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False Abuse and Oregon's Child Protection Agencies
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The following are three letters I've sent to newspapers, TV Stations, and other media outlets, TRYING TO BRING ATTENTION to the outrageous situation my family has been forced into. We are at a loss on how to get the support we need to fight against this ordeal. Dear (TV Station, etc.), I would really like to speak with someone at your station regarding the situation my family is currently facing. This has been difficult for us, and we are only looking for resources and/or support pertaining to the issues we have been forced into. Our situation is not unique, but it seems to be one that does not receive a lot of attention. I have found another Oregon Family via web ... they are The Gastons of Mt. Angel, and have a website http://www.avoiceforchildren.com I have not personally met them, but The Gastons have sent me a supportive letter, and I understand they also know of The Gilman's in Corvallis. (Who posted my story on their website). I was recently sent a news article that appeared July 6th in WorldNet Daily, which mentions The Gastons. This article was sent to me by Suzanne Shell, who has written a book regarding issues such as mine, theirs, and the Gilmans. I have been in touch with her off and on throughout the last few months, and understand from The Gilman's that she was also a support system for them during their case. It's a small, but big world! Suzanne Shell is advocating for parent's rights in the State of Colorado. Other websites you may find of interest, some being linked through Suzanne's website and also the Gilman's (but I had found just doing a search) are .... http://www.abuse-excuse.com http://www.fa-ir.org The Gilman's Website These all link to other sites of the same nature. It's amazing that there is so much, yet is kept so quiet. My daughter cannot return home until this ordeal is over. I refuse to relinquish custody of her to the State of Oregon. She is staying out of State with my Dad and his wife. They are licensed foster care parents, and have just adopted the most beautiful little girl who stole their hearts after being placed in their home. I do know the other side of this issue, and agree that there is a need for services for abused children. But when those services are being wasted, because effort, time, and money, is used in cases such as mine, then sadly the children that really need them, slip through the cracks. Such as the recent Hillsboro, OR case where the mother shot her son in the arm. The news report stated that she had previously been suspected of abuse twice. Thank You for your time. Sincerely, Dear (TV Station, etc.), I am writing this letter to bring some attention and awareness to the ordeal my family is currently facing. We are battling the State of Oregon, and it's agencies, through the Deschutes County Courts, .... and we have unjustly been put into this position. Because of false accusations made against my husband, which has led to his arrest, and eventually to an indictment, he now faces a potential 40+ years in prison if convicted, due to mandatory sentencing laws. My family is now living through a nightmare because of a lie, ... a mistake my 13-yr-old daughter deeply regrets now. In a fit of anger, after being grounded by her step-father for breaking a house rule, she accused him of molesting her. She had been encouraged, for quite some time, by her paternal side of the family, (even later bribed), because of their dislike for my husband, and on Feb. 2nd of this year, she just up and did so without thinking. My husband was arrested, and even though she came forward with the truth two weeks later, the authorities refused to listen. After 4 months of continuing court appearances, not being allowed to live at home because there was a no contact order, and many unjust events on behalf of the State ... he was indicted. The hearings had been repeatedly continued due to the requests of the prosecution and later, the defense attorney. My husband was not consulted by, nor did he give his consent for the continuances asked for by his attorney. In fact, they had agreed on just the opposite. It came as a surprise to us when, during the court hearings, the defense attorney's actions had changed from those he had stated just minutes before. We learned that he had been conversing and negotiating with the DA without our knowledge. My husband had been adamant from day one that he would not be negotiating, or considering any type of plea bargain because he was innocent. The attorney was fired from his firm 3 days before the indictment. A new lawyer was temporarily assigned until they could hire a replacement. We met this attorney for the first time at the indictment hearing, after my husband was called to stand before the court. There, we learned that the original attorney had known of the indictment but failed to inform us. We also learned, after obtaining the Discovery, that this same attorney had given materials to the DA, that were given to him by my husband in confidentiality, and to later use in his defense, should the need arise. The Entry of Plea hearing was set out for 6 weeks. During this time, not one productive thing was done for my husband's case or defense. He finally got to meet the newly hired attorney assigned to his case, a week before the Plea appearance was scheduled. Their meeting was not to discuss the case itself, but to ask that a waiver be signed, because of a conflict of interest the firm had. An employee of theirs was the son of a State witness against my husband. The waiver did not get signed, and my husband asked for their withdrawal. He has since been appointed new counsel. Other events in our situation include: 1.) The tactics and extreme lengths the State will go, to try and win their case. Including, their use of the Victim's Assistance Office personnel, having them phone me and request my presence at their office, under false pretenses. When I arrived, I was confronted by the DA, her assistant, and the Police Detective. They questioned me, tried to intimidate me, threatened the integrity of my parenting, and tried to convince me that my husband was guilty. When I finally realized that I could leave and end their confrontation, I did. 2.) Shortly after the indictment, I too, was made to stand before the court. I was served papers that say I've been "unwilling and unable to protect" my daughter from the sexual abuse, and that I've "failed to provide the guidance, care, and protection necessary" for her. They say she is in need of the State's services and are seeking custody and placement for her. Because of this, and the fears and concern I have about my daughter being "placed," I had to make the very hard decision of sending her out of the State, to stay with relatives. She has been away from home for over 2 months, and she is deeply missed by us. The discovery in my case, is the same that's being used against my husband. The "evidence" includes statements from people that have never met me or my children, and also includes reports and documents, written by the authorities themselves, falsely stating that I was a witness to some of the abuse of my daughter. 