By Lisa Belkin
I have not been able to get four-year-old Sean Paddock, or 11-year-old Hanna Williams, or 7-year-old Lydia Schatz out of my mind. As Erik Eckholm reported in the New York Times yesterday, and Anderson Cooper discussed on CNN, most recently last week, the three children all died within the past five years, and they had several chilling factors in common.
Each of their deaths were brutal and agonizing: Sean suffocated; Hana, who was found lying naked in the muddy yard, died of hypothermia and malnutrition; Lydia showed signs of a brutal beating. In each case, one or both of their parents has been charged with their murder.
And in each case, those parents are said to have essentially punished their children to death, allegedly because they believed it was God's will. They are said to have been guided by the book To Train Up A Child, by Michael and Debi Pearl, which advocates beating children with rubber tubing, leaving them outside in the cold, and witholding food for days at a time in keeping with Biblical teachings. (No, I am not linking to it, out of sympathy with those who are petitioning sites like Amazon not to sell this particular book, which does not directly advocate the level of abuse that killed these children, but that appears to have been misinterpreted and misused by at least some of the parents who stand accused.)
Much attention has been paid to the religious pieces of a this tale. Less noted is that each of these children joined these families through adoption. Sean was born in the US, as were his five adopted siblings. Hana was from Ethiopia, as was her adopted brother (their parents had six biological children as well), and Lydia was from Liberia (there were two other adopted siblings among the family's nine children.)
Is this merely grisly coincidence? Or is there something about the adoption dynamic that makes violent abuse more likely?
One possibility is that adoptive children -- particularly those who spend their earliest years in an orphanage or shuttling from one foster caregiver to the next -- are more likely to suffer reactive attachment disorder, which are essentially the inability not only to bond, but to feel. The effects are not just psychological, but also physical, with evidence these children can have elevated levels of the hormone cortisol, which increases their tolerance for pain. Some speculate that spanking a child with Reactive Attachment Disorder can spiral out of control quickly, because it takes abusive levels of pain before the child actually feels it and responds.
This cycle is the talk of a handful of adoptive parenting websites, and, in particular, it has been discussed often on Why Not Train a Child, which is dedicated to warning parents about the dangers of the Pearls' book. There an anonymous commenter there, who describes him or herself as knowing the parents of Hana Williams personally, speculates:
Initially, I think their intentions for adopting were "good" (although I am uncomfortable with the idea of adopting children solely because you are religiously motivated to "rescue" them). I don't think they adopted Hana and her brother so that they could have some children to torture and abuse. However, I believe they made a huge assumption that these kids would respond to their methods just like their own biological children did. They expected Hana and her little brother to assimilate into their family, and most likely ignored their culture, how they had grown up (customs, beliefs, etc), and most importantly, the trauma that Hana and her brother had gone through in their childhoods. These kids just weren't acting like their biological children. Instead of taking a step back and getting professional help, they decided that they would continue to follow the Pearl method, but continued to up the ante, because these kids were NOT succumbing to being "broken".
Adoption can save a child and create a family. It can also come with complications that biological parents are far less likely to face. All children are vulnerable, but adopted children are more so, because the very fact of their adoption tells of a shakier start in life. They deserve more of our protection. In at least three cases they did not receive it.
Source http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-belkin/adoption-spanking-childabuse_b_1081617.html
CPS corruption hurts and destroys families worldwide. Please use caution posting about CPS here or anyplace on the internet. For your protection, using your full, real name and precise location is not advised. CPS has eyes everywhere and CPS is notorious for taking what people say, twisting it, embellishing on it and then using it against them in CPS "investigations" and at court proceedings.
Showing posts with label beating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beating. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Police Won't File Charges Against Texas Judge Caught on Video Beating Daughter
Associated Press
Police say a Texas judge who was secretly videotaped beating his teenage daughter seven years ago won't face charges because the statutes of limitations have passed.
Rockport Police Chief Tim Jayroe said Thursday that Aransas County Court-at-Law Judge William Adams likely would have been charged with causing injury to a child and other assault offenses if the five-year statutes of limitations hadn't expired.
Adams is still being investigated by the state Department of Family and Protective Services, which has requested he not preside over any of its cases.
Adams' 23-year-old daughter, Hillary, posted the 8-minute clip of the 2004 beating on YouTube last week that shows her father savagely lash her 17 times with a belt.
Hillary Adams says that until last week, only a couple of close friends knew about the savage beating she received seven years ago from her father, a Texas judge who handles child abuse cases.
Adams says the outpouring of support and encouragement she's received since posting the video online last week is tempered by the sadness that it's her father lashing her with a belt and threatening to beat her "into submission." The video had been watched nearly 2 million times by Thursday morning.
"I'm experiencing some regret because I just pulled the covers off my own father's misbehavior after so many people thought he was such a good person. ... But so many people are also telling me I did the right thing," she told The Associated Press outside her mother's home in the Gulf Coast town of Portland, near Corpus Christi.
"He's supposed to be a judge who exercises fit judgment," she said."I cannot stress enough -- I cannot repeat myself enough, that he just needs help."
And she said the videoed attack was not a one-off. "It did happen regularly for a period of time," she told NBC's "Today" show on Thursday.
In the same interview, Hallie Adams blamed her ex-husband's bouts of violence on his "addiction," calling it a "family secret." She did not elaborate. Their 22-year marriage ended in 2007.
The judge did not return an AP reporter's call seeking comment early Thursday.
Police in Rockport, where the 51-year-old judge lives, opened an investigation Wednesday after receiving calls from several concerned citizens, Police Chief Tim Jayroe said.
William Adams has been receiving threatening phone calls and faxes at the courthouse since the video went online, Aransas County Sheriff Bill Mills said.
No one answered the door Wednesday at the judge's home, repeated calls to his office rang unanswered and his attorney, William Dudley, did not respond to phone messages seeking comment. A neighbor said she saw Adams and his girlfriend packing luggage, a briefcase and rifles into their truck.
Corpus Christi television station KZTV caught up with the judge while he was getting into his vehicle Wednesday, and he confirmed it was him in the video. But he said it "looks worse than it is" and that he doesn't expect to be disciplined.
"In my mind, I haven't done anything wrong other than discipline my child after she was caught stealing," Adams said. "And I did lose my temper, but I've since apologized."
When told of her father's comments, Hillary Adams said, "it's a shining perfect example of his personality and he believes he can do no wrong. ... He will cover up rather than admit to what he did and try to come clean."
She stressed that she did not post the video as revenge and does not want her father punished. Rather, she did it because she thinks it will force him to seek help, and because he has been harassing her and she thought posting the clip would make that stop.
"We need to reach out to victims and the abusers themselves to get people to realize what it actually is," she said. Hillary, who was 16 at the time, said she secretly videotaped the beating in her bedroom because she "knew something was about to happen." She says her parents were angry at her for using her computer to download pirated content over the Internet.
