"John and Jane" BARBOUR - 6 yo and 18 months - / Charged: Adoptive parents Pennsysvania Deputy Attorney General Douglas and wife Kristen Barbour - Pittsburgh PA

OCT. 6, 2012

Pittsburgh, PA – Pennsylvania Deputy Attorney General Douglas Barbour and his wife, Kristen, were arrested to abusing their adopted Ethiopian children. The children were reportedly found near death with skull fractures and bruises throughout their bodies. The couple faces charges of aggravated assault.

The Barbour’s 6-year-old son was found with skin lesions, extremely malnourished, and claimed his father hit him. An adopted 18-month-old girl had multiple skull fractures and may be permanently blind. The Pennsylvania Deputy Attorney General and his wife adopted the children in March through a church organization, according to the Daily Mail. The doctor who examined the allegedly abused children recommended that they do not have any contact with their adoptive parents. The physician also noted that the baby girl could be injured again or die, if placed back in the Barbour’s custody.

Allegheny County law enforcement officers launched an investigation into the public official after the children visited the doctor last month. The Ethiopian boy was admitted to the hospital for hypothermia, skin lesions, and rapid breathing, according to KDKA CBS Local. The boy’s doctor reportedly determined that the skin lesions were a result of prolonged exposure to urine.

The baby girl’s eyes were reportedly rolling back in her head and she was having difficulty breathing. Multiple head fractures were in various stages of healing. Kristen Barbour allegedly told the physician that the girl often banged her head accidentally, but the doctor considers the injuries consistent with abuse.

The boy weighed 47 pounds when he arrived in the United States in March, but tipped the scales at only 37.5 pounds when he entered the hospital. He gained almost seven pounds during his six-day hospital stay. When Douglas Barbour was informed that his son’s temperature was just 93.6 degrees, he reportedly asked if that could be caused by being naked, wet, and cold in the bathroom for an hour. The child told investigators that he ate his meals in the bathroom and had been forced to stand in the dark if he had an accident in his pants.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly suspended Douglas Barbour without pay. Kelly also stated that her office is fully cooperating with the investigation and that her thoughts are with the children. The Barbours are currently out on bond pending an October 9 preliminary hearing.

By Tara Dodrill

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2012/10/04/deputy-attorney-general-wife-charged-with-abusing-adopted-children/

WTH, why did these idiots adopt children? Obviously they didn't want them and didn't have basic human kindness enough to feed and care for them. Then there is the abuse... Is that why they wanted them, to abuse them?

Unbelievable.I'll let our Mod Twink title this put it in it's place and follow it through.Thank you LittleGirl37 for the info.

You're Welcome...so sad, yet happens way more often than we'd think...

Sad, make me very mad at the accused. I would love an adopted child with all my heart and soul even if the child were from another country. Just breaks my heart. At least they are alive and have a chance now.
William

Couple Accused In Alleged Abuse Of Adopted Children Facing News Charges

November 19, 2012 8:52 PM

LEETSDALE (KDKA) — A local couple, accused in the alleged abuse of their adopted children, is now facing new charges.

Despite the accusations, the couple’s attorneys say the charges make no sense.

When Douglas and Kristen Barbour arrived for their preliminary hearing on Monday, they and their attorneys were surprised to learn they’re about to face new charges.


At district court in Leetsdale, Douglas Barbour – a suspended Pennsylvania Deputy Attorney General – held hands with his wife as they learned that in addition to facing charges they abused two Ethiopian children they adopted, they will also face two additional reckless endangerment charges and a new aggravated assault charge.

They have been able to see their biological children under supervision, but have not been able to see their adoptive children.

The new aggravated assault charge apparently relates to allegations the 6-year-old adopted boy was not fed properly at the couple’s Franklin Park home.

It’s a charge their lawyers deny.

“What is the basis for this aggravated assault? Is it truly that they purposely withheld food and they were starving this child to death? Which is absurd,” said Robert Stewart, a defense attorney. “He was taken to the hospital that day because they were concerned about the weight loss.”

KDKA’s Harold Hayes: “Can you tell us about the new charges?”

Prosecutor Laura Ditka: “No, we have no comment at this time.”

While Ditka declined comment, the couple’s attorneys – who spoke out publicly for the first time Monday – accused prosecutors of selectively using the Barbour’s statements to suit the charges.

They asked for and were granted a delay in the preliminary hearing. They say the couple is frustrated.

“You can imagine it’s very difficult on them,” said defense attorney Charles Porter. “There’s no suggestion whatsoever that there were any problems whatsoever with their biological children. They seek to adopt two children and bring them into their homes and my question is why would you adopt two children and abuse them when your own are fine? It makes no sense in life that you would do that.”

