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Someone needs to figure out how to fix CPS. And not a “well if there was better funding we could hire more incompetent people to really half ass things cause we don’t comprehend the gravity of our actions (or lack of)”
 
@Satanica
Jun 4, 2019
Madison County prosecutors are seeking life without parole against Dylan Tate, 28, who is accused of molestation and murder in the death of 18-month-old Harlan Haines in February 2018.

On April 22, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Grey Chandler filed information for a life without parole sentence if Tate is convicted of murder.

The court filing states aggravating circumstances in the case that allow for a life without parole sentence include Tate murdered Harlan "by intentionally killing" the child while committing or attempting to commit child molesting or he tortured Harlan while the child was alive or the fact that Harlan was under the age of 12 at the time of his death.

The state has also filed a request to grant immunity to Harlan's mother, Jennifer Harris, for any evidence she provides against Tate, her boyfriend at the time. Harris is charged with Level 1 felony neglect of a dependent resulting in death.

If provided, the evidence cannot be used in any criminal proceeding against Harris unless the evidence is volunteered by her or is not responsive to a question by the prosecuting attorney or the attorney for the defendant, or if she commits perjury.

Harris is listed as a witness and co-defendant in the case.

Court records also list Jacob Wootton as a witness for the defense. Wootton is the stepfather of Ryder Stephen, a 2-year-old from Elwood who died after being found unconscious while in Wootton's care on Oct. 26.

Wootton is charged with Level 1 felony neglect of a dependent resulting in death and murder in the death of his stepson.
 
Dr. Nathanael Swinger was one of the intensive care unit pediatricians at Riley Hospital who treated Harlan. He testified that the first thing he noticed about the toddler was the bruises “all over his body.”

Swinger said it looked like “someone had beaten this kid to hell.”

He also testified to the injuries to Harlan’s anus.

“The only time I have ever seen that is when someone forcefully puts something in their rectum,” Swinger said.

He said Harlan’s injuries were not consistent with a car accident.

Swinger testified that Harlan was declared medically dead on Feb. 25, but “technically — he died before he got to Community.”

In addition to injuries seen when children are shaken violently, Harlan also had two bite marks that appeared to be from an adult and multiple burns that are consistent with cigarette burns, said Dr. Shannon Thompson, a pediatrician who specializes in child abuse.

Unlike normal bruising on toddlers’ elbows and shins, Harlan’s injuries were on his abdomen, the inside of his legs and on the inside soles of his feet. He also had lacerations and linear bruising in his groin area.

Thompson said Harlan’s injuries were consistent with child abuse, not a car accident.

Tate rested his head on his clasped hands and never looked at the child’s images as they were projected onto a large screen for jurors on Monday.
 
Dylan Tate found guilty on all counts. Phase 2 of the trial is moving forward because life without parole is being considered.

An Anderson man already in jail on charges related to the death of an 18-month-old boy has been additionally charged with murder and child molestation.

Dylan Tate, 27, is accused of physical and sexual abuse of 18-month-old Harlan Haines. The toddler died back in February after Tate reportedly crashed his car with Haines inside on the way to the hospital. They eventually made it to Community Hospital.

According to medical professionals at the hospital, Harlan was in respiratory arrest, his pupils were dilated, he had extensive bruising on his body, and went into cardiac arrest. A partial napkin or paper towel was found in his airway. Doctors told police the injuries weren’t consistent with a motor vehicle accident.

There, staff discovered the following injuries: pulmonary contusions, extensive bruising along entire body, anoxic brain injury, intracranial hemorrhaging, multiple soft tissue injuries to head and face, subgleal hematoma, possible bite marks on left arm and left leg, rectal bleeding with a possible tear, bruising on scrotum and genitals, bruising on both feet, abdominal bruising, punctate lesions on torso, upper abdomen and mid upper back, and bruising around his mouth and ears.

On Tuesday, prosecutors filed murder and child molesting charges against Tate.

Earlier this year, FOX59 learned Haines was on the radar of child welfare workers since December 2017.

Photos released by the Indiana Department of Child Services and the Madison County courts this week show the injuries Haines had during a hospital visit that month. The little boy’s eyes were both bruised. There was also bruising along his ear and he had a fractured leg.

Harris told doctors a Christmas tree fell on Haines. Due to concerns from hospital staff about the validity of the mother’s story, a DCS investigation was launched. But, the case was closed a few weeks later and Harlan remained in his mother’s care.
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A Madison County man will spend the rest of his life in prison for the death of his girlfriend’s son.