In the clip's opening seconds, William Adams is heard telling Hillary's mother, "Go get the belt. The big one. I'm going to spank her now." With belt in hand, he turns off the light and tries forcing his daughter to bend over the bed to be beaten, but she refuses.
"Lay down or I'll spank you in your (expletive) face," Adams screams while he lashes her with sweeping blows across the legs, ignoring her wails and pleas for him to stop.
A few minutes into the video, Hillary's mother barks at her to "turn over like a 16-year-old and take it! Like a grown woman!" For about a minute, the ordeal appears to have ended after both parents leave the room and shut the door. But the judge then storms back into the room and the beating resumes.
Hallie Adams said she was "completely brainwashed and controlled" by her ex-husband.
"I did every single thing that he did," she told NBC. Hillary Adams said she is not angry at her mother.
Child advocates roundly condemned the beating as abuse. But investigators may decide that the judge's actions, while shocking, weren't criminal.
The lines between what's deemed child abuse and what's considered an acceptable level of discipline differ across the country and among various social groups, though the use of objects such as belts and sticks is usually seen as beyond any normal physical punishment, said David Finkelhor, a University of New Hampshire sociology professor who heads the school's Crimes against Children Research Center.
Adams, Aransas County's top judge, was elected in 2001 and has dealt with at least 349 family law cases in the past year alone, nearly 50 of which involved state caseworkers seeking determine whether parents were fit to raise their children.
Patrick Crimmins, a spokesman for the state Department of Family and Protective Services, said in an email that the agency is aware of the video and "will take the appropriate steps in this matter." He said the agency would have no further comment.
Source http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/11/03/texas-judge-caught-on-video-beating-daughter-needs-help/
Police say a Texas judge who was secretly videotaped beating his teenage daughter seven years ago won't face charges because the statutes of limitations have passed.
Rockport Police Chief Tim Jayroe said Thursday that Aransas County Court-at-Law Judge William Adams likely would have been charged with causing injury to a child and other assault offenses if the five-year statutes of limitations hadn't expired.
Adams is still being investigated by the state Department of Family and Protective Services, which has requested he not preside over any of its cases.
Adams' 23-year-old daughter, Hillary, posted the 8-minute clip of the 2004 beating on YouTube last week that shows her father savagely lash her 17 times with a belt.
Hillary Adams says that until last week, only a couple of close friends knew about the savage beating she received seven years ago from her father, a Texas judge who handles child abuse cases.
Adams says the outpouring of support and encouragement she's received since posting the video online last week is tempered by the sadness that it's her father lashing her with a belt and threatening to beat her "into submission." The video had been watched nearly 2 million times by Thursday morning.
"I'm experiencing some regret because I just pulled the covers off my own father's misbehavior after so many people thought he was such a good person. ... But so many people are also telling me I did the right thing," she told The Associated Press outside her mother's home in the Gulf Coast town of Portland, near Corpus Christi.
"He's supposed to be a judge who exercises fit judgment," she said."I cannot stress enough -- I cannot repeat myself enough, that he just needs help."
And she said the videoed attack was not a one-off. "It did happen regularly for a period of time," she told NBC's "Today" show on Thursday.
In the same interview, Hallie Adams blamed her ex-husband's bouts of violence on his "addiction," calling it a "family secret." She did not elaborate. Their 22-year marriage ended in 2007.
The judge did not return an AP reporter's call seeking comment early Thursday.
Police in Rockport, where the 51-year-old judge lives, opened an investigation Wednesday after receiving calls from several concerned citizens, Police Chief Tim Jayroe said.
William Adams has been receiving threatening phone calls and faxes at the courthouse since the video went online, Aransas County Sheriff Bill Mills said.
No one answered the door Wednesday at the judge's home, repeated calls to his office rang unanswered and his attorney, William Dudley, did not respond to phone messages seeking comment. A neighbor said she saw Adams and his girlfriend packing luggage, a briefcase and rifles into their truck.
Corpus Christi television station KZTV caught up with the judge while he was getting into his vehicle Wednesday, and he confirmed it was him in the video. But he said it "looks worse than it is" and that he doesn't expect to be disciplined.
"In my mind, I haven't done anything wrong other than discipline my child after she was caught stealing," Adams said. "And I did lose my temper, but I've since apologized."
When told of her father's comments, Hillary Adams said, "it's a shining perfect example of his personality and he believes he can do no wrong. ... He will cover up rather than admit to what he did and try to come clean."
She stressed that she did not post the video as revenge and does not want her father punished. Rather, she did it because she thinks it will force him to seek help, and because he has been harassing her and she thought posting the clip would make that stop.
"We need to reach out to victims and the abusers themselves to get people to realize what it actually is," she said. Hillary, who was 16 at the time, said she secretly videotaped the beating in her bedroom because she "knew something was about to happen." She says her parents were angry at her for using her computer to download pirated content over the Internet.
In the clip's opening seconds, William Adams is heard telling Hillary's mother, "Go get the belt. The big one. I'm going to spank her now." With belt in hand, he turns off the light and tries forcing his daughter to bend over the bed to be beaten, but she refuses.
"Lay down or I'll spank you in your (expletive) face," Adams screams while he lashes her with sweeping blows across the legs, ignoring her wails and pleas for him to stop.
A few minutes into the video, Hillary's mother barks at her to "turn over like a 16-year-old and take it! Like a grown woman!" For about a minute, the ordeal appears to have ended after both parents leave the room and shut the door. But the judge then storms back into the room and the beating resumes.
Hallie Adams said she was "completely brainwashed and controlled" by her ex-husband.
"I did every single thing that he did," she told NBC. Hillary Adams said she is not angry at her mother.
Child advocates roundly condemned the beating as abuse. But investigators may decide that the judge's actions, while shocking, weren't criminal.
The lines between what's deemed child abuse and what's considered an acceptable level of discipline differ across the country and among various social groups, though the use of objects such as belts and sticks is usually seen as beyond any normal physical punishment, said David Finkelhor, a University of New Hampshire sociology professor who heads the school's Crimes against Children Research Center.
Adams, Aransas County's top judge, was elected in 2001 and has dealt with at least 349 family law cases in the past year alone, nearly 50 of which involved state caseworkers seeking determine whether parents were fit to raise their children.
Patrick Crimmins, a spokesman for the state Department of Family and Protective Services, said in an email that the agency is aware of the video and "will take the appropriate steps in this matter." He said the agency would have no further comment.
Source http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/11/03/texas-judge-caught-on-video-beating-daughter-needs-help/
Lawyer: Charges will be tough against judge in beating video
By Tracy Sabo, Ashley Hayes and Moni Basu, CNN
Dallas (CNN) -- A Texas judge whose daughter posted a graphic video of him beating her repeatedly has unleashed torrents of public anger but he may not ever face criminal prosecution.
Hillary Adams, now 23, uploaded a video of her father whipping her with a belt, cursing at her and berating her. She said Thursday that violence was a regular occurrence in her family home.
"It did happen regularly, for a period of time, and I could tell, because of the pattern, that things were escalating again," she said on NBC's "Today."
