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Amateur Parents Caught

April 30, 2013 permalink

When Florida DCF took a child from father Scott Smith, he and friend Linda Grass tried to get the child back by impersonating a DCF employee. The foster parent caught on to the scam and refused to relinquish the child. They made at least one more attempt to fool the foster parent, but that failed as well.

Parents embarking on a scheme like this should study how professionals in the CIA or the Mossad prepare an operation under false pretenses. For an encounter that may last only a few minutes, they spend weeks or months in preparation, depending on the difficulty and importance of the mission. The practice prepares them to maintain the false pretenses in every contingency that may arise. It is vital to get it right the first time, because once the target becomes suspicious, it is not possible to fool him a second time.

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Woman poses as Department of Children and Families caseworker, tries to take back man's son

Linda Grass Scott Smith

Hernando County, Florida-- The Department of Children and Families (DCF) recently removed a child from the father's home, and now deputies say that man, and a female accomplice were arrested for scheming to get the child back.

According to a Hernando County Sheriff's Office report, 51-year-old Scott Smith and 65-year-old Linda Grass devised a plan of deception, and attempted to carry it out just one day after Smith's child was put in a foster home.

Deputies say Grass showed up to that home and claimed to be a caseworker for DCF- named "Lisa Grass"- assigned to take the child back to the father. The foster caregiver did not believe her, and reports say Grass left.

A short time later, Grass reportedly took to a new approach, and left the child multiple voicemails before going back to the home and trying to convince the child to leave with her from the driveway.

Grass left after another unsuccessful attempt. It is unclear how many trips Grass made to the home, but officials say a witness took down Grass' license plate number during one of them.

A short time after the witness handed over her tag number and a vehicle description, deputies found Grass and arrested her for interference with the child custody case.

Detectives later learned Grass wasn't working alone, and that Smith also played a role in the scheme. They arrested him too, and charged him for the same thing.

Both were taken into custody and given a bond of $500.

Source: WTSP

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