A state review of 7-year-old Hershall Creachbaum's death found five areas of non-compliance.
Creachbaum died and his remains were discovered July 12, a day after he was reported missing. The boy's mother Ashley Johnson later admitted he had died weeks earlier after her boyfriend Michael Kendrick reportedly struck him. Both have been indicted on charges.
According to Ohio Department of Children and Youth's review of the case, four of the areas of noncompliance that it found were in Clark County, which was the county in which the child’s guardian resided when the case opened, and one at Montgomery County.
The reports Clark County findings were:
- When reviewing the screening guidelines, Clark CDJFS did not take into consideration the disability of the child and his inability to communicate when making a screen out decision.
- A timely face-to-face contact with the child did not occur within the first four working days from the date the referral was screened in.
- The paramour was not interviewed or attempted to be interviewed during Clark CDJFS’s Alternative Response assessment despite being identified as the Adult Subject of the Report.
- Safety Assessments were not documented timely after face-to-face contact, and the assessments were not recorded as required within three working days.
The Montgomery County findings were
- For the second investigation, the agency should have completed a waiver by the end of the investigation since it was not possible to interview the child.
That state agency said its team will continue to support these county agencies as they make improvements, and will continue working with legislators to identify ways to better protect children.
A message was left with Clark County's public information officer seeking comment.
Montgomery County Administrator Michael Colbert said in a statement that "We want to be clear: the proper agency was immediately notified for every report we received."
He stated that the staff at Montgomery County Children Services work every day to ensure children are safe, and they carried out their responsibilities in this case with professionalism and care.
"Now that the facts in the report have been released, it is important to recognize and respect the dedication, compassion and professionalism of our caseworkers, who do challenging and vital work on behalf of our most vulnerable children and families," he stated.
He also thanked state officials for the review, which he said "helps provide clarity around a deeply difficult situation and ensures an accurate understanding of the facts."