Her father, William Adams, a court-at-law judge in Aransas County, Texas, faces a police investigation and a judicial conduct probe.
Aransas County District Attorney Patrick Flanigan said authorities are looking at numerous factors, including the child's age and the statute of limitations.
The law is complex on which charges could be brought, he said, and which statutes may apply -- all speculation until the video is confirmed to be authentic.
"We're in a fact-finding situation now to determine what is true," he said. His office will look at how the law has changed in the past couple of years, as there could have been different laws in effect at the time.
However, a criminal defense lawyer said it was not likely that Adams could be prosecuted.
In an offense involving injury to a child, Texas law defines a child as being 14 years or less, said Houston lawyer Chris Tritico. Hillary Adams was 16 in the video.
He said the judge might have been charged with aggravated assault except in Texas, the statute of limitations is three years. The video was filmed in 2004.
"This young lady sat on this videotape for six years," Tritico said. "That's where the problem is."
But outrage over the beating erupted Thursday and in the court of public opinion, William Adams, who handles family-related and juvenile court issues, had already been convicted.
The state Commission of Judicial Conduct was inundated with calls, e-mails and faxes, it said in an online statement announcing the start of a probe into the matter.
"We want to get to the bottom of it ... regardless of who the person is," Flanigan said.
Aransas County Attorney Richard Bianchi said his office was also overwhelmed with calls and e-mails, including some from overseas, since the video went viral on the Internet.
"Just a sad day. It's unfortunate for all the people in that video. It doesn't bode well for the image of our community or our judiciary or our legal community in Aransas County," Bianchi said.
Adams was temporarily relieved of his duties for the next two weeks, and a visiting judge will take over his caseload while the matter is being investigated, according to the office of Aransas County Administrative Judge Burt Mills.
Meanwhile, Hillary Adams appeared on "Today" with her mother, Hallie Adams. Although she participated in the videotaped beating, Hillary Adams said she has since left the marriage because of the abuse and has apologized.
"We're very close now," she said when asked if she was angry at her mother. "When I showed her the video, she started crying, hasn't stopped apologizing, and I forgive her because she knows everything that happened."
Asked how she could condone or participate in the incident, Hillary Adams acknowledged, "It's chilling," but said. "My answer to you and to the world is something that I've been hiding for a very long time. It's a family secret, and that's addiction" on her husband's part.
She did not elaborate, but said, "I lived in an environment of dysfunction and it steadily got worse." She said she left her husband when Hillary was 6 months old and "he shamed me into going back.
"I was completely brainwashed and controlled," Hallie Adams said. "I did every single thing he did."
Hillary Adams said on "Today" that she left her video camera on her dresser recording and covered its light with a scarf in order to capture the video.
The video is punctuated by cracks of the man's belt and the girl's screams and cries.
She waited seven years to release it because at the time it was shot, she was still a minor and living under her father's roof. She didn't know what might happen to herself, her mother or her younger sister, she said.
The 2004 beating occurred when her father was punishing her for using the Internet "to acquire music and games that were unavailable for legal purchase at the time," Hillary Adams wrote on the Internet posting. She said she released the video after being harassed by her father.
"It was the straw that broke the camel's back," she said Thursday. "It wasn't any huge happening or anything." She said she told her father she had the video, "and he didn't seem to think anything of it, and basically dared me to post it."
The video posting said, "Judge William Adams is not fit to be anywhere near the law system if he can't even exercise fit judgment as a parent himself. Do not allow this man to ever be re-elected again. His 'judgment' is a giant farce. Signed, Hillary Adams, his daughter."
Receiving an outpouring of support after posting the video has been like a form of therapy, she told KRIS, which is based in Corpus Christi, Texas.
"People are believing us now, instead of calling us liars like they have in the past," she said.
In an interview with KZTV outside his Rockport, Texas, home Wednesday, Adams confirmed to a reporter that he was the man beating his daughter with a belt and a board on the video.
"She's mad because I've ordered her to bring the car back, in a nutshell, but yeah, that's me. I lost my temper," Adams told the station. "Her mother was there, she wasn't hurt ... it was a long time ago ... I really don't want to get into this right now because as you can see my life's been made very difficult over this child."
Adams continued: "In my mind I have not done anything wrong other than discipline my child when she was caught stealing. I did lose my temper, I've apologized. It looks worse than it is."
A phone number listed for William Adams appeared to be out of service Thursday, with calls not connecting.
Hillary Adams told KRIS that her father was "making light of the situation."
"I just can't believe he would say something like he doesn't think it's a big deal."
At one point in the 7 1/2-minute video, the man says to his near-hysterical daughter, "What happened to you, Hillary? Once you were an obedient, nice little girl. Now you lie, cheat and steal."
He yells at her, "You want to put some more computer games on? You want some more?"
"Are you happy?" he asks her. "Disobeying your parents? You don't deserve to f---ing be in this house."
He also berates the girl's mother for allowing a "f---ing computer" in the house.
The older woman also strikes the girl with a belt once, and near the end of the video instructs the girl not to "touch one other thing on the computer besides your schoolwork until you are given notice otherwise."
Hillary Adams "has had ataxic cerebral palsy from birth that led her to a passion for technology, which was strictly forbidden by her father's backwards views," according to the YouTube posting.
Adams told KRIS that the conduct is "not as bad as it looks on tape." The judge said he had contacted judicial review officials in Austin and "more will come out" in the investigation, KRIS reported.
Asked what he might mean, Hallie Adams said on "Today," "I think that the story that's going to come out ... in his mind is that he's projected his problem onto me. For the entire four years since I've left the marriage, I've been abused and harassed through texts, e-mail." She said she told William Adams in June that she would not speak to him again, and "he has threatened to file for modification and take my younger daughter away from me."
Asked whether she wants her father to lose his job, Hillary Adams said on "Today," "I think wishing anybody to lose their job is not a really good thing to do," but "his being fit for the job, that's something I really can't say that he is."
She said she believes her father has been punished enough by the video being made public, "and I just think he really needs help and rehabilitation. We need to get him counseling or something."
She said she regretted that it was her own father "but at the same time so many people are telling me I did the right thing."
One court employee called Adams a good judge and told CNN affliate KTRK that there were always two sides to every story.
Whether Adams will face consequences for beating his daughter remains to be seen. But he will have to face the public three years from now, when he is up for re-election.
This article is based on reporting by Tracy Sabo in Dallas and Dave Alsup, Ashley Hayes and Moni Basu in Atlanta. CNN's Carma Hassan and Michael Martinez contributed to this report.
Source http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/03/justice/texas-video-beating/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Dallas (CNN) -- A Texas judge whose daughter posted a graphic video of him beating her repeatedly has unleashed torrents of public anger but he may not ever face criminal prosecution.
Hillary Adams, now 23, uploaded a video of her father whipping her with a belt, cursing at her and berating her. She said Thursday that violence was a regular occurrence in her family home.
"It did happen regularly, for a period of time, and I could tell, because of the pattern, that things were escalating again," she said on NBC's "Today."
