Investigative report outlines DCS employee’s criminal activity

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Fort Wayne’s NBC) - An investigative report by the Office of the Indiana Inspector General (OIG) released Thursday describes the actions of a former Family Case Manager (FCM) in Allen County that says she falsified DCS records and also engaged in official misconduct.

The report says Jerika J. Bland, 26, was terminated by DCS in September of 2021 for violating the DCS Code of Conduct.

A special investigator with the OIG says Bland falsified face-to-face visits with foster children between January and August of 2021. In some cases, Bland listed the visits in reports she had signed and filed with the court, the document said. The investigator concluded that Bland had listed at least fourteen false reports along with three progress reports in the Allen County Juvenile Court. Five families that Bland said she visited were able to confirm with the OIG that Bland’s face-to-face visits never happened, the report said.

When the OIG questioned Bland about the falsified reports, the report said Bland denied falsifying entries, saying some of the dates and locations in the entries were inaccurate. The investigator was able to find credible evidence to substantiate the allegations that Bland falsified DCS records and engaged in official misconduct, the report said.

Bland was charged with obstruction of justice and official misconduct. She appeared in court Thursday morning and was released on monitored conditions, court documents said. Bland’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 10, 2022.

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