Ruby Franke’s ex-husband asks lawmakers to reform Utah’s child welfare laws

Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL.com

SALT LAKE CITY (KSL.com) — Kevin Franke thinks astir what could person happened successful nan worst-case script connected a regular ground had his boy not escaped from a model to activity thief past August.

Franke’s 2 young children were recovered severely malnourished astatine their location successful Ivins successful Washington County, revelations that led to charges against nan children’s mother, Ruby Franke, and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt pleading guilty to abusing nan 2 children, aged 11 and 9.

“I person those thoughts of ‘What if?’ connected a regular basis; it’s portion of nan trauma and nan post-trauma that I woody with,” Franke told reporters successful his first nationalist question and reply since his ex-wife’s arrest. “I’m incredibly grateful for nan heroics of my boy successful redeeming his life, his sister’s life, and astir apt his different sister successful our family arsenic well. He genuinely was a hero.”

RELATED | ‘I will not provender a demon’: YouTuber Ruby Franke’s kid maltreatment lawsuit rooted successful belief extremism

Franke said pinch reporters astatine nan Capitol successful Salt Lake City aft addressing a legislative sheet Tuesday greeting to advocator for reforms to kid use rule successful nan state. He said respective “loopholes” successful nan rule allowed for ongoing maltreatment and neglect of his children, and he said he is moving toward legislative fixes to forestall akin things from happening.

Although he said he wasn’t location to show his ain story, Franke said his comments to lawmakers were successful portion an effort by he and his big daughter, Shari Franke, to “make nan champion of our lives moving forward.”

“Part of my treatment is being present today, to unfastened my mouth, to put myself successful this position that’s been terribly uncomfortable for maine — but if I tin make a difference, past I want to do that,” he said.

Franke publication from a associated connection he and his oldest big girl Shari Franke prepared. He told nan fistful of lawmakers connected nan Legislature’s Child Welfare Legislative Oversight Panel he had been manipulated and misled by his woman and Hildebrandt and that he “was selfish, narcissistic, enabling to my children, lustful, and a important threat to my family.” He described being successful isolation from his family for much than a year.

Franke said Hildebrandt, a licensed intelligence wellness counselor, “knew nan Utah kid use strategy for illustration nan backmost of her hand,” and “masterfully coached Ruby successful navigating nan kid use loopholes.”

RELATED | Franke, Hildebrandt to walk years, possibly decades successful situation for ‘concentration camp-like’ abuse

“In a nutshell, each they had to do was 1) support nan children isolated from nan world; 2) disregard nan telephone calls from (the Division of Child and Family Services); and, 3) not reply nan doorway erstwhile DCFS and/or constabulary knocked,” he said.

Because of nan isolation of his children, he said, nan authorities was incapable to stitchery capable evidence, nether existent laws, to intervene connected behalf of nan children.

“Laws request to change,” he told nan panel, suggesting lawmakers let reddish flags reported by aggregate individuals beryllium “considered capable merit” to spot children successful impermanent protective custody, fortify laws astir affectional abuse, and explain and fortify laws regarding kid abandonment.

“These individuals should nary longer beryllium capable to hide kid maltreatment by simply ignoring nan telephone calls and doorway knocks from DCFS caseworkers,” he said.

Franke besides asked lawmakers to see auditing nan knowledge nan state’s Division of Professional Licensing had astir Hildebrandt, who he said utilized nan title of a “life coach” — which is not regulated successful authorities rule — successful immoderate instances to debar pursuing master standards.

“A licensed intelligence wellness master should not beryllium capable to ‘turn off’ nan morals and standards associated pinch his aliases her master licensure by acting nether nan nebulous guise of thing called a ‘life coach,'” he said.

He told reporters he was actively moving pinch lawmakers to prosecute legislative changes, though he acknowledged nan issues he sees are apt not going to “be resolved overnight.”

Tonya Myrup, head astatine Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services, acknowledged cases involving “uncooperative” families “are immoderate of nan astir difficult that DCFS sees.” She told nan sheet nan section often attempts to question and reply children astatine schoolhouse erstwhile it is successful convention but utmost cases, specified arsenic nan Franke case, coming greater hurdles.

“Sometimes they’re very indoctrinated, they mightiness beryllium fearful,” she said of nan children successful those cases. “And truthful sometimes nan interviews pinch children whitethorn not beryllium capable aliases a schoolhouse whitethorn beryllium retired of convention arsenic well.”

When that happens, she said, caseworkers effort to stitchery arsenic overmuch accusation arsenic imaginable from family, friends aliases neighbors and sometimes return “extreme efforts” on pinch rule enforcement to effort to scope nan family.

“But, unfortunately, location are times erstwhile aft those efforts … that we whitethorn conscionable not person capable to legally intervene immoderate further,” she said.