Her father, William Adams, a court-at-law judge in Aransas County, Texas, faces a police investigation and a judicial conduct probe.
Aransas County District Attorney Patrick Flanigan said authorities are looking at numerous factors, including the child's age and the statute of limitations.
The law is complex on which charges could be brought, he said, and which statutes may apply -- all speculation until the video is confirmed to be authentic.
"We're in a fact-finding situation now to determine what is true," he said. His office will look at how the law has changed in the past couple of years, as there could have been different laws in effect at the time.
However, a criminal defense lawyer said it was not likely that Adams could be prosecuted.
In an offense involving injury to a child, Texas law defines a child as being 14 years or less, said Houston lawyer Chris Tritico. Hillary Adams was 16 in the video.
He said the judge might have been charged with aggravated assault except in Texas, the statute of limitations is three years. The video was filmed in 2004.
"This young lady sat on this videotape for six years," Tritico said. "That's where the problem is."
But outrage over the beating erupted Thursday and in the court of public opinion, William Adams, who handles family-related and juvenile court issues, had already been convicted.
The state Commission of Judicial Conduct was inundated with calls, e-mails and faxes, it said in an online statement announcing the start of a probe into the matter.
"We want to get to the bottom of it ... regardless of who the person is," Flanigan said.
Aransas County Attorney Richard Bianchi said his office was also overwhelmed with calls and e-mails, including some from overseas, since the video went viral on the Internet.
"Just a sad day. It's unfortunate for all the people in that video. It doesn't bode well for the image of our community or our judiciary or our legal community in Aransas County," Bianchi said.
Adams was temporarily relieved of his duties for the next two weeks, and a visiting judge will take over his caseload while the matter is being investigated, according to the office of Aransas County Administrative Judge Burt Mills.
Meanwhile, Hillary Adams appeared on "Today" with her mother, Hallie Adams. Although she participated in the videotaped beating, Hillary Adams said she has since left the marriage because of the abuse and has apologized.
"We're very close now," she said when asked if she was angry at her mother. "When I showed her the video, she started crying, hasn't stopped apologizing, and I forgive her because she knows everything that happened."
Asked how she could condone or participate in the incident, Hillary Adams acknowledged, "It's chilling," but said. "My answer to you and to the world is something that I've been hiding for a very long time. It's a family secret, and that's addiction" on her husband's part.
She did not elaborate, but said, "I lived in an environment of dysfunction and it steadily got worse." She said she left her husband when Hillary was 6 months old and "he shamed me into going back.
"I was completely brainwashed and controlled," Hallie Adams said. "I did every single thing he did."
Hillary Adams said on "Today" that she left her video camera on her dresser recording and covered its light with a scarf in order to capture the video.
The video is punctuated by cracks of the man's belt and the girl's screams and cries.
She waited seven years to release it because at the time it was shot, she was still a minor and living under her father's roof. She didn't know what might happen to herself, her mother or her younger sister, she said.
The 2004 beating occurred when her father was punishing her for using the Internet "to acquire music and games that were unavailable for legal purchase at the time," Hillary Adams wrote on the Internet posting. She said she released the video after being harassed by her father.
"It was the straw that broke the camel's back," she said Thursday. "It wasn't any huge happening or anything." She said she told her father she had the video, "and he didn't seem to think anything of it, and basically dared me to post it."
The video posting said, "Judge William Adams is not fit to be anywhere near the law system if he can't even exercise fit judgment as a parent himself. Do not allow this man to ever be re-elected again. His 'judgment' is a giant farce. Signed, Hillary Adams, his daughter."
Receiving an outpouring of support after posting the video has been like a form of therapy, she told KRIS, which is based in Corpus Christi, Texas.
"People are believing us now, instead of calling us liars like they have in the past," she said.
In an interview with KZTV outside his Rockport, Texas, home Wednesday, Adams confirmed to a reporter that he was the man beating his daughter with a belt and a board on the video.
"She's mad because I've ordered her to bring the car back, in a nutshell, but yeah, that's me. I lost my temper," Adams told the station. "Her mother was there, she wasn't hurt ... it was a long time ago ... I really don't want to get into this right now because as you can see my life's been made very difficult over this child."
Adams continued: "In my mind I have not done anything wrong other than discipline my child when she was caught stealing. I did lose my temper, I've apologized. It looks worse than it is."
A phone number listed for William Adams appeared to be out of service Thursday, with calls not connecting.
Hillary Adams told KRIS that her father was "making light of the situation."
"I just can't believe he would say something like he doesn't think it's a big deal."
At one point in the 7 1/2-minute video, the man says to his near-hysterical daughter, "What happened to you, Hillary? Once you were an obedient, nice little girl. Now you lie, cheat and steal."
He yells at her, "You want to put some more computer games on? You want some more?"
"Are you happy?" he asks her. "Disobeying your parents? You don't deserve to f---ing be in this house."
He also berates the girl's mother for allowing a "f---ing computer" in the house.
The older woman also strikes the girl with a belt once, and near the end of the video instructs the girl not to "touch one other thing on the computer besides your schoolwork until you are given notice otherwise."
Hillary Adams "has had ataxic cerebral palsy from birth that led her to a passion for technology, which was strictly forbidden by her father's backwards views," according to the YouTube posting.
Adams told KRIS that the conduct is "not as bad as it looks on tape." The judge said he had contacted judicial review officials in Austin and "more will come out" in the investigation, KRIS reported.
Asked what he might mean, Hallie Adams said on "Today," "I think that the story that's going to come out ... in his mind is that he's projected his problem onto me. For the entire four years since I've left the marriage, I've been abused and harassed through texts, e-mail." She said she told William Adams in June that she would not speak to him again, and "he has threatened to file for modification and take my younger daughter away from me."
Asked whether she wants her father to lose his job, Hillary Adams said on "Today," "I think wishing anybody to lose their job is not a really good thing to do," but "his being fit for the job, that's something I really can't say that he is."
She said she believes her father has been punished enough by the video being made public, "and I just think he really needs help and rehabilitation. We need to get him counseling or something."
She said she regretted that it was her own father "but at the same time so many people are telling me I did the right thing."
One court employee called Adams a good judge and told CNN affliate KTRK that there were always two sides to every story.
Whether Adams will face consequences for beating his daughter remains to be seen. But he will have to face the public three years from now, when he is up for re-election.
This article is based on reporting by Tracy Sabo in Dallas and Dave Alsup, Ashley Hayes and Moni Basu in Atlanta. CNN's Carma Hassan and Michael Martinez contributed to this report.
Source http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/03/justice/texas-video-beating/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Texas judge confirms video of him beating daughter, says 'I lost my temper'
Blog authors note:
Here is a good example of the sadistic people who run family courts and make judgements against parents who truly love their children and which many are in front of these sadists due to false allegations.
-----
By By Tracy Sabo and Ashley Hayes, CNN
Dallas (CNN) -- A Texas judge faces a police investigation and judicial probe after a video showing him beating his then-16-year-old disabled daughter was posted on the Internet.
