By Angel Ford, Contributing Writer
Supporters of a Broken Arrow family working to be reunited with their grandson repeated their concerns about the boy suffering alleged abuse by his guardian and demanded a shakeup of the Department of Human Services’ Child Welfare Department.
Private Investigator Eric Cullen said he began his investigation into the Woolley’s case shortly before the murder charges against the two grandparents were dropped.
The charges were dropped mostly due to a report done by Dr. Robert Block, a pediatrician and former Oklahoma First Chief Child Abuse Examiner. Block was unable to attend the conference with other supporters due to illness but wrote a statement reiterating his previous findings of no evidence of maltreatment or neglect in the case of Elijah Woolley’s passing.
According to Block, in his experience as a pediatrician, the case surrounding the Woolley’s is a convoluted and distressing example of a “failed system meant to help children with protection, growth and positive behavior.”
“I stand here three and a half years later, totally mystified that not only had Clayton not been reunited with his family, but he hadn’t seen them in over six years,” Cullen said. “Even more mystifying is the fact that Clayton has been reporting severe abuse at his current home by his guardian and her mother, to numerous neighbors, school officials, and others for at least three years.”
Cullen said this was all corroborated by a co-worker of (Clayton’s) guardian in a detailed recording recently.
Glory (Bales) Woolley, Clayton’s aunt, said she was the one who made the recording after a co-worker of Clayton’s paternal aunt reached out to her.
According to Glory, it was disclosed to her during the call that Clayton’s current guardian has bragged about abusing the child by locking him in a closet as a form of punishment, withholding food or feeding him bread with only mustard, and hitting him below the waist so that any marks are covered by clothing, among other things.
“It’s disgusting, and it shatters my heart to have to hear it. But it needed to be heard, it needed to be recorded because it needed to be proved. Clayton deserves to have his situation be provable so that he can get justice,” said Glory.
According to the speakers at today’s conference, the Broken Arrow Police Department are in possession of the recording but has done nothing with it, stating to those involved, “There is no cause for concern.”
BAPD recently released a statement about the case — without mentioning it by name — and declined to discuss any specifics about its handling of the complaints.
The department said law enforcement records involving juveniles are confidential under Oklahoma law and are not subject to public disclosure.
“In accordance with state law, BAPD will not speak about a specific case involving a juvenile, but we will comment on our process and how seriously we take allegations of child abuse in our community,” the department said.
BAPD works in partnership with the Department of Human Services to ensure that full, fair, and complete investigations are conducted into allegations of child abuse in Broken Arrow. When appropriate, charges are forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office for review.
“The safety of children is our top priority,” the department said.
There have been multiple requests to the BAPD and city leadership “to circumvent state law” regarding the juvenile case, which BAPD believed at the time was under DHS authority. The Woolley family says it received confirmation that this is no longer the case.
“BAPD will steadfastly follow the law and will not succumb to the pressure of these third-party actors,” the statement said. “We will continue to adhere to state statute regarding juvenile confidentiality while working cooperatively with DHS to ensure the safety and welfare of all children.“
“I want to make one thing clear: we were never served with a protection order by Judge Elizabeth Brown. (Brown) told another judge that she did, but she didn’t. Clayton has been in this foster home for several years and she granted that foster parent guardianship,” said Glory.
According to Glory, part of the family’s frustration is they have not been served with any legal blockade to keep Clayton from them but his guardian has been instructed by Judge Brown to keep him away from the Woolleys and believes her to be acting above the law to do so.
The family said the short-term hope is to have DHS remove Clayton from his current allegedly abusive home and placed him in a therapeutic residence until a full, complete and competent DHS investigation can be conducted.
“We love him with every fiber of our being. And we will never, ever stop fighting for him. If there’s is not another thing we do in our life, for all the hell that we have been through, if it brought him back, we would do it all over again,” said Lisa Woolly, Clayton’s grandmother.
Block said in his statement he is concerned about Clayton’s welfare given his age and what he has experienced.
“He is now a young adolescent who by reports has significant social and behavioral issues. He is now 12 years old and lives in what reportedly is a malignant and severe environment. Entering and moving through adolescence is stressful and sometimes challenging for preteen and teenage youngsters,” Block wrote. “If Clayton’s situation is not addressed, and placement/education/and positive support is not provided f him, his prognosis will be grim.
“He is already on a path to delinquency and severe developmental and behavioral issues. He will be an angry and difficult adolescent if his current living situation is not modified immediately.”
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