the child missing, they laughed.”

Officers say both smelled heavily of alcohol.”

Newsnet 5 adds “Pickaway County Child Services retrieved the child from Cleveland.”

Couple Accused of Leaving Foster Son, 9, at Browns Game
[Fox 8 9/27/11 by Dave Nethers]

Circleville Couple Allegedly Abandoned Foster Son At Game
[NBC 4 9/28/11 by NBC4 and Circleville Herald]

Parents allegedly abandon foster child at Browns game
[Newsnet 5 9/28/11 by Cedra Mayfield]

Update: Ernest and Anna Fugate pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, October 12, 2011.

“The Fugates were granted a continuation and a new court date. The boy is in foster care in Pickaway County where children services is conducting it’s own investigation.”

“An Ohio couple accused of purposely leaving their foster son at a Brown’s game faced a judge in Cleveland.

Ernest and Anne Fugate are facing child endangering charges after police said they tried to leave the game without their 9-year-old son.

Police said the Fugates brought the boy to a Brown’s game Sept. 27 and attempted to leave without him. It’s a three-hour trip from Cleveland to their home in Circleville in Pickaway County.

Police reports show the Fugates came to municipal lot to tailgate before the Browns-Dolphins game. Ernest and Anna became intoxicated and had an argument.

During the fight, Ernest allegedly smashed their cell phones before heading into the stadium. Anna then sent their foster child into the game with two strangers.

Those strangers took the boy to security, sparking an investigation by stadium police. When police found the Fugates inside their car in the muni lot, they asked them about the missing foster child. Police said the couple laughed, shrugged, and said they wanted to go back to Circleville.

ONN’s Cristin Severance asked the couple to tell their side of the story after a pretrial hearing in court Wednesday. They shook their heads and left the talking to their attorney Michael Goldberg.”

Pickaway County couple pleads not guilty to trying to leave foster child
at Browns game
[Newsnet 5 10/13/11]

Update 2: The Defense.  “Ernest Fugate said he and his wife had tickets for different sections of the stadium’s end-zone area called the Dawg Pound during the game, and each thought the other one had the boy.

“Neither one of us knew the child was lost,” he told The Associated Press on Friday.

Fugate and his wife, Anna, both of Circleville, have pleaded not guilty to child endangering.

According to a police report, two people said a woman sent the boy off with them while they were walking in to the game between the Browns and Miami Dolphins on Sept 25. The two people then turned the boy over to security, the report said.

The boy told detectives the couple had argued while partying before the game and that Ernest Fugate, 54, departed to enter the stadium, leaving him with the foster mother. Fans told officers that the seats where the boy was supposed to be sitting had been empty throughout the game.

Officers stopped the couple in their car after the game, the report said. Police said the couple first told them the child had walked away before the game and then said they thought he was with the other parent.

“When asked why they were leaving without the child, they shrugged,” the report said. They then laughed when an officer asked why they didn’t report the child missing, the report said.

Fugate said on Friday that they did not try to leave without the boy. He said he didn’t know anything was wrong until he returned to his car before his wife after the game and found police officers waiting there.

“We love that kid,” Fugate said while crying. “He was my little guy. It was just an honest mistake. My wife and I didn’t mean any harm to that child.”

They went to the game because the boy is a Miami Dolphins fan, said Fugate, who spent 25 years as a guard at an Ohio youth prison before retiring.

He and his 56-year-old wife had been foster parents for the last seven years and they’ve taken in about 15 children during that time, he said. “And now that’s gone over one little misunderstanding,” Fugate said.”

Ohio couple say they didn’t abandon foster son at Browns game, call it big misunderstanding
[Associated Press 10/14/11 by Kantele Franko]

Update 3: Hat tip to commenter that gave us a head up to this story. We cannot find any news stories after October 14, 2011. We did find the Cleveland municipal court summary and docket for both Anna and Ernest (spelled without an A even though original media stories reported his name that way)

Anna Fugate had a hearing on December 6, 2011 and had a pretrial scheduled for 1/4/12. On 1/4/12 , one misdemeanor charge of endangering child was dismissed (nolle prosqui.)

Ernest Fugate had a hearing on December 6, 2011 and had a pretrial scheduled for 1/4/12. On 1/4/12, he pled no contest to one misdemeanor charge of endangering child. Sentencing was scheduled for 3/6/12.

On 3/6/12, Ernest was “FOUND GUILTY PASSED FOR SENTENCING (NOT REPORTING)” He was fined $1000 but $700 “OF THE FINE IS HEREBY SUSPENDED”, so he owes only $300.

Additionally, he is on “ACTIVE PROBATION FOR A PERIOD OF 1 YEAR ”

“THE PROBATION DEPARTMENT IS TO PERFORM A SUBSTANCE ABUSE ASSESSMENT AND IF NECESSARY IS TO PARTICIPATE IN SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNSELING AS REQUIRED”

and “DEFENDANT IS HEREBY GRANTED TIME TO PAY THE FINE/COSTS ASSESSED PRIOR TO 6/30/12 ”

REFORM Puzzle Piece