The graphic video drew international outrage after it was posted by a woman who said she was the victim of the beating seven years ago and that her parents -- including her father, Aransas County, Texas, Court-At-Law Judge William Adams -- were the ones seen beating and cursing at her in the video.
On Wednesday afternoon, Judge Adams was temporarily relieved of his duties for the next two weeks, and a visiting judge will take over his caseload while the matter is being investigated, according to the office of Aransas County Administrative Judge Burt Mills.
No court dates were scheduled this week, Mills' office said.
In an interview with KZTV outside his Rockport, Texas, home Wednesday, Adams confirmed to a reporter that he was the man beating his daughter with a belt and a board on the video, taped in 2004.
"She's mad because I've ordered her to bring the car back, in a nutshell, but yeah, that's me. I lost my temper," Adams told the TV station. "Her mother was there, she wasn't hurt ... it was a long time ago ... I really don't want to get into this right now because as you can see my life's been made very difficult over this child."
Adams continued: "In my mind I have not done anything wrong other than discipline my child when she was caught stealing. I did lose my temper, I've apologized. It looks worse than it is."
Speaking via phone to Texas television station KRIS, a woman who identified herself as Hillary Adams, the daughter in the video, said she posted the video, and criticized her father for "making light of the situation."
"I just can't believe he would say something like, he doesn't think it's a big deal," she said.
She told KRIS she set up the camera to record the incident seven years ago, but waited for "the right time" to release the video.
"Waiting this long to publish it has enabled me to look at it with hindsight and not be so caught up in the passion of the moment," Hillary Adams said. "I think we do, my mother and I, we do need to try to move on past the anger and just concentrate on getting counseling and help."
Receiving an outpouring of support after posting the video has been like a form of therapy, she told KRIS, which is based in Corpus Christi, Texas.
"People are believing us now, instead of calling us liars like they have in the past," she said.
Aransas County Attorney Richard Bianchi said his office has been overwhelmed with calls and e-mails, including some from overseas, since the video went viral on the Internet.
"Just a sad day. It's unfortunate for all the people in that video. It doesn't bode well for the image of our community or our judiciary or our legal community in Aransas County," Bianchi said.
When asked if Judge Adams could continue to work under the media attention and while the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct investigates, Bianchi replied: "That depends on his state of mind. He'll have to look himself in the mirror and ask if he can conduct himself fairly and make good decisions."
Judge Adams is up for re-election in three years, Judge Mills told CNN. He was elected to a four-year term last year, said Aransas County Clerk Peggy Friebele.
Asked if there were any similar or past incidents in the longtime judge's personnel record, Bianchi stated: "Nothing involving the county attorney's office... He, like all of us, has his personal life struggles... he had a divorce." Adams was the county judge, an administrative position, before being elected as a county court-at-law judge about 10 years ago, Bianchi said.
A person identifying herself as Hillary Adams said in posting the video to the sharing site Reddit she decided to post it after receiving a "barrage of harassment" over the phone from her father.
The video, apparently shot on a webcam, was also posted to YouTube. In that posting, the person identifying herself as Hillary Adams said the beating occurred in 2004, when her father was punishing her for using the Internet "to acquire music and games that were unavailable for legal purchase at the time."
The video posting said, "Judge William Adams is not fit to be anywhere near the law system if he can't even exercise fit judgment as a parent himself. Do not allow this man to ever be re-elected again. His 'judgment' is a giant farce. Signed, Hillary Adams, his daughter."
CNN tried repeatedly on Wednesday to reach William Adams at his Rockport, Texas, office, but received a constant busy signal.
But Adams told Texas television station KRIS that the conduct is "not as bad as it looks on tape." The judge said he had contacted judicial review officials in Austin and "more will come out" in the investigation, KRIS reported
Meanwhile, Aransas County Administrative Judge Mills told CNN that he spoke with Adams on Wednesday morning.
"I talked to him this morning and he was pretty upset," Mills said. He added that Adams was due to be off from work Wednesday for personal reasons.
Judge Adam's ex-wife, Hallie Adams, posted a comment on Facebook about the video, according to KRIS.
The posting attributed to Hallie Adams states: "I am praying for my daughters and me and my family to heal in all ways from emotional and physical abuse, for the current and continuing abuse of my children and me that has been ongoing to end -- starting now -- for my daughters to both finally be able to go to counseling both individually and as a family group with their dad's approval, encouragement, involvement and support, for him to finally make amends to all of us, talk openly with us, and take the first steps to letting our broken family heal."
A page called "Don't Re-Elect Judge William Adams" also sprang up on Facebook, attracting more than 13,000 "likes" by Wednesday night. Messages were posted by users in countries including Australia, the Netherlands and Guatemala, among others, and a Spanish-language version of the video was posted on YouTube.
"This man doesn't deserve power," said a posting on the Facebook page. "He doesn't know how to use it."
A person identifying herself as Hillary Adams, on a Twitter account using the same username as the posting on Reddit, tweeted to CNN, "I'm not sure how much I should say, except that above all we need to help my father instead of condemning him."
In another tweet, the person said, "I'm feeling some regret for publishing the video because to ruin my own father is heavy indeed. But I really want him to seek help."
The video was brought to authorities' attention about 9 p.m. Tuesday, Rockport Police Chief Tim Jayroe told CNN, and authorities are investigating to determine its authenticity.
Aransas County District Attorney Patrick Flanigan told CNN authorities are looking at numerous factors, including the child's age and the statute of limitations.
The law is complex on which charges could be brought, he said, and which statutes may apply -- which is all speculation until the video is confirmed to be authentic.
"We're in a fact-finding situation now to determine what is true," he said, and the district attorney's office will get updates from the police department about the investigation.
In addition, he said, his office will look at how the law has changed in the past couple of years, as there could have been different laws in effect at the time.
The possibility of an alleged abuser holding a position of authority such as a judge "doesn't matter and shouldn't matter" in the investigation, District Attorney Flanigan said, adding, "it will be a normal review."
As a judge, Adams handles misdemeanor cases, including family-related and juvenile court issues, Flanigan said. Those cases rarely move to the criminal side or cross to his purview, he said.
"We want to get to the bottom of it ... regardless of who the person is," he said.
The Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct declined comment on the matter Wednesday, but it said it was aware of the situation. A woman answering the phone said the commission has been "overwhelmed."
Hillary Adams "has had ataxic cerebral palsy from birth that led her to a passion for technology, which was strictly forbidden by her father's backwards views," according to the posting on the YouTube video. "The judge's wife was emotionally abused herself and was severely manipulated into assisting the beating and should not be blamed for any content in this video."
Attempts by CNN to contact Hillary Adams' mother were not immediately successful Wednesday.
The video is punctuated by cracks of the man's belt and the girl's screams and cries.
At one point, the man says to his near-hysterical daughter, "What happened to you, Hillary? Once you were an obedient, nice little girl. Now you lie, cheat and steal."
At another point in the 7 1/2-minute video, he yells at her, "You want to put some more computer games on? You want some more?"
