Former foster parents in Lane County charged with abusing their son

A Lane County couple was arrested after their 9-year-old son spent a month in Doernbecher Children's Hospital for multiple fractures and an untreated burn that physicians said were the result of abuse.

Rodger Hartwig, 51, and Alona Hartwig, 46, are being held in Lane County Jail on charges of assault and criminal mistreatment. The Hartwigs were the boy's foster parents before they adopted him and two siblings five years ago.

This was the second instance of critical child abuse in Lane County where parents were charged in the past six months, said Gene Evans, a Department of Human Services spokesman. "We're very concerned about that," he said.

The other case was the death of 15-year-old Jeanette Maples in December. Her mother and stepfather, Angela McAnulty and Richard McAnulty have been charged with aggravated murder. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Cases of child abuse that result in a major injury or death are "very few and infrequent," said Lane County sheriff's Lt. Byron Trapp.

The Department of Human Services' Critical Incident Response Team will evaluate the Hartwigs' case. The team reviews serious injuries and deaths of children who have had some association with the state's child welfare system. The analysis will be completed in a couple of weeks, Evans said.

The Hartwigs have six children, four of whom are adopted. The children are between 9 and 13 years old.

All of the children were placed in foster care on March 27, after physicians identified the boy's injuries as suspicious. He had multiple rib, vertebrae and finger fractures, at least one pelvic fracture and an untreated burn, Trapp said. Police spent the next month investigating the case before they arrested the couple, Trapp said.

The Department of Human Services has started a probe into the Lane County child welfare system to look for holes, Evans said. They will be investigating staff practices and looking for areas where problems could be overlooked, Evans said.

"We need to actively investigate our actions to ensure we did everything quickly, appropriately," he said.

With foster families, Evans said, "you kind of have to shoot for a hundred percent."

-- Jessica Van Berkel