THE lesbian couple who allegedly drove their family SUV over a California cliff with six adopted children inside had earlier fostered a 15-year-old girl as a way of preparing for expanding their family — but they abandoned the teen at the last minute, according to a story in the Seattle Times.

‘Lee’, who spoke to the Seattle Times on the condition of anonymity, was at the time asked by her social worker if she’d be okay living with same-sex female foster parents. “Yeah, whatever. It’ll be different, but why not?” she said, according to the story.

Now in her 20s, Lee recalled moving into the Hart’s Minnesota home in the summer of 2004 and staying until the next spring. At the time, the Harts were in their mid-20s and only a few years out of university.

“The first six months were really good,” recalled Lee, who described camping trips and outings and shared pictures of them together enjoying amusement-park rides.

But at the time, Lee said she was a tomboy and the Harts insisted she have a “makeover” at the department store where they worked. One of their co-workers, Jodie Smith, remembered Lee looking “unhappy” and heard from the couple that they were having problems with Lee’s behaviour — including that they had found her eating out of the garbage. Lee denied that claim and also said that she was never deprived of food, nor was she ever struck — allegations which have emerged regarding two of the Hart’s adopted children.

But Lee has revealed that she found Jen to be both “outgoing” and “moody” and she was surprised that it was Sarah who had been charged with domestic assault. Lee told the paper that she had fought with Jen over “petty things”.

One outing they took to a football game resulted in an argument when they asked a star player to sign a football for Jen and he chose to sign it for Lee instead.

Jen “thought I had done it to be a brat. She just ignored me for days,” said Lee.

Lee’s recollections have confirmed that the Harts were overprotective of the children.

“I remember getting upset at times because I couldn’t leave the house if it wasn’t to work or school,” she said. Lee worked at Subway at the suggestion of her foster parents so that she would learn responsibility.

She was not allowed to socialise with friends.

Lee’s mother said she thinks the Harts “were trying to change [Lee] too fast” possibly using theories of education they had learned at university. Lee planned to stay with the Harts until she turned 18 and the Harts had met with officials about the arrangement.

The couple also planned to adopt children and fostering was preparation for that. Lee has said that the couple genuinely “loved kids,” with Jen being the most keen to be a mum and Sarah being supportive. Lee was also enthusiastic about being a “big sister” and the Harts were grooming Lee to be “a good influence for these kids.”

Lee recalled the couple going to Texas to meet the first of two sets of siblings they would adopt — a brother and sister. The mother was pregnant with a girl, and the Harts expected to adopt her, too.

Lee stayed with another family while they were gone and when the Harts returned they showed her photos of the children. “We were super excited,” Lee said.

However, a week before the Texas children were due to arrive, the Harts dropped Lee off at a therapist’s appointment. The therapist broke the news to Lee: Jen and Sarah would not be coming back to get her. Lee was to be fostered by a new family. Another couple picked her up and brought her home. Her belongings were already at the new house. “I remember being devastated,” she said.

“They didn’t even say goodbye,” Lee’s mum remembered. Lee never heard from them again and says she felt abandoned.

But Lee said her new foster father, a Christian youth pastor, taught her the value of forgiveness. Lee now works with disabled people and had a child. She rarely thought about the Harts until the day her mum called her with the shocking news about the allegedly deliberate car crash over the cliff in California.

“I don’t believe Jen and Sarah to be evil people,” concluded Lee, “and I don’t want to believe that they killed their family intentionally”.

MUM WHO DROVE CAR OFF CLIFF WAS INTOXICATED
Authorities say that Jennifer Hart, who was driving when the SUV sped off a California cliff last month with her wife and six children, was drunk behind the wheel.

California Patrol Capt. Bruce Carpenter said on Friday that toxicology tests found Jennifer Hart had an alcohol level of .102.

According to the law, California drivers are considered drunk with a level of 0.08 or higher. Capt. Carpenter says toxicology tests also found that her wife Sarah Hart and two of their adopted children had “a significant amount” of an ingredient commonly found in the allergy drug Benadryl, which can make people sleepy. The Harts and three of their children were found dead after the car plunged into the Pacific Ocean on March 26.

Two more are missing and another body has been found but not identified.