"Are you happy?" he asks her. "Disobeying your parents? You don't deserve to f---ing be in this house."
He also berates the older woman, who identifies herself as the girl's mother, for allowing a "f---ing computer" in the house.
The older woman also strikes the girl with a belt once, and near the end of the video instructs the girl not to "touch one other thing on the computer besides your schoolwork until you are given notice otherwise."
The girl was apparently 16 at the time the video is taken, as the older woman at one point instructs her to "turn over like a 16-year-old and take it."
Judge Adams' work schedule will be reassessed as new information is revealed in the investigation, Mills' office said.
Police and the district attorney are taking the investigation seriously, Jayroe, the police chief, said. Investigators have not yet spoken to Hillary Adams or her family, he said, and have not tried to contact William Adams.
"We would want to talk to her," he said of Hillary Adams.
Jayroe said his department has asked the Texas Department of Public Safety for assistance with an investigator. "It's the first time in 22 years we've asked for assistance," he said.
Source http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/02/justice/texas-video-beating/?hpt=hp_t2
Here is a good example of the sadistic people who run family courts and make judgements against parents who truly love their children and which many are in front of these sadists due to false allegations.
-----
By By Tracy Sabo and Ashley Hayes, CNN
Dallas (CNN) -- A Texas judge faces a police investigation and judicial probe after a video showing him beating his then-16-year-old disabled daughter was posted on the Internet.
The graphic video drew international outrage after it was posted by a woman who said she was the victim of the beating seven years ago and that her parents -- including her father, Aransas County, Texas, Court-At-Law Judge William Adams -- were the ones seen beating and cursing at her in the video.
On Wednesday afternoon, Judge Adams was temporarily relieved of his duties for the next two weeks, and a visiting judge will take over his caseload while the matter is being investigated, according to the office of Aransas County Administrative Judge Burt Mills.
No court dates were scheduled this week, Mills' office said.
In an interview with KZTV outside his Rockport, Texas, home Wednesday, Adams confirmed to a reporter that he was the man beating his daughter with a belt and a board on the video, taped in 2004.
"She's mad because I've ordered her to bring the car back, in a nutshell, but yeah, that's me. I lost my temper," Adams told the TV station. "Her mother was there, she wasn't hurt ... it was a long time ago ... I really don't want to get into this right now because as you can see my life's been made very difficult over this child."
Adams continued: "In my mind I have not done anything wrong other than discipline my child when she was caught stealing. I did lose my temper, I've apologized. It looks worse than it is."
Speaking via phone to Texas television station KRIS, a woman who identified herself as Hillary Adams, the daughter in the video, said she posted the video, and criticized her father for "making light of the situation."
"I just can't believe he would say something like, he doesn't think it's a big deal," she said.
She told KRIS she set up the camera to record the incident seven years ago, but waited for "the right time" to release the video.
"Waiting this long to publish it has enabled me to look at it with hindsight and not be so caught up in the passion of the moment," Hillary Adams said. "I think we do, my mother and I, we do need to try to move on past the anger and just concentrate on getting counseling and help."
Receiving an outpouring of support after posting the video has been like a form of therapy, she told KRIS, which is based in Corpus Christi, Texas.
"People are believing us now, instead of calling us liars like they have in the past," she said.
Aransas County Attorney Richard Bianchi said his office has been overwhelmed with calls and e-mails, including some from overseas, since the video went viral on the Internet.
"Just a sad day. It's unfortunate for all the people in that video. It doesn't bode well for the image of our community or our judiciary or our legal community in Aransas County," Bianchi said.
When asked if Judge Adams could continue to work under the media attention and while the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct investigates, Bianchi replied: "That depends on his state of mind. He'll have to look himself in the mirror and ask if he can conduct himself fairly and make good decisions."
Judge Adams is up for re-election in three years, Judge Mills told CNN. He was elected to a four-year term last year, said Aransas County Clerk Peggy Friebele.
Asked if there were any similar or past incidents in the longtime judge's personnel record, Bianchi stated: "Nothing involving the county attorney's office... He, like all of us, has his personal life struggles... he had a divorce." Adams was the county judge, an administrative position, before being elected as a county court-at-law judge about 10 years ago, Bianchi said.
A person identifying herself as Hillary Adams said in posting the video to the sharing site Reddit she decided to post it after receiving a "barrage of harassment" over the phone from her father.
The video, apparently shot on a webcam, was also posted to YouTube. In that posting, the person identifying herself as Hillary Adams said the beating occurred in 2004, when her father was punishing her for using the Internet "to acquire music and games that were unavailable for legal purchase at the time."
The video posting said, "Judge William Adams is not fit to be anywhere near the law system if he can't even exercise fit judgment as a parent himself. Do not allow this man to ever be re-elected again. His 'judgment' is a giant farce. Signed, Hillary Adams, his daughter."
CNN tried repeatedly on Wednesday to reach William Adams at his Rockport, Texas, office, but received a constant busy signal.
But Adams told Texas television station KRIS that the conduct is "not as bad as it looks on tape." The judge said he had contacted judicial review officials in Austin and "more will come out" in the investigation, KRIS reported
Meanwhile, Aransas County Administrative Judge Mills told CNN that he spoke with Adams on Wednesday morning.
"I talked to him this morning and he was pretty upset," Mills said. He added that Adams was due to be off from work Wednesday for personal reasons.
Judge Adam's ex-wife, Hallie Adams, posted a comment on Facebook about the video, according to KRIS.
The posting attributed to Hallie Adams states: "I am praying for my daughters and me and my family to heal in all ways from emotional and physical abuse, for the current and continuing abuse of my children and me that has been ongoing to end -- starting now -- for my daughters to both finally be able to go to counseling both individually and as a family group with their dad's approval, encouragement, involvement and support, for him to finally make amends to all of us, talk openly with us, and take the first steps to letting our broken family heal."
A page called "Don't Re-Elect Judge William Adams" also sprang up on Facebook, attracting more than 13,000 "likes" by Wednesday night. Messages were posted by users in countries including Australia, the Netherlands and Guatemala, among others, and a Spanish-language version of the video was posted on YouTube.
"This man doesn't deserve power," said a posting on the Facebook page. "He doesn't know how to use it."
A person identifying herself as Hillary Adams, on a Twitter account using the same username as the posting on Reddit, tweeted to CNN, "I'm not sure how much I should say, except that above all we need to help my father instead of condemning him."
In another tweet, the person said, "I'm feeling some regret for publishing the video because to ruin my own father is heavy indeed. But I really want him to seek help."
The video was brought to authorities' attention about 9 p.m. Tuesday, Rockport Police Chief Tim Jayroe told CNN, and authorities are investigating to determine its authenticity.
Aransas County District Attorney Patrick Flanigan told CNN authorities are looking at numerous factors, including the child's age and the statute of limitations.
The law is complex on which charges could be brought, he said, and which statutes may apply -- which is all speculation until the video is confirmed to be authentic.
