Children Services caseworker off job for now

MANSFIELD A Richland County Children Services caseworker will not be allowed to return to work during an investigation of a Friday incident.

Mansfield police Friday issued a summons for disorderly conduct in lieu of arrest to Michael Brendemuehl, 28, after he refused to stop arguing with a mother who did not want to let her children stay with another family member. The agency was investigating the welfare of the children and the mother, according to the police report.

According to the police report, the caseworker yelled at the woman several times, questioning her mental state. The officer then ordered him into his cruiser.

Brendemuehl, 28, was ordered by police to call his supervisor and to stop arguing with the woman and conclude his business outside the woman’s residence in the 100 block of West Third Street, as the argument was deemed “fruitless” by the officer.

The officer reported he told Brendemuehl if he did not have a court order, he needed to leave. The caseworker continued to talk to the woman, despite being asked to cease his actions and leave as there were residents walking in the vicinity within earshot, according to the police report.

Elayna Rizor, director of human resources and legal counsel for Richland County Children Services, provided this statement through the agency’s spokesman: “We are aware of an incident that occurred Friday evening involving a Children Services case worker. The incident is under investigation. And the case worker involved will not return to work until it’s completed. We will have no further comment until the investigation is finished.”

The officer was at the residence following up on a burglary investigation when the Children Services caseworker arrived, according to the police report.

Earlier in the day, a Children Services employee contacted police to check on the family. The agency had received a call from the childrens’ school suggesting something might be wrong at the home because the mother said she was keeping the children out of school to “let God cleanse their body and take care of them.”

The Children Services employee in the morning was unable to make contact with the mother and returned to the residence in the afternoon to find the window in the front door smashed out and unlocked, according to another police report.

The police report noted that a PlayStation 3 and 11 PlayStation games were stolen, total value of $599, from the residence.

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