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Show The Salt Lake Tribune UTAH Is DCFS Making the Grade, or Failing Children? NEN Two Groups Offer Conflicting Reports of Agency BY KATHERINEKAPOS THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE The Division of Child and Family Services is mal “significant improvements” in caring for abused and neglected children in Utah and de- serves an overall rating of B-plus for 1996, according to a preliminary audit released Thursday. But those findings come just four days beforea state monitoring panelis expected to release a scat report that says the state’s child-welfare system is failing to make progress. “Utah's children are being better The scourge of vinyi caz seats. FOR THE RECORD served than they were a year ago,” according to the audit conducted by the Bureauof Services Review (BSH), an arm of the state Health and Human Services Department. The department includes the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS). GUARD MISSING The FBIis searching for clues in the disappearance of an armored-car driver, whose vehicle was found empty and abandonedat the St. George airport. A search is under way for Elbert Eugene Randail, 61, of Washington, Utah, who had been working for Wells Fargo about five years. ‘Mr. Randall is considered a victim at this point,” FBI Special Agent Debbie Calhoun said Thursday. There have beenfive armored car robberies in the Las Vegas area since 1993, andail wereinside jobs, according to Calhoun. Randall was due home about 8 p.m. Tuesday, and called his wife earlier in the day to say he was running late and was on his way to Las Vegas. He had a pickuplater in St. George, according to his family. The armored car had a full load of money and had madeseveral stops to pick up cash between Las Vegas, Mesquite, Nev., and St. George, John Abbot, director of BSR,said he rushed to compile the preliminary report so the numbers could be present- ed to members of the Child Welfare Legislative Oversight Panel at its monthly meeting Thursday. Abbot said his office reviewed 600 random cases throughoutthestate between Septemberof 1995 and April of West). Workers hearing the bus fall found Allgood pinned to the ground with a strut across his upper chest. Paramedics pronounced the victim dead at the — Industrial-safety officials will probe the acci: lent, 0 CARNIVAL WORKERIS BACK An Idaho manis to be arraigned next month in the attempted shotgun slaying of his live-in girlfriend outside a carnivaltrailer in Logan. Brian K. Ohler, 31, is accused of shooting Theresa Loveday,30, July 11. Lovedaywas listed in critical condition Thursday at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, where she was being treated for massive abdominal injuries. Ohler is to be arraigned in ist District Court Aug. 12 on a charge of attempted criminal homicide, a seconddegree felony. He was brought back from Pocatello on Monday, said Logan police Lt. Craig Andrews. Loveday was shot in the stemach about 4 a.m. at Logan's Willow Park. Ohler wasarrested by Idaho State Police five hours laterafter his car broke down on a highway near Downey,Idaho. o TWO SEPARATE CASES Two experts agree bodily fluids from murder defendant MichaelS. Decorsocould tie him to the 1994 abduction and sexual assault of twogirls in Tooele County. Third District Judge Leslie A. Lewis will decide whether a jury will be allowed to hear the experts’ testimony during a penalty phase if Decorso is convicted in a separate murdercase. Decorso, 27, a former firefighter, is facing trial Sept. 9 in the murder of shoe-store clerk Margaret Anne Martinez. The victim, a mother of two, was found dead at a Payless Shoesource outlet Feb. 15, 1994. Semen found at the scene of the Tooele County kidnappingassault case genetically matches Decorso’s blood and tissue samples,testified Jay Henry of the Utah State requirements in 92% of the child pro- Crime Laboratory and Lynn Jorde, professor with the University of Utah’s department of human ge- were getting just fair or even poorprotection by the state. appearing into the Weber River near Riverdale Wednesday evening. Michael L. Tayior and some friends were jumping into the river where a rock dam creates a waterfall. Taylor fell or jumpedin, but never broke surface. Searchers were called to the area at 6:40 p.m. and scoured the river until dark. By noon Thursday, 60 volunteers, Riverdale police officers and sheriff's deputies were back on the water but had found nosign of the victim. a DRUG SHOOTING Two men were hospitalized Wednesday evening after gunfire erupted on a Salt Lake City street inan apparentdispute over drugs. A deal was being transacted on tne 800 East block of 600 South when a suspect began pummeling a victim in the head, police said. A second victim, described