"We're in a fact-finding situation now to determine what is true," he said, and the district attorney's office will get updates from the police department about the investigation.
In addition, he said, his office will look at how the law has changed in the past couple of years, as there could have been different laws in effect at the time.
The possibility of an alleged abuser holding a position of authority such as a judge "doesn't matter and shouldn't matter" in the investigation, District Attorney Flanigan said, adding, "it will be a normal review."
As a judge, Adams handles misdemeanor cases, including family-related and juvenile court issues, Flanigan said. Those cases rarely move to the criminal side or cross to his purview, he said.
"We want to get to the bottom of it ... regardless of who the person is," he said.
The Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct declined comment on the matter Wednesday, but it said it was aware of the situation. A woman answering the phone said the commission has been "overwhelmed."
Hillary Adams "has had ataxic cerebral palsy from birth that led her to a passion for technology, which was strictly forbidden by her father's backwards views," according to the posting on the YouTube video. "The judge's wife was emotionally abused herself and was severely manipulated into assisting the beating and should not be blamed for any content in this video."
Attempts by CNN to contact Hillary Adams' mother were not immediately successful Wednesday.
The video is punctuated by cracks of the man's belt and the girl's screams and cries.
At one point, the man says to his near-hysterical daughter, "What happened to you, Hillary? Once you were an obedient, nice little girl. Now you lie, cheat and steal."
At another point in the 7 1/2-minute video, he yells at her, "You want to put some more computer games on? You want some more?"
"Are you happy?" he asks her. "Disobeying your parents? You don't deserve to f---ing be in this house."
He also berates the older woman, who identifies herself as the girl's mother, for allowing a "f---ing computer" in the house.
The older woman also strikes the girl with a belt once, and near the end of the video instructs the girl not to "touch one other thing on the computer besides your schoolwork until you are given notice otherwise."
The girl was apparently 16 at the time the video is taken, as the older woman at one point instructs her to "turn over like a 16-year-old and take it."
Judge Adams' work schedule will be reassessed as new information is revealed in the investigation, Mills' office said.
Police and the district attorney are taking the investigation seriously, Jayroe, the police chief, said. Investigators have not yet spoken to Hillary Adams or her family, he said, and have not tried to contact William Adams.
"We would want to talk to her," he said of Hillary Adams.
Jayroe said his department has asked the Texas Department of Public Safety for assistance with an investigator. "It's the first time in 22 years we've asked for assistance," he said.
Source http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/02/justice/texas-video-beating/?hpt=hp_t2
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Ramsey, Dakota counties at odds over case of 8-year-old beaten at school by mom
By Emily Gurnon
Socorro Eaton's daughter deserved a beating, Eaton believed. And it didn't matter that the girl's entire second-grade class in St. Paul was there to see it.
But within hours, her 8-year-old daughter had been placed in emergency foster care. Child protection in Dakota County, where the family lived, followed up. Two weeks later, she was returned to her mother. Three weeks after that, she was removed again and remains away from her mother's home, living with her father.
Eaton was convicted Thursday in Ramsey County District Court of malicious punishment of a child and will be sentenced Dec. 14.
But her daughter's future is less certain - and the actions of Dakota County staff raise questions about how safe she will be.
"I really am concerned about this child," said Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Yasmin Mullings, speaking at a July 20 pretrial hearing.
"This is unusual in that these are the types of behavior that (usually) occur inside the home only," Mullings said. "That this behavior happened in a school and in such a blatant way leaves me (with) extreme concern of what is happening in the home."
She noted that only when the girl was punched in the classroom June 14 did child protection get involved.
After the school incident, the child told police and a doctor that her mother had hit her with a belt on more than one occasion. She had telltale parallel welts on her back.
On the witness stand last week, Eaton denied using a belt to hit any of her four children - including a 10- year-old daughter and twin 4-year-olds, who were temporarily removed from Eaton's home after the school incident.
Eaton's attorney, Leah Morgan, said that child protection workers were giving Eaton high marks for her work with them on improving her parenting skills since the incident. They believe the girl - whose first initial is J. - should go home, Morgan said.
But Ramsey County District Judge Margaret Marrinan denied a defense motion Thursday that the no-contact order be lifted.
FACTORS IN REMOVING CHILDREN
Marrinan explained Friday.
Eaton struck her child in front of a teacher and 19 other children, the judge said. She was constantly agitated in court, shaking her head and mouthing things. And she has failed to check in weekly with the agency overseeing her conditional release from jail.
"Add that to these other factors and it does not give me a lot of confidence about how this child would be treated (at home)," the judge said.
Removing a child from his or her home is complicated, and workers must weigh several factors. State law requires that "reasonable efforts" be made to "eliminate the need for removal and to reunite the child with the child's family at the earliest possible time ..."
An exception is made when a parent "has subjected a child to egregious harm." What happened to J. does not appear to constitute egregious harm as defined by state law.
Sharon Madsen, a spokeswoman for Dakota County, said officials there could not comment, because the case involved confidential information.
'SAFETY NET' IN PLACE
Two Ramsey County court hearings in July in the criminal case shed light on decisions made by child protection - and why the judge and prosecutor were so critical of those moves.
The incident at Bruce Vento Elementary School took place on the last day of school, June 14.
A Dakota County social worker, Susan Boreland, conducted an investigation and, within a week, wrote a letter stating she believed no assault or injury occurred and that the no-contact order should be lifted, prosecutor Mullings said in the July 20 hearing.
Boreland also decided to place J. with her father, who has an extensive criminal record that includes convictions for kidnapping, domestic assault, drug possession and providing false information to police.
J. remains in her father's custody, the girl said during her mother's trial this past week.
Based on the initial child-protection investigation and information from the social worker, Ramsey County District Judge George Stephenson canceled the no-contact order in Eaton's case June 30, and J. returned home.
Defense attorney Morgan told the judge that child protection had been working to put a "safety net" in place for J.
Eaton had been cooperating with child protection, she said. The girl provided "the names of her sister and her best friend, all of whom live nearby and can come over to help at any time," Morgan said. And Dakota County assigned J. a guardian ad litem to represent her interests. The guardian ad item, Jake Trotzky-Sirr, gave J. his card and said she could call him if she were ever afraid.
JUDGE WEIGHS IN
In the meantime, another child protection worker, Betsy Dantoft, had taken over the case in early July. During the second of her two visits to the family's home, J. was not present. The mother said things were fine.
Marrinan was appalled.
"The daughter should have been there," the judge said at the July 20 hearing. "I think that's extremely sloppy work by something that calls itself child protection....
"I'm familiar with how Ramsey County handles things, but Dakota County is like another country, frankly."
She also speculated on how much help a young child would get from a business card.
"I'm not impressed with the fact that a guardian ad litem gives his card to an 8-year-old kid and says, 'If you have problems, give me a call,' " she said.
She ordered July 20 that the no-contact order be reinstated.
Another hearing was set for July 29.
Dantoft testified at that hearing that she had spoken with J. four times - twice privately - and visited the family twice, including the one occasion when J. was not there.
