3 violent deaths in 18 months under state's watch

3 violent deaths in 18 months under state's watch

January 30, 2007

JACK KRESNAK

FREE PRESS

Isaac Lethbridge is the third child to die violently in a Michigan foster or adoptive home in the past 18 months.

Ricky Holland, a 7-year-old former foster child from Jackson County, was killed by his adoptive parents in July 2005 in the family's home near Williamston in Ingham County.

The highly publicized case resulted in investigations by the Office of Children's Ombudsman and the state Department of Human Services that found that workers mishandled Ricky's case, ignoring reports from a therapist who suspected he was being abused.

His parents, Tim and Lisa Holland, are serving lengthy prison terms for his death. The DHS workers involved have left the department or were transferred to jobs that don't involve children.

Allison Newman, a 2-year-old Westland girl, died in a Canton foster home in September. Investigators said her blunt-force trauma injuries were caused by battering or when she was accidentally flung over a 12-foot balcony onto a hardwood floor.

Her licensed foster mother, Carol Poole, 40, was charged with felony murder and involuntary manslaughter. Poole, who is being held without bond, faces a final conference Feb. 23 before Wayne County Circuit Judge Ulysses Boykin. No trial date has been set.