as a bystander, was shot point-biank in the thigh with a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun when he attempted to intervene. Surgeons at University Hospital were trying to save the shooting victim's leg, police said. The gunman was iast seen running north on 900 East and a 19year-old accomplice was taken into custody Qo BOYS SUSPECTEDiN BLAZE A 14-year-old Orem boy and an 11-year-old Pleasant Grove boy have been referred to Juvenile Court for allegedly starting a fire Sunday al a Pleasant Grove business complex under construction at about 1400 W. Garden Drive, owned by Reed Swenson. Pleasant Grove police Det. Jay Thornton said the boys were reieased to their parents, Whenfire- fighters responded to the blaze Sunday at 6:20 p.m., ter, in its handling of child-welfare services. He said that conclusion will be challenged because Utah has made significant improvements. “We closed 700 adoptions last year. That's unheard of. We put $63 million into the system and we hired caseworker after caseworker. We've re- order the state to comply more quickly andeffectively with the terms of the settlement. Meanwhile, Gov. Mike Leavitt moved to pre-empt the monitoring departmental audit and slamming the San Francisco-based NCYLas a bunch Tooele Base Fine-Tunes Leak Detection BYJIM WOOLF THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE OPHIR — Thesiren sounded Thursday at 11 a.m. in this old mining town on the backside of the Oquirrh Mountains.It was anothertest of the system that would warn residents of a serious leak of deadly chemical-warfare agent from Army's nearby Tooele ChemicalActivity. Caleeae,ee an a where there never agreement because of the painful decision--making involved, Leavitt said. “T've dealt with the agency on a personal basis over and over in the last six months, and | know of perfect,” he said. “But the vast majority of children in that agency are treated with extraordinary care, and we're caring for 2,100 children as though we are parents. Anystate is an inadequate substitute for a parent, but weare on track for getting better.” While the monitoring body and NCYLaresureto dismiss thestate report as a study overseen by the department underinvestigation, Leavitt said the monitoring panel’s study is unrealistic. It contains 92 measurements for gauging compliance, he said, including trained everyone in the system,” Leavitt said. such things as whethera file is up to date. It also looked at just 48 files out of those on 2,100 children, Leavitt said. with compliance? Yes, he said again, “but weare getting better.” Tribune reporter Laurie Sullivan Maddox contributed to this story. Are there problems in DFS?Yes, the governor acknowledged. Problems group's report by citing results of the America’s Most VANTED SeSeaBaeee Yo popularity, this has POSTURE SERIES it $18 The wailing alarm was heard clearly by some 30 people attending a meeting of the Utah Citizens’ Ad- and after the high-pitched alarm. Kari Sagers, Tooele County's emergency managementdirector, said residents throughout the area dase 9 aet a have reported similar problems during pasttests: They almost always hear the alarm,but not the explanation unless they are close to oneof the 37 sirens scattered through the area. 5 Yr. Ltd. Warranty re 5 Yr. Ltd. Warranty POSTURE sie lgl es visory Commission on Chemical Weapons Demilitarization at the Ophir Park — abouta mile from the closest siren. But no one heard the verbal message broadcast through the same speakers both before TWIN FULL QUEEN KING $ The solution, she said, is for the Army to erect more sirens so everyone can receive information recut ie emdaas Armybase. The Armyis considering the request. Col. Robert Coughlin, commanderof the Tooele Chemical Activity, told the commission the Armyis fine-tuning someofits procedures following a June oo (| 17 incident in which a minute quantity of chemical SUPERFIR amy tg tm O)Le) agent was detected outside a store igloo where workers were repairing a 105-mm projectile leaking small quantities of the nerve agent GB. Filters attached to the back of the igloo were sup- $44 $59 $69 $69 EA. EA. EA. EA. PC. PC. PC. PC. 10 Yr. Ltd. Warranty TWIN FULL QUEEN KING $ 59 $79 $99 $ 89 EA. PC. EA. PC. EA. PC. EA. PC. td. Warranty $ 64 EA. PC. $89 EA, PC. POSTURE enh Cel eh EXTRA FIRM about whatto do if something terrible happens at the QUEEN KING $114 EA. PC. $94 EA, PC. 20 Yr. Ltd. Warranty TWIN $74 EA. PC FULL $99 EA. PC. QUEEN $124 EA. PC. KING $104 EA. PC. 25 Yr. Ltd. Warranty TWIN $99 EA. PC. FULL $149 EA. PC. QUEEN $174 EA. PC. KING $149 EA. PC. posedto suck all the contaminatedair from the storage area and pass it through a carbon canister to remove any harmful chemicals. As a result, Army proceduresdid notcall for placing an agent monitor near