Couple Decided Not To Take Child To Hospital For 100 Degree Fever, Police Kick Down Their Door

The parents of a 2 year old who had a fever of 100 had ignored a doctor’s recommendation to take their 2-year-old to the hospital, saying their son’s fever had decreased.

Hospital calls social services / police and team kicks in their door in the middle of the night to take kids. Man, If I took my children to the hospital every time they had a fever of 100 I would still be in debt. This is just crazy.


www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2019/03/25/questions-due-process-rise-after-police-break-down-door-check-feverish-toddler/322 3829002/

Rep. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, who helped craft legislation requiring DCS to obtain a warrant before removing a child from their parents or guardians in non-emergency circumstances, said she was outraged by the response of police and DCS officials in the case.

“It was not the intent (of the law) that the level of force after obtaining a warrant was to bring in a SWAT team,” Townsend said. “The imagery is horrifying. What has our country become that we can tear down the doorway of a family who has a child with a high fever that disagrees with their doctor?”

“What about parents’ rights to decide what’s best for their child?” Townsend said. “Parents felt the child was fine. Next thing we know, the Gestapo is at their door.”

The case has made its way to a juvenile court room and sparked conversation over the balance between parental rights to care for their children versus the power of DCS and doctors.

It could take months of hearings and DCS-mandated instructions before the parents regain custody of their children. Or maybe they never will.

a reply to: infolurker

This is why I find that bipartisan "red flag" gun law dangerous. If a SWAT team can kick down your door in the middle of the night because your child is sick, then I don't know where we are anymore.

And you can't really fight it, so this whole family's lives are just turned upside-down just like that.

Shameful.

ETA: And what an inexcusable waste of tax dollars.

a reply to: infolurker

Bunch of damned Nazi's.

I hate Nazi's.

a reply to: sine.nomine

reason.com...

Just after midnight the caseworker got that notice, which is required by law. Matters subsequently escalated:

Cascio wrote that officers consulted with the police criminal investigations bureau and SWAT.

"Based upon the court order, the intent of DCS to serve the order, and exigency to ensure the health and welfare of the child, the decision was made to force entry to the home if the parents refused to respond to verbal requests," according to police records. Police knocked, saying they had a court order and would force entry if needed, according to police records.

And force they did:

It was after 1 a.m. when officers kicked down the family's door. One officer carried a shield, while another was described as having "lethal coverage." Officers pointing guns yelled, "Chandler Police Department," and entered the house.

The rest of the story is equally nuts. The kids were all placed in separate foster homes. When the case got to juvenile court 10 days later, DCS requested it be closed to the public. The judge refused.

But then it seemed as if DCS decided to make everything harder for the parents, because now the press was interested, as was the Arizona DCS Oversight Group, a local organization that fights for families' rights, and a state legislator, Rep. Kelly Townsend (R–Mesa), who had helped write the law requiring DCS to get a warrant before removing a child. Townsend has been lobbing zingers like, "What about the parents' rights to decide what's best for their child? Parents felt the child was fine. Next thing we know, the Gestapo is at their door."

In court, DCS tried to convince the judge, Jennifer Green, to bar the press from covering the dispute. A lawyer for the agency even claimed that the parents had gone against the best interests of the children by involving the media. Green rejected this argument, saying, "In Arizona we like our courts to be open."

However, the judge ultimately sided with DCS, ruling that the children's removal was lawful and telling the parents "to remember that the state had them on a family-reunification plan and wants them to regain custody of their children."

The children's grandparents are undergoing a DCS review, and hope to be permitted to temporarily shelter the kids once that's approved. But there's no telling how long it will be before the kids can just go home to mom and dad.

Sounds like a real good way to get yourself shot......

All I can say is if someone was trying to take my child, they would have to put me down first.....

Thats ridiculous, the police state is getting out of control.......

This family needs to slap both the doctor and CPS , along with the police department with a lawsuit so hard it gives them a spinal fracture.......

a reply to: infolurker

Whats worse, 100 temperature, or tearing children from their parents arms in the middle of the night?

They created irrepairable psychological/ emotional harm to those poor kids.

This is what makes me not want government involved health care.

a reply to: infolurker
With everything going on lately and all the blatant corruption in plain view it makes me glad I am old and can isolate from society for the rest of my life. Makes me very sad for young people.

I don't recognize this country anymore.

God help us because no human is going to fix this mess.

It will NOT get better.

a reply to: infolurker

This is so effed up.... In PA they won't even take your child in the hospital unless they have above 104 fever.

I'm not sure what my wife or i would do if this happened. All i know is i would be devasted, crushed and feel defeated. I would become a head hunter for sure if things didn't get straightened out shortly thereafter.

This story terrifies me as a parent... But let's give more power to the governments right???

originally posted by: GraffikPleasure
a reply to: infolurker

This is so effed up.... In PA they won't even take your child in the hospital unless they have above 104 fever.

