Massachusetts News
By Edward G. Oliver

Maureen Stanton, Private Investigator for DSS

Maureen Stanton, a private investigator for the DSS, wrote a letter to it in February of 1995. "I see and feel that a genuine bond and concern for the welfare of each and every child exists…I see no indication of abuse or neglect of their children. I do see that there are challenges they have with a family of six children dealing with all the care that they need, and also dealing with the recent death of their son, Randy."

Principal at Barnstable Middle School

Deanna was on Honor Roll at Barnstable Middle School with comments like "outstanding effort and behavior," "cooperative and attentive," "works well consistently." The Principal wrote to the Petersons two days later saying in part, "I also know that this kind of achievement is the result of your support and encouragement at home…Please know how much the staff and I appreciate having students of this caliber in the Barnstable Middle School in Hyannis."

Charles Bloom, Guidance Counselor for Troy and Tarri

Letter from Charles Bloom, Guidance Counselor at East Elementary School, Hyannis, who knew Troy and Tarri from March of 1993 until they were taken in April, 1995. 

"Never did the children indicate anything which would lead me to believe that they were physically or emotionally abused. They have never indicated to me that their parents were emotionally or physically abusive toward each other." Bloom said the children’s behavior was never typical of children who have been exposed to emotional or physical abuse or where violent behavior was part of the family dynamics. Describing them as hard working, polite and responsive to adults, Bloom wrote that, "[Tarri and Troy] always gave me the impression of having a loving family and they never said or did anything that would have indicated otherwise." Bloom tells Massachusetts News he remembers Tarri as a sweet girl and believes if she stayed at home, the worst thing that ever would have happened to her would maybe be an occasional missed bath or exposure to cigarette smoke. He confirmed that Troy’s only problem at school was that he was slower at his work than other students. 

Bloom says he has a lot of experience spotting troubled homes. He did social work years ago for the Department of Welfare, "with a police radio in my back pocket." He says he removed children from homes only in an emergency when they were literally abused and he was able to defend his actions later in court. Bloom also mentioned he remembers little Tommy’s speech was virtually unintelligible. Tommy and his one-year-old brother were the ones allegedly telling DSS at the time about eating raw dogs and being sexually abused.

Verna Machado, Kindergarten Teacher of Tom 

Tom’s kindergarten teacher, Verna Machado, who teaches at Hyannis East Elementary School, wrote at the time he was her student, "[Tom] is a cheerful, loving, well-mannered, outgoing boy. He enjoys school and was making excellent progress in all areas. His parents both attended the parent-teacher conference held in November and showed interest in and pride in Tom’s school achievements. They have given support to any ‘at home’ projects. They provided him with a daily snack for school. Tom’s brother and sister frequently visited my classroom. In March they each made a project at home to share with the kindergarten as we learned about space travel. They came in and confidently explained their projects to the class. My experiences with Tom’s family have been all positive." Machado confirmed for Massachusetts News she’s gone to court several times about the Peterson case to testify to what she wrote.

Maurice M. Small, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, Saw Tarri at Request of Eric Bliecken

The Ph.D. clinical psychologist who saw Tarri for a total of six hours on two different dates wrote: "In conclusion, Tarri appears on examination to be a normal, healthy adolescent who is thriving while living with the Blieckens. There is a need for counseling since she has undergone much experience that would have destroyed lesser women."

Robert Taylor, Licensed Social Worker and Therapist, Counseled Mr. and Mrs. Peterson

Robert Taylor has been in social work for forty years. He told Massachusetts News he began seeing the couple shortly after the children were taken from them. Taylor said he’s seen them regularly for the last four years and does not charge them. He said that is because they couldn’t pay, but he stayed with them because he thinks what they have gone through is almost too much to bear. He said he told DSS he thinks taking their children was a mistake. 

"We don’t get anywhere with DSS," says Taylor. "They’re sure that they are right and I’m reasonably sure that they’re wrong. The tragedy with the court is they were expecting a decision by Christmas of 1995, and they didn’t get a decision until this fall. The court would meet for an hour or two, then dismiss for a month. I don’t know how anybody can operate that way. In the long run, I don’t think the family was given a reasonable opportunity to tell their story." He confirmed that the Petersons followed some of their service plan but were never recognized for that. When asked about other aspects of the service plan to which the Petersons said, "No," out of principle, he said, "I think there has been so much hype about child abuse that DSS overreacts. When you think about the suffering this family has been going through, two of the children have been going downhill steadily, I think DSS resources should be put into prevention of placement because placement is not a good option for many children." In a nutshell, Taylor said he sees no reason why the Petersons couldn’t parent their children. "Nobody’s a perfect parent. They’re certainly proud of their children, they care about their children, and I couldn’t imagine that they could not properly take care of them."
 

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