the igloo’s front door. However,in the June 17 incident, a truck parked nearthe front door just happened to have a monitor running while the leak was being repaired, and it sounded ay alarm after detecting a tiny amount of chemical agent in theair. Coughlin said the incident has prompted the Army to make two changes. First, they have switched to a largerfilter that should keep the air moving to the back of the igloos. Second, crews now will place a trillion. After mixing with the air, Coughlin said,it would have been undetectable farther than 380 feet : ee ee U.Hospital Treats, Releases Idahoan With Hantavirus A 28-year-old Idaho farmworker was treated at 4 Maaa kaaaca sired - aoehae from the igloo. ed of erent ANS} paioie. Se. 3s University Hospital in Salt Lake City for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Benito Sanchez was working near Biackfoot when he became ili. After feeling sick for five days, he was examined by physician Steven Clinger at Bingham Memorial Hospital. Clinger diagnosed Sanchez and sent him to the Salt Lake City the hospital on a medical helicopter. Sanchez spentfive days in the U. Hospital's inten- sive care unit, but was released from the hospital on Thursday. Hantavirus is carried primarily by rodents, who excrete it in urine and feces. Humans can become infected if the excrement dries and the virus becomes airborne, Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting and shortaess of breath. About half the victims die after blood vessels in their lungs leak so much fluid they cannot breathe According to Jack Bennett, an epidemiolgist with the Southeastern Idaho Health District, the rodent population in southern Idaho {s larger than usual ‘This is the second case of hantavirus diagnosed in theregion this year. Utah has not reported any cases of hantavirus since August 1994. “The fact that we're not getting any cases means people are getting cautious and using the appropriate precautions when coming upon rodent-infested areas," said Gerrie Dowdie manager of communicable diseases for the Utah De- Damageis estimated approximately $80,000. partment of Heaith g say the state is getting worse, not bet- threatened to ask a federa) judge to they found the complex fully engulfed in flames. Fire Chief Mark Hales said. Firefighters were able to keep the/blase from spreading to nearby homes ing to fix a departmentwith every resourcethe state has,” Leavitt said in an interview. The state has hired a private law firm, Ray Quinney & Nebeker, to defendit in the action. A San Francisco firm has agreed to help the NCYLlawyers free of charge. Leavitt, who has read the monitoring report due out Monday, said it will Officials from the National Center For Youth Law (NCYL), which sued the state in 1993 claimingit neglected children in state care, criticized the BSRaudits for not being independent. “J don't trust the honesty andcredibility of anything that comes out of thatoffice,” said NCYLstaff attorney Bill Grimm. Grimm said he puts morefaith in the findings of a monitoring panel, which was appointed as a watchdog over DCFS as part of a 1994 out-of-court settlementof the suit. The NCYL has Tooele County Sheriff's Office investigating the o away from solving the problem. “This litigation is wasteful and very counterproductive because we're try- audit that shows onein five children are working on a leak inside to assure nothing is escaping. The amount of agent that escaped was extremely small, with concentrations measured in parts per 1994 kidnapping and assaultcase. of lawyers charging $250 an hour who only divert the state's time and money D-Murray, pointing to a portion of the monitorat the front doorof the igloo every time they BOY DISAPPEARS A 16-year-old boy is presumed drownedafterdis- GOV. MIKE LEAVITT ‘On the Division of Child and Family Services’ job tective services cases avd 75% of the foster-care cases. The full report will be completed in September. But some lawmakers were skeptical. “Some of these number's I'm not happy with,” said Sen. Blaze Wharton, netics. Prosecutors said during a hearing this week that Decorso left traces of bodily fluids on three articles of clothing gathered by officials from the “any state is an inadequate substitute for a parent, but we are on track for getting better.”” 1996. Auditors determined that DCFS meets ali assessment and placement Qo MECHANIC KILLED A mechanic was crushed to death Thursday while working on a tour bus. Richard G. Allgood, 32, was working under the rear end of the bus with the wheels off when the 20-ton vehicle apparently slipped offits supports, said Salt Lake City fire Capt. Jeff Stansfield. The 9 a.m. accident occurred at the maintenance shop of Le Bus, 542 S. Delong St. (2600 rt Friday, July 19, 1996 i 2 al a awe eee ys oa r |