DeWitt couple convicted of abusing children they adopted for financial gain, after a six-week Clinton County trial

ST. JOHNS — A Clinton County jury on Friday convicted a DeWitt couple of abusing children they adopted, closing a six-week trial in a case the state says involved children taken in for financial gain over more than a decade.

Tamal Flore, 59, was found guilty of 11 felonies: five counts of first-degree child abuse, one count of first-degree child abuse committed in the presence of another child, two counts of second-degree child abuse and three counts of third-degree child abuse, Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office said. Jerry Flore, 61, was convicted of one count of second-degree child abuse.

First-degree child abuse carries up to life in prison under Michigan law. Second-degree is a 10-year felony and third-degree a two-year felony. Both were taken to the Clinton County jail and are due back in the 29th Circuit Court for sentencing on Jan. 11.

“Tamal and Jerry Flore subjected their foster and adopted children to prolonged, routine and systemic mental and physical abuse all for personal financial gain,” Nessel said in a statement. “Children who become wards of the state are some of the most vulnerable and they must be protected.”

Clinton County Sheriff Sean Dush called it “a long and in-depth investigation” and said his office could not have finished it without the Attorney General’s help.

The jury’s verdict covers fewer counts than the state first filed. When Nessel’s office charged the Flores in December 2023, Tamal Flore faced 17 counts and Jerry Flore 11, including conspiracy and interfering with a crime report. At the time, the state said nearly 30 children had been adopted or fostered through two DeWitt homes since 2007, and that the charges covered abuse of eight of them. Investigators used adoption subsidy payment records, photos and videos from the home, new medical exams and interviews with 10 of the adopted children.

The 2023 case also charged a second DeWitt couple, Joel and Tammy Brown. Joel Brown is a former Michigan Department of Health and Human Services employee who worked in the Children’s Services Administration’s Office of Family Advocate, and the state alleged he used that knowledge to keep the abuse from being detected. Friday’s announcement did not address the Browns’ cases.

The Attorney General’s office took over the matter in 2023 after earlier Clinton County charges against the families were reduced or dismissed, according to its 2023 release.

Sources:
Michigan Department of Attorney General, “Clinton County Adoptive Parents Convicted of Child Abuse,” Oct. 30, 2026 (verdicts, counts, penalties, quotes, sentencing date), https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2026/10/30/clinton-county-adoptive-parents-convicted-of-child-abuse
Michigan Department of Attorney General, “Attorney General Dana Nessel Charges 4 Adoptive Parents with 36 Child Abuse Crimes, Conspiracy,” Dec. 4, 2023 (original charges, number of children, evidence, Brown charges, earlier proceedings), https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2023/12/04/attorney-general-dana-nessel-charges-4-adoptive-parents-with-36-child-abuse-crimes-conspiracy
Photo: kennethaw88, “Clinton County MI Courthouse,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0, cropped and resized, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clinton_County_MI_Courthouse.JPG

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Tags: Lansing · DeWitt · Clinton County · Child abuse · Attorney General · Adoption