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Juvy Clerk's Office Questioned Again

Foster Care Review Boards Cite Missing Files

POSTED: 5:45 pm CDT April 14, 2008
UPDATED: 10:20 pm CDT April 14, 2008

The I-Team has learned that the juvenile court clerk’s office has come under fire once again.

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Foster care children in Davidson County are supposed to get out of the state system as soon as possible, but the I-Team has found something that's holding up the process, and many people are pointing fingers at Juvenile Court Clerk Vic Lineweaver.

Records show that month after month, Lineweaver’s office fails to produce files despite Lineweaver’s insistence that his office is getting better.

The last time there were similar complaints, a judge ordered Lineweaver to be arrested during a court appearance.

A Foster Care Review Board makes similar complaints to Nashville’s chief juvenile judge in a letter written 13 days ago.

The letter told the judge about "missing case files, some files in such bad shape they were falling apart, and a juvenile court clerk staff with no sense of urgency securing those files."

Lineweaver defended himself and his office to the I-Team after his arrest, after the I-Team’s investigation found Lineweaver in the office only half of the time it followed him and after parents told Channel 4 that Lineweaver’s office botched their files.

On Monday, the I-Team obtained records that show case files missing a number of times since the beginning of the year.

The 12 Foster Care Review Boards reported two files missing in January, 10 missing in February and eight missing in March.

Lineweaver responded to the board's complaint, apologized for the confusion and vowed to make "necessary staff adjustments to ensure that you receive what you need to conduct your business."

The missing files are important to the people on the review boards because it is their job to make sure foster children leave state custody as soon as they are ready.

When the files aren't ready for the boards' meetings, members said, everything stops. Sometimes the cases are postponed and the board members have to go in search of the files.

Four of the 20 missing files were later found.

Lineweaver said late Monday that he did was not aware of missing files until he learned about them from Channel 4. He said someone should have contacted his office before contacting Channel 4.


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