Social worker fired in aftermath of Lexie Glover case
A Prince William County Social Services employee was fired and two others were disciplined this week in the aftermath of the Alexis “Lexie” Glover investigation, according to department director Jack Ledden.
On Jan. 9, the 13-year-old was found dead in a creek in Woodbridge —– two days after she was reported missing. Police say she was dumped in the creek alive, and died of exposure and drowning.
Her adoptive mother Alfreedia Gregg-Glover was ultimately charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, felony child abuse and filing a false police report.
The Virginia Department of Social Services launched an investigation into the matter, as did Prince William County Social Services. The state is also conducting a quality management review of the county department as a whole and their findings should be made public within a week or two, said Ledden.
“We’re not interested in meeting standards, we want to exceed them,” Ledden said.
Ledden wouldn’t say what mistakes the employees made in the case. The social worker fired and the disciplined employees were not identified.
But Ledden said policy changes will soon be implemented in the department. There were multiple reports of neglect and abuse recorded by county social services in regards to the Lexie case, but the girl was never taken away from Gregg-Glover.
Changes Ledden has suggested include creating special badges for Child Protective Services employees, fast tracking a case to a new supervisor if it involves three or more complaints regardless of their validity and installing an on-board computer and tracking program to companyvehicles for employees to take home each night for instant case information.
Having that information at one’s fingertips could be crucial when a CPS employee has to make a house visit in the middle of the night, said Ledden.
“I can get on my system in my car, type in where I am going and it may give me background information,” Ledden said. “[It may tell me] we [social services] have had two calls, one was founded, one was unfounded. It may tell me how old the child is, how many people were involved the last time. It’s giving them an idea what you are going to deal with. CPS can be very dangerous for workers.”
Social Services will also be adding two more CPS employees for the new fiscal year. Currently, CPS has 10 investigators and ideally would have 17 at some point down the road, said Social Services Acting Chief of Services Kay Taylor.
During this fiscal year, there have been more than 1,800 calls regarding possible abuse or neglect that were deemed valid.
“We do need more resources,” Taylor said.
In addition, Ledden said there are plans to improve communication with the police department. Many times during home visits, investigators will meet police at the station before visiting the subject’s home.
Ledden said not only have the demographics and technology changed dramatically in recent years but the nature of abuse and neglect cases have become more complex thanks to multiple agencies seeing and diagnosing the child.
Those diagnoses often come from doctors, schools, hospitals and even private, in-home counseling, said Ledden.
“Children are coming in with multiple diagnoses, everything from post traumatic stress disorder ... to psychosis…and it makes it a little bit difficult to manage,” Ledden said.
Lexie had been diagnosed with severe autism and sickle cell anemia and had a GPS tracker through a Prince William Sheriff’s Office program aimed at helping find children who frequently run away.
Her mother will stand trial July 6 through July 8.
Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-878-8062.
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Reader Reactions
Is Freda [Alfreda} Glover in prison now? Has someone looked into her mental health? It doesn’t excuse her behavior nor that of the social workers and especially not that of “THE SYSTEM”. Just want to know if she is still out in the public or is she in a mental institute somewhere claiming incompency.
big red That is one chilling story. I don’t know what you really wanted to say to this thing, but you sure stated this well enough.
And I agree wholeheartedly…
I can’t say what I really want to say to this Sick Inhuman being but when Glover realizes that she will NO LONGER BE FREE TO DO AS SHE PLEASE, WHEN SHE GO TO PRISON AND NOT JAIL,
when the only trips she will plan is a trip to see the Dr (for mental breakdown) or go to a prison library.
when she can’t eat what she want (food is worst than anything else imaginable)
when the only communication to the outside world is a phone call and letters from maybe a family member or so called friend.
when she is told when to get up and when to go to bed having to have permission to come and go,
when she becomes paranoid, constantly having to look over her shoulders in fear of the harm that Will come Hhr way (you know the average prisoner hates those who hurt children) there is a CODE in prison!! and if given the opportunity, oh well you know the rest.. she need not be in an unsupervised area!!..
when the thoughts of taking her own life becomes greater and greater until she is living with it Every day,
when she realize there is nothing but Concrete, Brick and Steel above and below on all sides of the wall and the mattress are thin and lumpy and do very little to cushion the flat metal bunks,
when she realize that she has to sleep with one eye open and having a bunk a foot away from the toilet doesn’t help the situation either or watch her cellmate use the bathroom that’s going to be real unpleasant for her. PRIVACY IS NON EXISTANT!!
when she realize there’s only a few activities you can take part in if interested or just made to do so includes, RIOTS, DRUGS, GANGS, GAMBLING and SEX, those are just a few that they can pick from…GUARDS WONT BE ON HER SIDE EITHER!!
when she realize that it’s cold in the winter time and hot in the summer time…NO fans or heaters:(
when she realize she is stuck in the same place month after month and year after year, living the same hellish day over and over again (Satan’s version of Déjà vu)…
Being INSTITUTIONALIZED after so many years that she know now will be her home,
when she break down and can’t deal with not having her freedom, or seeing the face of her foster daughter she murdered, day in and day out and then realizing her LIFE IS OVER or just from being locked up for the rest of her life……. that’s when JUSTICE WILL BE DONE!!
