WALTHAM, Mass. – A couple is suing the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families and Waltham police and city officials alleging civil rights violations after their children were removed from their Waltham home last year without a warrant judicial amid suspicion of child abuse.
“Absolutely the worst moment of our lives,” Sarah Perkins said of the night her children were taken from her.
Sarah Perkins and Joshua Sabey, who now live in Idaho, claim that on July 16, 2022, Waltham police went to their home in Waltham “and demanded that they turn over their children to the government,” according to the lawsuit filed Monday in United States District Court. .
According to the suit, their children were taken into state custody after Perkins took one of her children, a 3-month-old baby who had a fever, to a local emergency room.
“In the end they told us they were going to break down our door if we didn’t give them the kids,” said Josh Sabey, the father.
There, an X-ray of the baby revealed a nursing rib fracture, which hospital staff later reported to the state Department of Children and Families, alleging that the child was physically abused by his parents, as indicated by the demand.
“His grandmother was looking at him and she went to take the baby out of the car seat with one hand and as she was holding him he threw his head back and she thought he was going to drop him so she held on pretty strong,” Perkins said.
The couple was later cleared of any wrongdoing, according to the lawsuit.
“This lawsuit is important in holding police and DCF officials accountable for what they know is unconstitutional,” said Joshua Thompson, senior attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation, representing the family.
Their two children were fostered for four months, after which they were returned to the couple.
The couple is suing four Waltham police officers, four employees of the state Department of Children and Families and the city of Waltham, according to the suit.
The Waltham Police Department issued the following statement Tuesday: “The Waltham Police Department does not comment on ongoing litigation and will refer all media inquiries to the City of Waltham Law Department.”
The lawsuit claims the couple suffered an “emotional and physical toll” after their children were taken into state custody.
“While the Sabeys were ultimately, and obviously, cleared of any wrongdoing, and the children were eventually reunited with their parents, nothing can undo the trauma of that July morning and the prolonged abrogation of the Sabeys’ parental rights “, the lawsuit states. . “For parents, the emotional and physical cost of having your crying children ripped from your arms never goes away.”
“What we’re really hoping is that we make a difference for other families,” Sabey said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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