3 sentenced in boy's death

Terry Horne

A Marion County judge sentenced an Indianapolis couple to prison Wednesday for child abuse that led to the death of a 4-year-old boy, but Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi says the case isn't over.

"I'm not done with this," Brizzi said vehemently. "I want to know who knew what and when."

The prosecutor announced his investigation of the child welfare system's placement of Anthony Bars minutes after Marion Superior Court Judge Cale Bradford sentenced Latricia Bars, 49, to 13 years in prison and her husband, L.B. Bars, 54, to eight years.

Bradford also sentenced their daughter, Hope Bars, 25, to 80 days in jail for battery. The sentence allowed her to leave the courtroom on probation because she had already served half of the sentence, the normal time served under good-behavior credits.

The couple, distant relatives of Anthony's, were convicted of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury. Evidence gathered by investigators showed the Barses had starved and beaten Anthony and his twin sister. To protect her privacy, The Indianapolis Star is not publishing her name.

When the little girl was removed from the Barses' home, she had about 100 scars and bruises, some from being whipped with an electrical cord folded in two. An autopsy revealed that Anthony weighed just 24 pounds at the time of his death and had numerous scars and bruises, some from being picked up by the neck.

"There are some cases that still shock," Brizzi told Bradford.

An unanswered question is why child welfare workers with the state Division of Family and Children suddenly removed the twins when they were 15 months old from a foster family and placed them with the Barses.

State procedures require caseworkers to conduct a criminal history check, which should have revealed that L.B. Bars was convicted in the late 1980s of battering his oldest daughter with an extension cord. He also was convicted in 1995 on a theft charge, according to court records.

Brizzi said he does know why the Barses wanted to adopt the twins.

"They did it for the money," he told Bradford.

The Barses collected $17 a day in welfare payments for each twin -- slightly more than $1,000 a month, he said.

"What we need to know is if a criminal background check was done. And if a criminal background check was done, why did they miss the conviction for battery? And if it wasn't done, that's a problem," Brizzi said afterward.

Scott MacGregor, a spokesman for the state welfare administration, said Division of Family and Children Director Steve DeMougin is reviewing the actions of the caseworker who made the assignment.

MacGregor also said the welfare administration would cooperate with Brizzi's investigation, including turning over any requested files.

"We certainly have every interest in people being held accountable for their actions," he said "By and large, our caseworkers do their jobs and do them well."

Brizzi said he also wants to know, however, why the placement was apparently done in such a hurried fashion.

During Wednesday's sentencing hearing, Florence Hurst tearfully recalled how the twins were abruptly removed from her home.

"It wasn't fair that I found out on a Monday that I only had until Friday to say goodbye to the two babies that I raised from 3 days old," she said, reading a prepared statement.

The twins were "crack babies," born with their mother's cocaine addiction, but they had become happy toddlers. "Anthony was always looking for a lap to crawl into," she said.

Anthony's sister was reunited with Hurst after her brother's death on Jan. 17, 2002. She "still wants to feed him at dinner and take him places when we leave," Hurst recalled. "Then there are times that she will just sit and not say anything for hours."

During Wednesday's sentencing hearing, friends and Bars family members came to the witness stand and described the Barses as devout Christians. L.B. Bars was an elder in his church and led Thursday evening services; Latricia Bars helped teach Bible classes.

"I have never seen anything contrary to the word of God coming from her," said Dannella Allen, a fellow church member who said she had known the Barses for seven years.

The judge interrupted her. "Well, if they came here today to pick up a parenting of the year award, they came to the wrong place," he said.

One of the Barses was openly apologetic. "I wish I could take it back, but I can't," Hope Bars said.

Defense attorney Marie Kern said L.B. Bars was equally remorseful. "He deferred to his wife on everything that went on," she said. "He terribly regrets not having become more involved."

Latricia Bars remained defiant, however. She insisted that photographs of the twins had been made to look horrific and that witnesses had lied. "If I'm guilty of anything, it's because I had always wanted to have twins," said Bars, the mother of 11 children. "The things that we have been accused of were not true."

When Brizzi's turn came, he scolded her. "You, ma'am, are not the victim."

Latricia Bars' father, Harold Bell, said afterward that his daughter had kept him away from her trial and didn't want him to know about the accusations against her. "I'm deeply saddened. I'm depressed," he said.

Bell said he had raised his children as his parents had raised him, using a belt and a switch sometimes. Latricia Bars was one of about 15 children, he said.

He said some wrong may have occurred, but she was still his daughter. "This is hard for any father."

Brizzi said he probably will ask grand jury investigators, who already are probing the state welfare department on other issues, to investigate the twins' placement.

"We're going to go where the evidence takes us. We're going to start with the caseworker and follow that trail," he said. "The system failed those kids."