On Tuesday, a judge sentenced Dylan Tate to life without parole plus 50 years for child molestation and 2.5 years for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

In June, he was convicted on all five counts he faced: murder, neglect of a dependent resulting in death, child molesting and two counts of operating a vehicle while intoxicated in the death of 18-month-old Harlan Haines.

Jennifer Harris’ trial is scheduled for November, according to court records. She is charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death.
 
Jennifer Harris is guilty of neglect.

Harris, 29, was convicted by a jury of Level 1 felony neglect of a dependent resulting in the death of her 18-month-old son, Harlan Haines.

The Anderson woman was found not guilty of Level 5 felony neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury.

“I’m happy with the jury’s decision,” Madison County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Steve Koester said.

Closing arguments lasted more than two hours, but the jurors took twice as long to reach a decision and they requested the testimony of two witnesses in the trial before returning their verdict.

Deputy Prosecutor Grey Chandler said the length of time taken for deliberations and the acquittal on the secondary charge of neglect are good indicators the jury “really thought about it.”

Chandler told jurors during closing arguments that Harris “violated the sanctity of motherhood and Harlan paid the price.” He said Harris knew her child was being abused and she did nothing to protect him.

“She had a hand in Harlan’s death,” Chandler said.

Dylan Tate, Harris’ boyfriend, was convicted in 2019 of brutally beating, torturing and molesting Harlan before the child’s death. Tate never testified during his trial, but authorities said he tried to cover the murder and the injuries inflicted on Harlan with a fake car accident on Feb. 23, 2018.

Tate told authorities he woke up that morning and found Harlan struggling to breathe. He picked the child up without waking Harris and rushed him to the hospital, but crashed into a pole on his way to Community Hospital Anderson.

Doctors said Harlan was severely abused prior to his death and they found a paper towel shoved down his throat and blocking his airway when he was brought to the hospital.

Harris showed few emotions during the trial or when the verdict was read. She brushed away occasional tears when photos of Harlan – covered in bruises, bite marks and cigarette burns – were shown; otherwise she kept her eyes averted from his pictures and a video played for the jurors.

John Reeder, Harris’ defense attorney, cross-examined witnesses, but did not present any evidence or call witnesses to the stand during the trial. He declined to comment about the trial after the verdict was read.
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An Anderson woman will spend decades behind bars in connection with the 2018 death of her 18-month-old son.

Jennifer Harris was sentenced to 40 years after she was found guilty last month of neglect of a dependent resulting in death. The full sentence is to be executed in jail.

Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings said the boy "went through hell and died."

"What happened to that child is horrific, and unimaginable," he said. "It’s chilling to think what that poor child went through."

The Department of Child Services had investigated reported abuse involving Harlan in December 2017 but closed the case a few weeks later, saying injuries he’d suffered in that incident were “concerning…but not definitive.”

In the 2017 case, he suffered bruising and a fractured leg. His mother, Jennifer Harris, said a Christmas tree had fallen on him. Hospital staff contacted DCS because they had doubts about the validity of her explanation.
 
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“concerning…but not definitive.”

Can we get some neglect charges on those fucks, too?
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Interesting, that particular DCS is apparently really bad .. here is some drama.


If I read this right, child's uncle was actually a caseworker there. They tried to get custody before the child was murdered, and were denied.

Corrupt director of that DCS fired the uncle right after the murder happened to make sure he couldn't into get the case records and such. Uncle says they were so terrible that they weren't even following their own protocol and procedures and if they'd done so the kid wouldn't have been murdered.
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Terry Stigdon, corrupt DCS director in Anderson, Indiana.. yeah can they load up some charges on that one plz too, and maybe try to scoop up the rest who helped let all that happen. thx!
 
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Can we get some neglect charges on those fucks, too?
Post automatically merged:

Interesting, that particular DCS is apparently really bad .. here is some drama.


If I read this right, child's uncle was actually a caseworker there. They tried to get custody before the child was murdered, and were denied.

Corrupt director of that DCS fired the uncle right after the murder happened to make sure he couldn't into get the case records and such. Uncle says they were so terrible that they weren't even following their own protocol and procedures and if they'd done so the kid wouldn't have been murdered.
Post automatically merged:

Terry Stigdon, corrupt DCS director in Anderson, Indiana.. yeah can they load up some charges on that one plz too, and maybe try to scoop up the rest who helped let all that happen. thx!
I wonder what happened with this claim
 
The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld the conviction and 40-year sentence of Jennifer Lynn Harris, mother of 18 month old Harlan Haines, for her role in boy’s death.