I'm not sure what my wife or i would do if this happened. All i know is i would be devasted, crushed and feel defeated. I would become a head hunter for sure if things didn't get straightened out shortly thereafter.

This story terrifies me as a parent... But let's give more power to the governments right???

Im not trying to be a keyboard warrior here.........

But I can tell you what would happen if ANYONE kicked my door down at 1 am in the morning.......

a reply to: infolurker

That's really messed up, what does it cost just curiously to take your kid to the hospital for a fever?

Anyone who thinks police are not the corporations enforcement arm need to reevaluate their views of the world we live in.

originally posted by: BlueJacket
a reply to: infolurker

Whats worse, 100 temperature, or tearing children from their parents arms in the middle of the night?

They created irrepairable psychological/ emotional harm to those poor kids.

This is what makes me not want government involved health care.

We have government involved healthcare and this would not happen here, because it costs nothing to go to the hospital at 2am to get your kid checked if you choose to do so.

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: BlueJacket
a reply to: infolurker

Whats worse, 100 temperature, or tearing children from their parents arms in the middle of the night?

They created irrepairable psychological/ emotional harm to those poor kids.

This is what makes me not want government involved health care.

We have government involved healthcare and this would not happen here, because it costs nothing to go to the hospital at 2am to get your kid checked if you choose to do so.

What does that have to do with anything????????

She didnt choose not to go because of the cost, she chose not to go because he was feeling better..............

you read the article right?

a reply to: ManBehindTheMask

Well why would the police kick down the door and drag the child away, it seems that the child's welfare was not a priority, perhaps the hospitals bottom line was the priority, that's what my comments has do with it.

There is more to this story.

The doctor asked if the child had his vaccinations.

The mother said no.

Concerned that a lethargic child with a fever and lacking vaccinations could have meningitis, the doctor instructed the mother to take the child to the emergency department at Banner Cardon Children’s Medical Center in Mesa

The police arrived at 10:30 PM and got no response to a knock. After a few phone conversations, including a neighbor who called to help out the police, at 1 AM they finally took down the door. There is more like the warrant was not sought by the caseworker until after 11:30 PM.

I suspect had they just answered the door and showed them the kid was OK, no warrant would have been issued and they would all be home together right now.

Can't blame the doctor for not wanting to risk the kid had meningitis which could kill the kid in a few hours.

A rational couple would have simply opened the door and problem solved, no kids taken away. It's important to read the whole story.

Inside, they found a juvenile who said she was sick and had thrown up in her bed.

Officers said the home was “messy” with clothing piles and concrete floors. In the parent’s room, a shotgun lay next to the bed, according to police records.

Yep, much more to this story.

a reply to: Blaine91555

There's more to the story alright, this about not vaccinating, to me that reads like vaccinate your kids or risk the Gestapo taking them away.

a reply to: Blaine91555

Yep thats what I figured that there has to be more to this. it would be very unlikely for a doctor or nurse to take such actions based on just a fever of 100 on a child, unless the doctors and nurses felt concern for the safety of the child whether due to sickness or abuse.

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: ManBehindTheMask

Well why would the police kick down the door and drag the child away, it seems that the child's welfare was not a priority, perhaps the hospitals bottom line was the priority, that's what my comments has do with it.

mmm....OK, now I understand THAT line of thinking........I dont agree with it but I understand what you mean now.....

I think this has more to do with over reaching though tbh

a reply to: ManBehindTheMask

Well I'm pretty I was off with my comment as Blaine has pointed out this could possibly be more to do with the kid not being vaccinated.

a reply to: Blaine91555

Concerned that a lethargic child with a fever and lacking vaccinations could have meningitis,

Im not sure where many people go to the doctor, but where I come from, if they are concerned with meningitis, they test for it......

However, even that being said, doctors nor the police, should have the power to bust in a families home on a suspicion....

and if they were that worried, why did they wait till 1am in the morning to do so?


I get the concern, but the ability for a doctor to call in and have someones house raided, should be of MORE concern......

This is the exact reason why myself and hundreds of thousands of other former military men and women refuse to answer certain questions to doctors........

Remember when they were talking about the 2nd amendment and having to answer certain questions by doctors, and how it would NEVER EVER result in our 2nd amendment rights being violated?


Yeah........this is the exact reason .......

Everytime the gov, and people in power tell us "Dont worry" we immediately go the other direction, because we see the writing on the wall........

Now if this child was in IMMEDIATE danger, I can see action being taken, but like I said, if it were as detrimental as their ass covering excuse makes, they wouldnt have waited until zero dark thirty to execute it......

Not buying it

a reply to: Blaine91555

Well, that makes more sense I suppose.

I still hate Nazi's tho. . . .