Hi everyone.
My sister did win in one area, but the most important, the kids, nothing was done.
First, the ex showed up without an attorney. He asked the judge to suspend the hearing until he could get another attorney. The judge denied it for he had one month to get a new attorney. The case went on. The judge said at the beginning that he will not be listening to anything that has to do with suspending the dad’s visitation. Norma’s attorney did show the judge the pictures of the marks on Luis’ bottom and the ex saw them for the first time also. He went on the stand and said that he could not pay child support for he has no money and since opening his daycare he has lost money and has earned nothing. I doubt that, lie number one. He said he had to quit being a cop because of his heart and he could have had a heart attack. That is lie number two, it runs in his family and the men in his family have heart attacks very young and he is very overweight and drinks a lot of alcohol. He also said he NEVER lays a hand on his son and that is lie number three. He told lies after lies while on the stand and after saying he would tell the truth “so help me God.” The judge told us all that he owes my sister $5800.00 in child support. The judge was so disgusted by this and said that if it weren’t for the fact that his wife was put in the hospital yesterday, he would be going to jail that very moment. His wife was admitted, according to the ex, yesterday for Chrons Disease. He also owes $3800.00 in medical bills give or take a few. To that the judge will wait until he could get an attorney to represent him on. He was refuting some of the bills. He also lied and said that he has talked to Norma about sending certified mail to his address because he could not get to a post office because of his hours at work. The post office is open on Saturday mornings though. He only told this to my sister two weeks ago, for I am the one who sends the certified mail and once he told her that, I started to send his certified mail, which had the medical bills in, to his daycare address. He made it sound like he told her years ago, but he didn’t. He just lied so much.
Anyway after the hearing, the courtwatcher talked with us, myself, Norma and two other sister of ours. She said that the judge did have it in his power to suspend visitation to protect the kids, especially since he saw the pictures. She said that is why they are there for the judges abuse their power. The judge just said he wanted to leave it in the hands of DCF but at the same time he admitted that DCF does nothing. So if he knew this, why not protect the kids himself? It made us angry.
Norma’s attorney told Norma to file a police report against the stepmom for what she did is child abuse and is a crime. Norma went to the county where she lives, which is the same police department the stepmom works in. The sergeant who talked to her told her that they are familiar with this deputy and that she has not worked for a year but is on medical leave and they wonder if she is really hurt. She was hit by a drunk driver while on duty as a deputy. She is a sheriff’s deputy. Norma told her that she was in the hospital for Chrons disease and she raised her eyebrows and said, “Well, I have no pity for her for she knows with this disease you should not drink alcohol and she does. She gets wasted so much.” This confirms what Marissa, my niece, has always said that her dad and stepmom drink too much. That would explain their behavior. She did say that they were going to do an internal investigation on this deputy, the stepmom, for there has been other complaints. She would not tell Norma what. Norma has to go on Sunday, the only day she has off, to the county where her ex lives in for that is where the crime took place and file a police report.
This sergeant also told Norma that she doesn’t know what is going on with this deputy, the stepmom, and Norma’s ex for they both have changed for the worse. She told Norma that ever since they got married things changed. She told Norma that she could not understand why my sister’s ex left a job of 12 years. When Norma was married to him, she could not get him to leave that particular police department for others paid more, but this new wife accomplished it.
Anyway, the judge was merciful on the ex. He did find him in contempt of not paying child support, but told him that if he paid $2000.00 by next Wednesday that he would not be found in contempt so as not to stain his record and he could get a job as a cop, which he said he is applying for. He asked for mercy from the judge and got it. My sister did not get this when she kept the kids from the dad for one summer to protect the kids from danger. She was found in contempt. That is another thing that the deputy sheriff sergeant told Norma and that is that because there is a crime here that she did not have to give the kids to her ex, but she said that the decision is the judge and if he felt she was in contempt, she goes to jail. This judge would find her in contempt for he has not protected the kids and would not understand why a mother would. He told her that last time what was not a good enough reason. It is to me.
Our only hope is DCF who have it within their power to stop visitation. If they don’t by tomorrow at noon, the kids go to the dad. He will neglect them over the weekend for the last time his wife was in the hospital, he was there all day and the kids had to be responsible for feeding themselves all three meals. This is why they lost so much weight.
But do not lose hope. We are all still praying for these precious children’s safety, and God WILL get them through this. I offered my Holy Communion this morning for them, and I will keep begging St. Philomena to rescue them.