State Attorney John Durrett has highlighted a concerning trend of “blame shifting, finger pointing, and outright denials” among employees of the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) during depositions linked to a recent case.
COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — A family of four from Columbia County, who faced serious allegations of mistreating children, has been released from jail after the charges were dropped, according to court and jail records.
Brian Griffeth, his wife Jill, and their two adult children, Dallin and Liberty, had been in custody following accusations of child abuse. Brian, Dallin, and Liberty were each initially charged with one count of aggravated child abuse, while Jill faced three counts of the same charge.
In a formal notice, State Attorney John Durrett of Florida’s Third Judicial Circuit pointed out that during depositions of DCF employees, there were numerous instances of “blame shifting, finger pointing, and outright denials” regarding the facts reported in the initial investigations.
Durrett further stated that claims accusing the family of treating children in a manner akin to slavery and of sexual abuse were dismissed as “salacious gossip” and deemed “unfounded” following DCF’s investigation.
On July 3, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies had assisted DCF with a court-mandated removal of nine children from the Griffeths’ home in Fort White.
Of the nine children, the sheriff’s office said five are Brian and Jill’s biological children, while the four others — ranging in ages seven to 16 — were adopted.
CCSO said the pickup order was issued following the outcome of DCF’s investigation, which started after a woman who worked at the family’s church reported to DCF that one of the Griffeth’s children had a taser.
“Additional concerns were raised about the adopted children being treated unfairly compared to the Griffeths biological children, in addition to the children not knowing their full name or their own birthdays,” CCSO said in a release.
Prior to the pickup order, CCSO said DCF investigators visited the Griffeths’ home to interview the family about the accusations. During the visit, investigators observed the Griffeths’ biological children playing or watching TV, while the adopted children were working on chores, according to CCSO.
When DCF investigators interviewed the Griffeths’ children, CCSO said “various forms of child abuse were discovered.” According to the sheriff’s office, accusations of Brian beating the adopted children with a crane and them being locked in their bedrooms were said.
“As a result of the allegations of physical abuse, DCF investigators obtained a court order to remove all of the children from the home,” CCSO said. “Over the next few days, Child Protection Team (CPT) investigators conducted interviews with all 9 of the children.”
During this set of interviews, CCSO said the children alleged the following:
- They were caged under a bunk bed
- They were forced to lie on the floor and let Jill place a sheet of plywood on top of their bodies, pressing down on them, resulting in splinters
- They were being sprayed in the face with vinegar
- They had been given non-prescribed medication
- They had been told to lie about what happens at the home
- They were not being taken to or provided with schooling
Brian, Jill, Dallin and Liberty were arrested on July 22. CCSO said they were arrested as “a result of the CPT interviews and DCF investigation.”
