Social workers accused in child abuse death of Palmdale boy win court delay

The arraignment of four former Los Angeles County social workers charged with child abuse and falsifying records in coection with the death of an 8-year-old Palmdale boy has been continued to June 2, officials said Thursday.

Stefanie Rodriguez, 31, and Patricia Clement, 65, along with supervisors Kevin Bom, 36, and Gregory Merritt, 60, had been scheduled for arraignment on Thursday.

“It was continued at their request,” said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles County District Attoey’s Office.

The four were charged March 28 with one felony count each of child abuse and falsifying records in the case, which stems from the death of Gabriel Feandez in 2013.

He suffered a fractured skull, had BB-gun pellets shot into his groin and lungs, was bued with cigarettes and had two teeth knocked out, court records show.

•RELATED STORY: Family of 8-year-old Palmdale boy vindicated after charges filed against social workers

Bom and his fellow defendants are accused of failing to remove Feandez from his environment, despite dozens of complaints they received and evidence of abuse.

The boy’s mother, Pearl Feandez, 32, and then-boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, 35, have been charged with murder, and prosecutors said last year that they would seek the death penalty.

The two are due in court on May 24 for a pretrial hearing, Robison said.

The social workers’ case has ramifications outside of L.A. County.

Hundreds of child custody cases in San Beardino County’s High Desert region may be jeopardized because Bom — who resigned from his supervisory job in L.A. County in 2013 — had recently been a court mediator in Victorville. He is currently on paid administrative leave pending an investigation, officials in San Beardino County said.

•RELATED STORY: L.A. County child abuse case vexes San Beardino County child custody cases

Some attoeys representing clients in family law cases in which Bom made child custody recommendations in San Beardino County say they have already received notification from family court services to refer the cases back for re-evaluation.

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