Man used private Dayton adoption agency in alleged child rape, prostitution case

By Mark Gokavi

Miami County Children’s Services has opened a child abuse investigation into the Troy man accused of raping three boys in his custody. State officials also have questions about the process the man used to adopt children from Texas through a Dayton-based agency.

Kenneth H. Brandt, 39, is charged with raping three of his children and allowing two men to have sex with one of them.

“Our involvement at this point is due to the allegations of abuse,” June Cannon, executive director of Miami County Children’s Services, said Tuesday. “We are working a child abuse investigation in conjunction with the criminal investigation that the Troy police department is doing.”

Cannon said the four children are being cared for by Brandt’s mother. She said the child who wasn’t yet adopted likely will be returned to Texas.

An Ohio Department of Job and Family Services spokesman said his agency will review how the adoption took place.

The children were adopted via the Interstate Compact for Placement of Children (ICPC) program Dayton-based Action Inc., a private adoption agency at 6000 Philadelphia Drive.

Oversight of such an adoption and follow-up falls mostly to the private agency, according to officials from both Texas and Ohio. Ben Johnson at ODJFS said the ODJFS will assist Miami County.

Patrick Crimmins from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, said that office also will review this case. “We are heartsick about what has happened to these children — they are Texas children — and we are going to be taking a hard look at all aspects of this, from the beginning,” Crimmins said.

Messages left for Action Inc. were not immediately returned. Patricia Hill is listed as the agency’s director. The nonprofit’s website said it was founded in 1994. Johnson said the agency is licensed.

Troy Superintendent Eric Herman said one of Brandt’s children was enrolled in Troy schools from Aug. 18, 2011, until Jan. 2; another from Aug. 13, 2010, until Feb. 13, and a third from Dec. 17, 2010 until Feb. 13.

Herman said Brandt fulfilled his obligations to home-school the children by proving he had a high school diploma and by turning in a proper curriculum. Cannon said her office had no legal right to check on the children until there were allegations of abuse or neglect.