Her mother told the child protection worker that J. was at a sleepover and could be called to come home. Not necessary, Dantoft told Eaton.
"I guess at this point in time, I don't feel that there is a need for the no-contact order," the child protection worker testified. "(J.) has really shared that she feels safe with her mom and is very confused about what's going on and would like to return to her mom's home."
Mullings, the prosecutor, was not satisfied.
"What we have is, at most, a cursory (review), where the child protection worker comes in and makes an assessment largely based upon self-reporting (by the mother)," Mullings said.
She noted that J. has a "documented history of not speaking up," having never told anyone about the beatings before one was witnessed at the school.
Marrinan ordered July 29 that Eaton could have supervised visits with her daughter.
'SYSTEM FAILING YOU'
Morgan, Eaton's defense attorney, said Friday that she has been cooperative with child protection "since Day One" and taken all the required steps, including parenting classes, counseling with her daughter and supervised visits with J.
Dakota County continues to recommend that J. be returned home. But "none of that favorable information was allowed into the criminal case," Morgan said.
Marrinan told Eaton on July 20 not to lose hope.
"This is a question of the system failing you and your daughter," the judge said. "We're going to just see that (Dakota County) follow(s) through with what they're supposed to do."
Source http://www.twincities.com/ci_19229865
Socorro Eaton's daughter deserved a beating, Eaton believed. And it didn't matter that the girl's entire second-grade class in St. Paul was there to see it.
But within hours, her 8-year-old daughter had been placed in emergency foster care. Child protection in Dakota County, where the family lived, followed up. Two weeks later, she was returned to her mother. Three weeks after that, she was removed again and remains away from her mother's home, living with her father.
Eaton was convicted Thursday in Ramsey County District Court of malicious punishment of a child and will be sentenced Dec. 14.
But her daughter's future is less certain - and the actions of Dakota County staff raise questions about how safe she will be.
"I really am concerned about this child," said Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Yasmin Mullings, speaking at a July 20 pretrial hearing.
"This is unusual in that these are the types of behavior that (usually) occur inside the home only," Mullings said. "That this behavior happened in a school and in such a blatant way leaves me (with) extreme concern of what is happening in the home."
She noted that only when the girl was punched in the classroom June 14 did child protection get involved.
After the school incident, the child told police and a doctor that her mother had hit her with a belt on more than one occasion. She had telltale parallel welts on her back.
On the witness stand last week, Eaton denied using a belt to hit any of her four children - including a 10- year-old daughter and twin 4-year-olds, who were temporarily removed from Eaton's home after the school incident.
Eaton's attorney, Leah Morgan, said that child protection workers were giving Eaton high marks for her work with them on improving her parenting skills since the incident. They believe the girl - whose first initial is J. - should go home, Morgan said.
But Ramsey County District Judge Margaret Marrinan denied a defense motion Thursday that the no-contact order be lifted.
FACTORS IN REMOVING CHILDREN
Marrinan explained Friday.
Eaton struck her child in front of a teacher and 19 other children, the judge said. She was constantly agitated in court, shaking her head and mouthing things. And she has failed to check in weekly with the agency overseeing her conditional release from jail.
"Add that to these other factors and it does not give me a lot of confidence about how this child would be treated (at home)," the judge said.
Removing a child from his or her home is complicated, and workers must weigh several factors. State law requires that "reasonable efforts" be made to "eliminate the need for removal and to reunite the child with the child's family at the earliest possible time ..."
An exception is made when a parent "has subjected a child to egregious harm." What happened to J. does not appear to constitute egregious harm as defined by state law.
Sharon Madsen, a spokeswoman for Dakota County, said officials there could not comment, because the case involved confidential information.
'SAFETY NET' IN PLACE
Two Ramsey County court hearings in July in the criminal case shed light on decisions made by child protection - and why the judge and prosecutor were so critical of those moves.
The incident at Bruce Vento Elementary School took place on the last day of school, June 14.
A Dakota County social worker, Susan Boreland, conducted an investigation and, within a week, wrote a letter stating she believed no assault or injury occurred and that the no-contact order should be lifted, prosecutor Mullings said in the July 20 hearing.
Boreland also decided to place J. with her father, who has an extensive criminal record that includes convictions for kidnapping, domestic assault, drug possession and providing false information to police.
J. remains in her father's custody, the girl said during her mother's trial this past week.
Based on the initial child-protection investigation and information from the social worker, Ramsey County District Judge George Stephenson canceled the no-contact order in Eaton's case June 30, and J. returned home.
Defense attorney Morgan told the judge that child protection had been working to put a "safety net" in place for J.
Eaton had been cooperating with child protection, she said. The girl provided "the names of her sister and her best friend, all of whom live nearby and can come over to help at any time," Morgan said. And Dakota County assigned J. a guardian ad litem to represent her interests. The guardian ad item, Jake Trotzky-Sirr, gave J. his card and said she could call him if she were ever afraid.
JUDGE WEIGHS IN
In the meantime, another child protection worker, Betsy Dantoft, had taken over the case in early July. During the second of her two visits to the family's home, J. was not present. The mother said things were fine.
Marrinan was appalled.
"The daughter should have been there," the judge said at the July 20 hearing. "I think that's extremely sloppy work by something that calls itself child protection....
"I'm familiar with how Ramsey County handles things, but Dakota County is like another country, frankly."
She also speculated on how much help a young child would get from a business card.
"I'm not impressed with the fact that a guardian ad litem gives his card to an 8-year-old kid and says, 'If you have problems, give me a call,' " she said.
She ordered July 20 that the no-contact order be reinstated.
Another hearing was set for July 29.
Dantoft testified at that hearing that she had spoken with J. four times - twice privately - and visited the family twice, including the one occasion when J. was not there.
Her mother told the child protection worker that J. was at a sleepover and could be called to come home. Not necessary, Dantoft told Eaton.
"I guess at this point in time, I don't feel that there is a need for the no-contact order," the child protection worker testified. "(J.) has really shared that she feels safe with her mom and is very confused about what's going on and would like to return to her mom's home."
Mullings, the prosecutor, was not satisfied.
"What we have is, at most, a cursory (review), where the child protection worker comes in and makes an assessment largely based upon self-reporting (by the mother)," Mullings said.
She noted that J. has a "documented history of not speaking up," having never told anyone about the beatings before one was witnessed at the school.
Marrinan ordered July 29 that Eaton could have supervised visits with her daughter.
'SYSTEM FAILING YOU'
Morgan, Eaton's defense attorney, said Friday that she has been cooperative with child protection "since Day One" and taken all the required steps, including parenting classes, counseling with her daughter and supervised visits with J.
Dakota County continues to recommend that J. be returned home. But "none of that favorable information was allowed into the criminal case," Morgan said.
Marrinan told Eaton on July 20 not to lose hope.
"This is a question of the system failing you and your daughter," the judge said. "We're going to just see that (Dakota County) follow(s) through with what they're supposed to do."
Source http://www.twincities.com/ci_19229865
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