THAT’S WHEN GLOVER WILL FINALLY PAY FOR HER HORENDOUS CRIME!!
Rest In Peace “Lexie”
Aileen:
You are welcome. I have never met P’Trice or her mother but my little sister and her mother know Freda very well. They were mortified to hear what happened to Lexie. My little sister said that P’Trice still goes to school with her. I’m not sure where she lives and I know she probably has 100 and 1 things to think about but my sister said she seems fine. She doesn’t talk about this story to them and they don’t ask her about it. Thank God! You know kids and adults can be cruel and this child has enough going on in her life with all the changes she is going through at this stage in her life. I hope that she has as close as possible to a normal life. I will pass the word to my little sister to tell P’Trice what you said. Take care.
Dear Sallytoolall64:
OMG! Thank You, Thank You for letting us know about P’Trice. I was horrified when I saw who it was {in the news}. I called all of our damnce people and todl them to watch teh news ... that it was Freda - P’Trice’s Mom & that Lexie had been murdered. We had seen Lexie while P’Trice was at Dance. Freda (the foster Mom) said that Lexie couldn’t dance (join in) because she (Lexie) had a mental problem that affected her coordination and couldn’t follow along with the class. We (my family) were around them when Freda adopted Lexie. Never would it have crossed our minds that all she wanted wee Lexie for was house work and to have someone to abuse. We are so thankful that P’Trice’s father has her. Thank God, REALLY! I thought he lived out of state? If your child/you see P’Trice ... could you please let her know that Ms. Aileen, Ariel & Mr. Jim miss her greatly and are so thankful for her safety.
Aileen:
P’Trice is now living with her biological father. She still attends the same school. My little sister and P’Trice are friends and she said P’Trice doesn’t talk about this situation at all. My sister said she went to one of P’Trice’s birthday parties and she said she saw Lexie, but Lexie didn’t come out to play with them. She said that the foster mother made Lexie clean up while all the party guest we out side playing. She said she didn’t even know that P’Trice had a sister because she may have seen her once or twice on her many visits to P’Trice’s home. This is sad and if the Foster mother is responsible for Lexie’s death may wrath of God be upon her.
Little late as I am just now catching up on the local news. Unfortunately this is not a shock as so many of us realize the problems within the DCSS and many of us are doing much to see that accountability is demanded and that the expectations of citizens are strongly SEEN and HEARD as to force change that is crucial. THIS MUST BE WITH GREAT VIGILANCE from the community! People must not permit the desensitization to proliferate and allow apathy to set in. Even more… The monsters that perpetrate ANY and ALL crimes against children should not be permitted even a single way out or barter for a lesser sentence. I am completely fed up with the plethora of recent defensive strategies in crying insanity, mental breakdown/issues, etc. And the incredibly sickening Alford plea. FED THE HE!! UP! What is this when an individual can say ... “you (the State) have enough evidence to convict me of the crime(s) you charge me with yet I maintain my innocence” then turn around and apologize to the family for “What I did.“ ???? Just outrageous, sad, sickening, and aggravating! I am not amused with Leddens comment about on-board computers in company vehicles. I am sure the new technology would be great(a nice bling bling) but get back to doing some real foot work, investigative measures, and follow-ups that were obviously ignored in this case. How many other children are silently being ‘missed’ as time ticks away? How many others will die?
Start at the state level.
Yes it is an outrage that even one child fell thru the cracks of the social services and law enforcement system.
I think someone in the so-called leadership of this county should call for an independent audit of DCSS, with a strong emphasis on their policies and procedures,and their capacity to communicate with the police and with the public. If it takes the state police to do this, so be it. If the best course is to have someone from the outside do this, I hope the BOCS will give up the money to make it happen. Once the audit is complete, the public should have access to it and the BOCS should demand accountability, if necessary. from anyone at the top who was asleep at the switch.
What happened to Alexis is just horrible. What I want to know is where is Ms. Glover’s own daughter - P’Trice Jones? What has become of her? If Ms. Glover abused one child ... she could of very well abused another! Also, will Court TV be covering the court sessions? I hope so.
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