Dewitt parents to stand trial on 26 child abuse and conspiracy charges

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Dewitt parents Jerry and Tamal Flore have been bound to stand trial in the 29th Circuit Court in Clinton County on a combined 26 felony child abuse charges, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Wednesday.

The Flores are accused of adopting children for personal financial gain and subjecting them to abuse under the guise of discipline dating back to 2007.

Jerry Flore, 58 faces 11 charges:

• Counts 1-6: Child Abuse 1st Degree, a potential life-sentence felony;
• Count 7: Child Abuse 1st Degree Committed in the Presence of Another Child, a potential life-sentence felony;
• Count 8: Conspiracy to Commit Child Abuse 2nd Degree, a 10-year felony;
• Count 9: Child Abuse 2nd Degree, a 10-year felony;
• Count 10: Child Abuse 2nd Degree, a 10-year felony; and
• Count 11: Interfering with a Crime Report, a 1-year misdemeanor.

Tamal Flore, 56, faces 17 charges:

• Counts 1-6: Child Abuse 1st Degree, a potential life-sentence felony;
• Count 7: Child Abuse 1st Degree Committed in the Presence of Another Child, a potential life-sentence felony;
• Count 8: Conspiracy to Commit Child Abuse 2nd Degree, a 10-year felony;
• Count 9-10: Child Abuse 2nd Degree, a 10-year felony;
• Counts 11-16: Child Abuse 3rd Degree, a 2-year felony; and
• Count 17: Interfering with a Crime Report, a 1-year misdemeanor.

The Flores were initially arrested on child abuse allegations in 2021, where they faced two first-degree and three second-degree child abuse charges regarding alleged physical and mental abuse. At the time, prosecutors claimed that they had thrown a child down a flight of stairs and beaten a child with a boat oar.

Their first-degree charges were later reduced to second-degree. However, prosecutors dismissed all of the charges in April of 2023 as the couple headed to a hearing.

Seven months later, though, Nessel issued charges against the Flores, as well as former Children’s Service Agency worker Joel Brown and his wife Tammy Brown, alleging the two couples conspired together to adopt dozens of children that they then went on to abuse.

Nessel alleged that the two couples adopted over thirty children and subjected them to systemic abuse for financial gain—receiving more than $1 million from the state, with Joel Brown using his experience as a child advocate to hide the abuse happening in the two homes.

At the time, Nessel said that the charges against the Flores that were dismissed were done so that the Department of Attorney General could conduct a more thorough investigation.

The Browns were not bound to serve trial on the child abuse offenses with which they were charged. Joel Brown still faces one count of Interfering with a Crime Report, a 1-year misdemeanor, and one count of Failure to Report Child Abuse, a 93-day misdemeanor.

The Department of Attorney General’s investigation into both families produced extensive evidence, presented at this week’s preliminary examination, of abuse. The evidence supporting the department’s charges includes:

• Investigative documents obtained by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services;
• Interviews with 10 of the adopted children (adults and minors), Child Protective Services and DHHS employees;
• Photos and videos from the Flore home;
• Adoption subsidy payment and medical benefit records; and
• Medical evaluations on all potential victims.

The Flores are scheduled to appear in the 29th Circuit Court before Judge Shannon Schlegel on Oct. 14, 2024, at 9 a.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News.