FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) – An Indiana Department of Child Services employee is facing several charges for falsely claiming she visited multiple families on many occasions.

According to our partners in news at ABC 21, the Indiana Inspector General received a complaint in September of 2021 that 26-year-old Jerika Bland, a DCS employee, falsified DCS records.  Bland was a case manager in Allen County at the time.

According to the Indiana Inspector General, Bland was fired on September 2, 2021, for violating the Code of Conduct.  According to the Indiana Department of Child Services Code of Conduct, all Family Case Managers are required to record all actions they take on every case.  They expect all information supplied by Family Case Managers are complete and unbiased so that appropriate decisions are made in regard to children’s care.

An investigation found that Bland falsely reported to the DCS that she had many in-person visits from January 2021 through August 2021.  It was found that Bland also lied about visits on documents she signed for court.

Bland has denied that she lied about the visits, but indicated that some of the dates and locations may have been incorrect.

Bland is charged with official misconduct and three counts of obstruction of justice.