2 sheriff's office employees disciplined for mishandling allegations in Bradenton child abuse case

MANATEE -- Two Manatee County Sheriff's Office employees were disciplined for their mishandling of allegations that 15-month-old Knowellan Kelly and his three siblings were being abused, by failing to complete or signing off on an incomplete investigation, according to internal affairs reports.

The internal affairs investigation started three days after Knowellan died last year from brain injuries caused by abuse. His mother's boyfriend has been charged with murder in the case.

Child Protective Supervisor Stephanie Metcalf-Clark, one of the two sheriff's workers, was also one of seven employees punished for their missteps in the case of Keishanna Thomas, whose 11-year-old daughter Janiya was found dead in a locked freezer in Bradenton in October.

The other worker, Child Protective Investigator Kayla Cyphers, has resigned.

Each received a sustained finding for neglect of duty. Cyphers received a letter of reprimand and Metcalf-Clark was suspended for eight hours without pay.

On Dec. 12, deputies were called to Manatee Memorial Hospital after Knowellan was taken there with several injuries. The boy was transferred to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, where he died the following night.

Knowellan died from traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries he likely sustained after he was violently shaken and had his head slammed onto a bed or other padded furniture, according to investigators. The injuries

caused seizures and eventually fatal brain swelling for the toddler.

Two months earlier, the sheriff's office had closed its most recent investigation of allegations his mother, Danake Crawford, had been abusing or neglecting her four children. The investigation was prompted Aug. 16, after someone called the state child abuse hotline to report that Knowellan and his three siblings weren't being bathed, diapers weren't being changed and they were often left outside unattended when they went to their mother's boyfriend's house.

Three days after Knowellan died, internal affairs investigators began examining allegations that Cyphers had not conducted a thorough investigation into the child abuse allegations made in August and that her supervisor Metcalf-Clark had approved ending the investigation prematurely.

Metcalf-Clark was also suspended for eight hours for her mishandling of allegations in the Thomas case. Thomas has been charged with first-degree murder in Janiya's death.

Cyphers was also disciplined with another letter of reprimand in an unrelated case for conduct unbecoming for being rude or unprofessional during a court proceeding, according to the internal affairs report completed Jan. 22.

On March 9, Cyphers submitted her letter of resignation, saying it was with a "heavy heart" that she was giving two weeks' notice, with March 23 being her last day.

"In the past two months it has become an extremely hostile and belittling work environment. I have felt bullied and singled out since Jan. 6," Cyphers wrote. "I love the job, but at this point I do not see any positive changes in the near future to address the issues with morale and lessen the hostile environment within the agency."

Cyphers had been with the sheriff's office less than two years.

IA investigation

On Aug. 16, allegations were received through the child abuse hotline that Knowellan and his siblings were always dirty, wearing the same clothes for extended periods of time and that their diapers weren't changed until they were falling off, according to Inspector Sgt. Monique DeCesare's report. Three days earlier, their mother had been arrested on traffic-related charges.

The nature of the allegations required that a second supervisor at CPID review the case before it could be closed.

Metcalf-Clark sent a request on Sept. 14 to CPID Deputy Director Robert Wilson, who detailed issues with the case that needed to be addressed. Wilson testified during that internal affairs investigation that he never heard more about the case but that ultimately it was Metcalf-Clark and Cyphers' responsibility.

Wilson wanted Cyphers to speak with additional people who had contact with the children to support her finding that there was no indication of abuse. Cyphers said she made one attempt to call a nurse and guidance counselor at a school but never followed up, according to the report.

Wilson had also asked that Cyphers revise her report, which contradicted itself since one of Knowellan's siblings had a red eye in a photograph but her case notes indicated there were no bruises, marks or injuries to the child. Cyphers said the injury, a broken blood vessel, was consistent with stories she was told that the child had been hit accidentally by a whiffle ball bat swung by a sibling. She didn't ask for a doctor to examine the child because the injury was not caused by a caregiver.

"Cyphers confessed she did not properly document the injury the child sustained in her reports and her supervisors counseled her," DeCesare wrote.

During her internal affairs interview, Cyphers admitted she had not addressed all of Wilson's concerns, according to DeCesare's report.

Metcalf-Clark admitted during her interview the child should have been referred to the child protective team to be examined, but she assumed it would be denied.

"Metcalf-Clark acknowledged this ... was contrary to the CPS training instilled upon the investigators and supervisors," DeCesare wrote.

She also admitted that neither of Cyphers reports addressed all of Wilson's concerns.

Knowellan's death

According to authorities, their investigation determined Knowellan died from injuries he suffered while he and his three siblings, ages 2, 3 and 6 at the time, were in the care of their of mother's boyfriend, John Stewart.

Knowellan's autopsy and exams performed at the hospital also revealed he had seven broken ribs in different healing stages, a spinal fracture, complete disc laceration, bruises on his chest, fluid on the brain and brain bleeding when he died.

Stewart was arrested Jan. 13 and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child. In February, prosecutors increased the charge to second-degree murder.

If convicted, Stewart could face life in prison.

Jessica De Leon, Herald law enforcement reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7049. You can follow her on Twitter @JDeLeon1012.

This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 11:20 PM with the headline "2 sheriff's office employees disciplined for mishandling allegations in Bradenton child abuse case ."