3.) The "Kid's Center," which is a source used by the State, to do video-taped interviews and assess abuse cases, not only had me sign my name on Victim's Assistance Forms so they could be billed for the Center's services, but they also billed my health insurance $1100.00. The total bill was broke down into "physician services" even though a medical doctor was never present during our visits. There is an Oregon Statute that states Law Enforcement Agencies are responsible for the cost of any medical examinations required during an investigation. Our visit to this Center was certainly not at our request, and they did not do a "medical" examination, (nor a genital exam), and my daughter was not "treated" for anything by them. 4). After I personally went to my daughter's school and asked that they not get involved because the case was already being investigated by PD and SCF, the school counselor removed my daughter from class, proceeded to grill and question her for over 2 hours, and refused to let her leave whenever she asked to. She also told my daughter that I was her biggest obstacle, asked her if I was doing drugs, tried to make her call her paternal family members after I stipulated there be no contact with them, discussed the Grand Jury hearing with her, told her to request her friend at the Kid's Center to be assigned to the case, etc. My daughter truly loves her step-father, and she had no idea that her accusations would lead to this. She is devastated by these results, and she has tried to make things right but her words fall onto deaf ears. The authorities do not care what she has to say, or that the evidence they are trying to use has no bearing. They only care about winning their case. As a mother who loves her children more than anything, and would never let harm come their way, I am heartsick, outraged, and completely appalled over the bogus claims. Their only reasoning is too pit us both in court at the same time, trying to weaken us, and wear us down. The toll this has taken on my family, not only financially, but emotionally, has been hard for each of us ... including my two younger children. We are now six months into this and still do not see an end. We continue to endure this ordeal on a daily basis, and the stress it that comes along with it. I could tell you more about my family's situation, the tactics the State has used, and so on. If this were not happening to us, I do not think I would believe it. We are holding strong but it has been very hard. We would like to have closure, pick up the pieces, and be able to finally go on with our lives. But we can not do that until the State of Oregon admits they are wrong, and stops trying to railroad us into something we do not deserve. My family would greatly appreciate any helpful information and/or support. Please contact me and I will answer any questions and fill you in on more of the details. Just in the last week we've had two phony plea bargains offered. Currently, we are battling to keep the courts from trying both the criminal and the dependency cases simultaneously. I would greatly like to address this issue. The public, especially parents need to be aware that this CAN happen to them. It has happened to others all across the country. I have been in contact with some of them, also with a family in Corvallis that went through their own nightmare. They have since confronted State Legislators and are trying to change the system. I have lots of interesting information from many different sources pertaining to this and similar matters. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, It is under the link "Expose abuse of power" and listed with letters regarding other horror stories. The website was created by the couple in Corvallis. Dear (TV Station, etc.), I hope you were able to read about my family's situation. I would like to follow up on what is happening. As my husband faces criminal charges and I am pulled into a dependency case, we still deal with the antics of the system. First, we keep getting continuance after continuance in each matter, and this just drags on and on. Now the courts want to know why both cases are not being tried together. My lawyer has asked over and over for a jurisdictional hearing because he does not believe the State has it. They also do not have a case against me unless my husband is convicted of the charges. My case stems from the catch-all "get them all" laws of neglect and failure to protect ... where they are saying I "should have" known something, therefore, I should have done something. The DA knows her case against my husband is weak. He is innocent but that is not the point. Finding an easy way out is. My husband was offered two different plea bargains, but he refused them both, because he is adamant about not having to admit false guilt and comply with the State's wishes. He also does not believe he should help them save face. First, he was offered to have all 10 Felony charges dropped to misdemeanors, spend no jail time, but register as an offender. He said no. The second offer was to plead to aggravated harassment, spend no jail time, no registering as an offender, but give the State jurisdiction. He still said no. My lawyer has been trying to fight the State's jurisdiction, and as I stated he does not feel they have it. So now they are asking for it. The thing is, they can make it seem like this will all go away, and maybe for my husband's part, it will. But they can still hold on to my case, and continue with it. They do not want to admit they are wrong, refuse to see it that way, only want to save face, look good, and avoid embarrassment. This is not about a little girl. It may have started that way, but that went out a long time ago. If their concern were actually for her, or "in the interest" of, then even I might commend their fine job. But It has gone beyond that. They went after the case and stuck to it, long after my daughter came forward with the truth, after we time and time again said we could disprove their issues, and they have refused to listen. When they realized we would not back down, or give in to them, they have ran circles trying to make things go their way. My family has been trying to cope with this situation every single day for over 6 months, and while everyone thinks it's horrible, nothing is being done. We are being drained financially, may lose our businesses, and everything we own. We face trials, and worse, and most heart-wrenching is that I can not see my daughter. She continues to remain out-of-state with my parents. I miss her terribly and I miss having my family complete. I just do not understand how this can continue. Thank You, |
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