A preliminary hearing on all charges now scheduled for January.


http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2012/11/19/couple-accused-in-alleged-abuse-of-adopted-children-facing-news-charges/

Pennsylvania Ex-Prosecutor Douglas Barbour, Wife, Plead In Adoption Abuse Case

Posted:  06/24/2014 2:02 pm EDT    Updated:  06/24/2014 2:59 pm EDT  



 

(Reuters) - A former Pennsylvania prosecutor and his wife pleaded no contest on Monday to charges of endangering the welfare of two children they adopted from Ethiopia.

Douglas Barbour 34, and Kristen Barbour, 32, agreed to the plea in exchange for the dismissal of other criminal charges, including assault, during a court appearance in Pittsburgh.

They were arrested in 2012 on suspicion of starving their 5-year-old adopted son and mistreating their 13-month-old daughter, both of whom were adopted from Ethiopia.

The boy was 10 pounds (4.5 kg) underweight and found to have skin lesions from being left in urine-soaked clothing, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, citing doctors and the criminal complaint. The girl had head trauma and other physical ailments, the complaint said.

The Barbours also had two biological children at home.

Douglas Barbour, who was a deputy state attorney general at the time of his arrest, resigned from the post last year. He is likely to face probation at his sentencing on September 15 for two misdemeanor counts of child endangerment, prosecutors said.

Kristen Barbour could face prison time for two felony counts of child endangerment, the Allegheny County District Attorney's office said.

Her attorney told reporters outside the courtroom that he agreed with the judge's assessment that the Barbours' adoption of two children from a poverty-stricken African country had been an "act of charity gone awry."

"These two wanted to adopt children from a third world country to try to give them a better life," Robert E. Stewart said. "I think it was just a matter of being overwhelmed."



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/24/douglas-barbour_n_5526416.html

Protest Planned Over Sentencing in Abuse of Adopted Ethiopian Children

Published by Tadias Magazine October 16th, 2014 

Douglas, left, and Kristen Barbour, right, leave the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pennsylvania after being sentenced by Judge Jeffrey Mannin. (Photo: Bob Donaldson/Post-Gazette)


Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
By Paula Reed Ward

A member of the Allegheny County Children, Youth and Families advisory board is organizing an event Friday to protest what she considers a lenient sentence for a former Franklin Park couple accused of abusing their adopted Ethiopian children.

“My personal calling is advocating for the most vulnerable children,” said Joanna Huss, who runs a public relations firm.

She is angry about the sentences received by Douglas and Kristen Barbour, who prosecutors said withheld food from the 6-year-old boy they adopted and forced him to lie in his own urine, and allowed the 1-year-old girl, who ultimately sustained a brain injury, to remain untreated for fractures she suffered.

The couple pleaded no contest to endangering the welfare of children. Douglas Barbour pleaded to two misdemeanor counts, with an agreement with prosecutors for a sentence of probation. Kristen Barbour pleaded to two felony counts, and her sentence was left up to the court.

Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey A. Manning ordered Douglas Barbour to serve five years’ probation and sentenced his wife in the standard recommended guideline range — originally setting the penalty at six to 12 months alternative housing. But her attorney, Robert E. Stewart, filed a motion for reconsideration, saying that if she were forced to serve that sentence there would be no one at home to care for the couple’s two biological children because her husband works.

On Friday, the judge modified the sentence, requiring Kristen Barbour to serve her sentence at the Mercer County jail, but with work release. She will be allowed to leave the jail five days a week to go home and care for her children but report back each night.

Ms. Huss said she felt sickened by the sentence imposed. The protest at noon on Friday in the Allegheny County Courthouse courtyard is designed to bring attention to sentencing guidelines in Pennsylvania for crimes against children, generally, and to what she feels is an “injustice” in the Barbours’ case, specifically.

Amie Downs, a spokeswoman for county CYF, had no comment.

The protest is being conducted in Huss’ role as a private citizen, she said.

“I want people who have read about this to stand up,” Ms. Huss said. “Children who are abused — if there is a light sentence for the perpetrator, it’s no deterrent.

“It sends a message that we as a society don’t care.”


http://www.tadias.com/10/16/2014/protest-planned-over-sentencing-in-abuse-of-adopted-ethiopian-children/#sthash.dLcep608.dpuf

I can't help but wonder if these POSs know the Jackson's, the couple in New Jersey accused of the same thing and who are now on trial.

These POSs should not be allowed to have custody of their children.  This sentence is an affront to all the abused children out there, especially these two, one of whom is brain damaged due to the gawd awful abuse these poor children suffered through. 

Why is the judge so sympathetic?  Maybe judge Manning is himself a child abuser.  This sentence certainly makes him an accomplice, aiding and abetting this couple in their horrific crimes against two defenseless children.

He should be thrown off the bench and disbarred.