CT Supervisor Arrested

Social worker arrested for lying, fabricating evidence, witness tampering back on the job....

Subject: Hartford, CT - Connecticut DCF Watch Gives Comment to the

Hartford C

Thomas M. Dutkiewicz, President of Connecticut DCF Watch also gave his

opinion to Channel 3 Eyewitness News when they requested an interview

with him on May 19, 2006.

From courant.com

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Social Worker Back On Job

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State Labor Ruling Forces DCF To Rehire Employee Who Was Arrested

By COLIN POITRAS

Courant Staff Writer

May 20, 2006

A state social worker who was fired following allegations of fabricating evidence and tampering with a witness in a child endangerment case has gotten her job back with back pay, officials and sources familiar with the case said Friday.

Valerie M. Miles returned to work at the Department of Children and Families last week. Miles is no longer handling abuse and neglect cases.

She is currently doing research in the agency's central Hartford office after accepting a reduction in pay, said Gary Kleeblatt, a DCF spokesman.

Miles was making more than $100,000 a year as a DCF supervisor in the Hartford regional office. She was placed on administrative leave when the allegations surfaced on July 7, 2005. The agency conducted an internal investigation and fired her a short time later.

She was arrested by Hartford police on July 28, 2005, and charged with two counts of fabricating evidence and one count of witness tampering.

Police accused Miles of falsely insisting in a sworn affidavit that plastic bags of drugs were found during a raid of a Hartford home that resulted in four children being taken from their parents. Police said they never found drugs in the home. Police also accused Miles of forcing one of the family's neighbors to provide a false statement supporting her claim about drugs in the home. The neighbor later told police she felt pressured to lie, according to Miles' arrest affidavit.

Miles received a special form of probation that allowed her to avoid prosecution on the criminal charges. Under this form of probation, she was not found innocent or guilty; her prosecution was suspended pending completion of her probation.

Miles appealed her termination through her union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Council 4 of New Britain. Kleeblatt said the state labor relations office reviewed the case and decided not to refer the matter to a neutral arbitrator for resolution. Under state labor law, the agency was forced to reverse Miles' termination based on the labor relations' ruling, Kleeblatt said.

"She's back at work because she was able to persuade enough of the right people that she had done nothing wrong and she is innocent," Miles' lawyer, Leon M. Rosenblatt of West Hartford, said.

Rosenblatt said he is confident that Miles would have won her case had the matter gone to arbitration. He said Miles intends to sue the Hartford Police Department for damages.

Not everyone was pleased with the outcome.

"It's appalling that a government officer who has tampered with and fabricated evidence against an American citizen should be tolerated," said Thomas M. Dutkiewicz, president of Connecticut DCF Watch, an organization of parents who monitor state and national child welfare services. "They didn't just break the law; they violated someone's civil rights."

www.connecticutDCFwatch.com

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DCF Supervisor Arrested, Suspended
COLIN POITRAS
Courant Staff Writer

July 29 2005

A Department of Children and Families social worker is accused of fabricating evidence and tampering with a witness in a child endangerment case in Hartford earlier this year.

Valerie M. Miles, a social work supervisor in DCF's Hartford office, turned herself in and was arrested about 2 p.m. Thursday. She was released on $10,000 bail pending an appearance in Superior Court scheduled for Aug. 11 in Hartford.

Hartford police were not releasing any further details and DCF officials were reluctant to comment on the matter.

It was unclear Thursday whether the charges related to one of Miles' child abuse and neglect investigations at work or to an incident in her personal life.

Miles, 48, lives at 53 Dogwoood Road, Plainville.

Hartford police said the charges were based on an incident involving the risk of injury to a child at 296 Hudson St. in Hartford on May 27. Miles was charged with two counts of fabricating physical evidence and one count of witness tampering.

Miles was placed on paid administrative leave on July 7, said DCF spokesman Gary Kleeblatt. State records show her current salary is about $103,000 a year. Miles has worked at DCF for 16 years.

"We're cooperating with police," Kleeblatt said. "This is under investigation and we will take appropriate disciplinary action as warranted up to and including termination."

"Allegations of this nature are extremely troubling and we are going to take them very seriously," Kleeblatt said.

Miles could not be reached for comment Thursday. She is represented by West Hartford attorney Leon M. Rosenblatt. He also was reluctant to discuss the details of the case.

"It is in fact true that she surrendered to a warrant today," Rosenblatt said. "Beyond that, stay tuned."

CT CPS SUPERVISOR ARRESTED FOR FABRICATING EVIDENCE AND TAMPERING WITH A WITNESS:

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/connecticut/ny-bc-ct-brf--dcfarrest0729jul29,0,6936608.story?coll=ny-region-apconnecticut
Social worker charged in child endangerment case

July 29, 2005, 7:54 AM EDT

HARTFORD, Conn. -- A supervisor with the state
Department of Children and Families has been arrested
on charges of fabricating evidence and tampering with
a witness in a child endangerment case.

Valerie M. Miles, 48, of Plainville, turned herself in
to police Thursday afternoon.

Miles had been placed on paid administrative leave on
July 7, according to DCF spokesman Gary Kleeblatt.

"We're cooperating with police," Kleeblatt said. "This
is under investigation and we will take appropriate
disciplinary action as warranted up to and including
termination."

Police did not release any other details about the
arrest.

Miles was released on $10,000 bond pending an
appearance in Superior Court scheduled for Aug. 11