Neighbors of accused Volusia County foster home abuser angry over gruesome allegations

[ad_1]

Adoptive father accused of sexually abusing five children

According to his Volusia County affidavit, Lawrence Williams and his wife, Rosanne, have looked after several young girls over the past year, at least six of them at a time.

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla .– The house nestled in the cul-de-sac on Acirema Avenue is where Lawrence Williams is accused of abusing the young girls in his care.

His house is barely noticeable through the banana trees that surround the property. A neighbor says those trees and security cameras were put up less than two years ago.

“We have a live (sic) here all the time. I used to live across the street from this guy,” said Richard Schirner III. “I didn’t even know he was even in foster care. I just saw kids come and go and come and go. I thought it was like their family.”

According to his Volusia County affidavit, Williams and his wife, Rosanne, have cared for several young girls over the past year, at least six of them at a time.

“There’s no way she doesn’t know about it,” Schirner said. “I think I would wonder if she was also a prisoner in this world.”

Investigators said many of the girls in his care told police they were taken to a hangar they called the “punishment room.”

There, court documents indicated that Williams inappropriately spanked and touched the girls. He also forced them to touch him. He is also accused of assaulting a girl who is barely 8 years old.

“Maybe the trainings should be a little more strenuous because background checks don’t always tell who a person is,” said Derrick Collins.

Collins is the Director of the Mr. and Mrs. Mentorship Program. He has worked with the foster care system for over a decade. He says the allegations are alarming but, unfortunately, not shocking.

“We have to do better to eliminate it before they even get into the system,” Collins said. “Make sure they will be [a] more arduous process and more experience, and getting to know these people before they put them in this position of power. “

[ad_2]