Monday, June 25, 2007

Where is the media on the Robin Deardorff story?

Apparently, the idea that a woman with a considerable criminal record could be working for the Missouri Department of Social Services is not as important to state media as a chance to cover the continuing juvenile sniping between the governor and the attorney general.

As I noted in the June 14 Turner Report, Robin Deardorff, who was indicted by a federal grand jury on fraud and identity theft charges worked at the Department of Social Services right up until June 11, despite a long record of brushes with the law. Questions about Ms. Deardorff's employment were asked by the media, but this explanation offered to the Associated Press was apparently allowed to stand without further examination:

A spokeswoman for the Social Services Department would not say whether Robin Deardorff had left voluntarily. Spokeswoman Sara Anderson said background checks are performed on all employees, but those who don't have direct contact with the public are not screened until after they have been hired.

Anderson said it generally takes a month for background checks for employees who don't have direct contact and eight to 12 weeks for employees who do.


It only took me five minutes to find enough information on case.net to indicate Mrs. Deardorff should never have been hired for the position, the kind of check that state bureaucrats apparently do not bother to make:

A simple check of case.net shows eight listings for Mrs. Deardorff, including seven criminal charges. The oldest charge, dating back to 1993, was for misdemeanor stealing, for which she received five days in jail and was placed on probation.

Two years later, Mrs. Deardorff received 30 days in jail for endangering the welfare of a child, not exactly the type of activity that seems in keeping with the Family Support Division of the Department of Social Services.

The remainder of the criminal charges involve annual charges of driving while revoked from 2003 through 2006, with the last three times involving the use of electronic shackles in lieu of jail time.

In 2005, she also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of passing a bad check.

It would not have taken long for a background check to uncover the news that Mrs. Deardorff's husband (and co-defendant) Clayton Deardorff, is an unwilling guest in a Missouri state penitentiary.


I conducted a case.net check on Mrs. Deardorff's maiden name, Robin Sidney, and found more information that should have prevented her from ever being the recipient of taxpayer money:

On July 13, 1995, she pleaded guilty to misdemeanor stealing charges and was placed on supervised probation for two years. This was the second time she had pleaded guilty to a stealing charge.


Instead of taking potshots at each other perhaps, Matt Blunt and Jay Nixon need to investigate how Robin Deardorff ever came to work for the state and find out just what procedures our state departments and agencies use when investigating potential employees.

No one should ever work in a place of trust without having to undergo at least a cursory background check.

Where has the media been on this case. Are our reporters simply content to base its government coverage on news releases?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

the case.net link doesn't exist. What's the address exactly.

Randy said...

www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/

Sorry, I didn't put that on the post. I am so used to using it that I didn't even think about it. I would provide a direct link to the document, but I have tried that before and it has not worked.

Anonymous said...

(Yawn)

Anonymous said...

So what else is new....you've got people in the Joplin Office DFS who signs a woman up with 2 children for full benefits including food, while she is getting $250.00 per WEEK child support, she had just received thousands of dollars from the sale of a home, sold a boat for cash, living in a home her parents owned, so paid no rent or house payment.....#2 then there is the DFS Rep Lisa who talks about everything and everyone....is on her cell phone talking to her boyfriend and anyone else who has the time to talk to her instead of doing her job. However, I do need to add she is off more than she is at work. I cannot believe this office! So, yes, I can believe anything from the State of Missouri DFS now!

Anonymous said...

Also, the site does exist, I am there looking at Robin Deardorff right now. Go to Missouri Case . net. It is up and running.

Anonymous said...

I believe Ms. Doardorff is also sub-leasing her Habitat for Humanity house in Jefferson City, while she's staying in KC. I bet many of those who volunteered to help build her home wish they hadn't.