Harris’ former boyfriend, Dylan Tate, was convicted in 2019 of the toddler’s murder, neglect and molestation.
Harris had argued the trial court abused its discretion in admitting photographic evidence, there was insufficient evidence to support her conviction and the sentence inappropriate in light of the nature of the offense and her character. The court disagreed on all points.
The photographs in question were taken by hospital staff and a Marion County deputy coroner.

“Although the photographs could be considered gruesome because they depicted the extreme and unfathomable injuries perpetrated against a helpless toddler, the photographs are relevant to show the extent and duration of H.H.’s injuries that the witnesses had orally described,” the court said in the opinion written by Judge Rudolph R. Pyle III.
Harris also argued prosecutors failed to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that she knowingly placed Harlan in a situation that endangered his life, the opinion said. However, the court pointed out that Harlan had been examined twice in December 2017 for suspicious injuries at a hospital and that his primary care physician suspected the child was a victim of abuse.

Harris also knew Tate to have a volatile personality after he kicked her out of their home in January 2018 because he remained angry over an incident in which Harlan’s leg had been broken, the opinion said. In addition, the opinion noted, Harris knew Tate was taking and selling drugs and by her own admission was becoming increasingly angry around the time he brutally beat Harlan.

“This evidence, which is sufficient to establish that Harris knowingly placed H.H. in a dangerous situation, is sufficient to support Harris’ Level 1 felony neglect of a dependent resulting in death conviction,” the court said.

In terms of the March 2020 sentencing, Harris argued the trial court entered a sentencing statement that included several improper aggravating factors that were unsupported by the record. Those include consideration of two misdemeanor convictions, consideration that Harlan was younger than 14 and that the brutality of Tate’s actions were not a proper basis for the enhanced sentence.

However, according to the evidence, the appeals court said, Harlan had at least 52 head to toe injuries that had taken place over time and were part of a “continuum of torture.”

The court said even if the trial court had erred, it would not have remanded Harris’ case for re-sentencing.

“Here, the trial court could have properly sentenced Harris to the maximum forty-year sentence based solely upon the aggravating factor that Harris violated her position of trust as H.H.’s mother,” the court said.
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Now go away and rot you rancid bitch.

What this baby suffered warning
Tate’s convictions arise from the death of H.H., the toddler son of his girlfriend, Jennifer Harris.

In February 2018, Tate and Harris put H.H. to bed after spending the day running errands.Tate then began drinking; around midnight, the couple went to sleep. Four hours later,while Harris was still asleep,Tate crashed his car, pulled H.H. from the vehicle, and rushed him to the hospital. Hospital staff saw that H.H. was the victim of life-threatening trauma, was not breathing, and was bruised all over his body. Examining H.H., they found myriad injuries, including significant brain damage; tearing, bleeding, and bruising around H.H.’s anus; scrapes around his genitals; a paper towel in his airway; and what appeared to be a burn mark on his back and bite marks on his left arm and leg. Although doctors temporarily brought H.H. back to life, they declared him brain dead two days later. The coroner determined the cause of death was multiple blunt-force trauma with traumatic brain injury. Police interviewed Tate three times about the boy’s injuries. After the investigation, the State charged Tate with crimes resulting in H.H.’s death.

At trial, the State argued that Tate had beaten H.H., stuffed a paper towel down his throat to quiet his screaming, molested him, and then crashed his car to cover up these crimes.

Tates life sentence without parole was upheld.
 
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The Indiana Supreme Court has affirmed the life without parole sentence for Dylan Tate who was convicted in the death of his girlfriend's son, 18-month-old Harlan Haines.

Tate, 29, was convicted by a Madison Circuit Court Division 1 jury in 2019 on charges of murder, child molesting, neglect of a dependent resulting in death and two counts of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Judge Angela Warner Sims' sentence was unanimously affirmed in January.

The state's highest court looked at two issues raised by Tate in his appeal that the court erred by admitting certain testimony and that there was not enough evidence during the trial to support the torture and child molesting aggravators of the sentence.

"We find sufficient evidence supporting these two aggravators and reject Tate's invitation to reweigh the evidence," the opinion reads.

The court opinion states that during his trial Tate's attorney didn't raise objections to the testimony.

"The medical records alone provide sufficient support for the jury's finding of torture, the decision reads. "Recall that H.H. (Harlan Haines) arrived at the hospital bruised all over, and the doctors and nurses found myriad injuries, including a paper towel stuffed down his throat and significant brain damage from blunt force trauma."

The court wrote the state proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Tate killed an 18-month-old child.

The boy's mother, Jennifer Harris, was sentenced by Judge Sims to 40 years in prison for neglect of a dependent resulting in death.

Her sentence was affirmed by the Indiana Court of Appeals in February.
 

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