DCS worker charged after lying about 14 visits with several families

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - A now-former DCS worker is facing multiple charges after records show she lied about visiting several families on many different occasions.

Documents say the Office of the Indiana Inspector General (OIG) received a complaint on Sept. 8, 2021, alleging that a former DCS employee, 26-year-old Jerika Bland, falsified DCS records. They say Bland served as a Family Case Manager (FCM) in Allen County.

OIG says Bland was fired on Sept. 2, 2021, for violating DCS’s Code of Conduct, which requires FCMs to record all actions they take on a case. They say they rely on FCMs to give them complete, unbiased information on a case so they can make the proper decisions for children’s care.

A special agent’s investigation found that Bland falsified multiple face-to-face visits in the DCS system from January 2021 to August 2021. He also found that she listed some of the falsified visits in reports that she signed with the court.

Documents say she falsely reported visits with five different families. One family said Bland had not been at their home since March of 2021, but Bland signed a progress report on Aug. 19, 2021, saying she visited the kids on June 18 and July 16 that year.

The special agent said he spoke with the caregivers in each case and found she submitted as many as fourteen false reports. He also found that there were three progress reports that she filed with the Allen County Juvenile Court that listed falsified visits.

During an interview with Bland, they say she denied falsifying the visit records but said some of the dates and locations were inaccurate. Bland is currently charged with three counts of obstruction of justice and official misconduct.

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