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MOM
HELPLESS IN WA ~ One
parent's story of injustice in Lewis Co.
"We're broke, ok? We've
always been broke, it seems like. I borrowed money
originally to get a lawyer when this first started. The
best I could get for my daughter was supervised visits.
She disclosed to me, then to different counselors several
times that her father sexually abused her. I went through
Child Protective Services, who were unwilling to act
because it was me reporting. I was advised by legal aide
to not go to court unless I had substantial proof, like a
letter from a counselor or something. It took me five
years to get that, but by then he'd gone through some
bogus parenting classes, and paid some psychologist to
say he was a good guy. During this time my kid was acting
out sexually with other kids, even trapping other kids in
a room and trying to coerce them to do sexual acts with
her. She has had toilet training problems daily since the
disclosures began, with an increase during more frequent
visitation with her father. All the while he was
influencing my kid and telling her even in front of the
supervisor, that he didn't touch her in bad ways. Now he
has unsupervised visits, I'm representing myself in
court, and he has this hot-shot father advocate lawyer
from some big firm. I'm in over my head, but I have to
keep fighting because he molested her once, maybe more
than that- he'll do it again. Of course, he's saying in
court that I'm nuts, and that all of the sexual acting
out is caused by my alleged bad parenting. We are right
now in the process of getting a guardian ad litem (again-
I had to fight even for that, even though the court order
that already existed said that a GAL should become
involved again BEFORE unsupervised visits were started)
and I can't afford the retainer that all the GAL's for
this county are asking. The only one that was willing to
work with me suddenly, mysteriously got taken off the
list, and I was unable to hire him. Now I get to go back
to court again, with no lawyer. Already in the
unsupervised visits, my kid has come home and told me
that her dad said he was going to take her on an airplane
far away, and that he said bad things about me alot, like
that I 'forced' him to say that he did the bad touching,
but that he didn't ever do bad touching, it was all me
saying it and it was a lie, he said. I don't know what to
do except to pray and keep kickin'. I put on blinders and
kept my mouth shut to his perversion when I was married
to him, and my daughter suffered. I won't make that
mistake again."
If you want to
help, you can call Judge Brose at 360-740-1172 AND his court clerk Susy McConnell at 360-740-1333 (Lewis County Superior Court, WA). Ask to
have Thomas Butowicz reinstated as a GAL. Or check the
links above for the American Family Rights Association
and see about getting Commissioner Mitchell off the bench.
This person is desperately looking for a pro bono
attorney at this time.
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WASHINGTON COURTS
"IGNORE" PAST SEXUAL ABUSE OF DAUGHTER, GIVE
KIDS TO DAD ANYWAY
 Is this the
number of children returned to abusive situations daily
by Washington State Courts?
Here is an example of asinine stupidity if
I ever saw one:
33 Wn. App. 326, Marriage of
Woffinden
Cause Number: 4998-1-III;5133-1-III
File Date: December 7, 1982
Case Title: In the Matter of the Marriage
of Gary s. Woffinden, Appellant, and Cathy J. Woffinden,
Respondent.
***Summary: Basically the court has said
that the father, who had sexually abused the now 16 year
old daughter from age 6-12, with physical evidence
supporting this, was the best custodian for the three
children, even over the grandparents. They voiced
concerns about the mother, whom one of teh boys testified
had spanked him twice, with photos of bruising on his
rear. This is not good. They admit that they IGNORE past
sexual abuse, and assume that the father is now "changed".
Do child molestors EVER "change"? Statistics
say no. Read exerpts from the court opinion below:
[1] Divorce and Dissolution- Custody of
children- Modification - Prior Misconduct - Effect. Prior
misconduct of a parent does not render the parent unfit
to gain custody of his children unless the misconducat
has a PRESENT adverse impact upon the best interest and
welfare of the children.
(And I'm asking as above... how screwed up
is THAT? Read on...)
"Gary Woffinden appeals from the trial
court's refusal to grant him custody of his three
children after a modification hearing. There is
substantial (Read it people, it says SUBSTANTIAL) evidence to
support the finding he sexually molested his adopted
daughter during the time she was 6 to 12 years old. There
is no evidence to support the finding this prior
misconduct PRESENTLY ENDANGERS any of the
children. We reverse and remand with instruction the
father be given custody of the three children.
(And here I will post later, a link as to
the LIFELONG EFFECTS of being molested on both girls and
boys. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Slapping the judge upside
the head...)
" The record contains pictures taken
by a doctor in a local hospital showing severe bruising
of the one boy's buttocks."
"M. , age 12, testified his adoptive
fatehr punched and kicked him prior to the separation,
his mother had spanked him five or six times since the
separation (ending about when Mr. Woffinden petitioned
for change of custody) and he wished to live with his
father because his father had changed and was kinder and
more attentive (as all abusers are when they're trying not
to GET CAUGHT).
"D., age 16, stated she now lived with
ehr adoptive father, his present wife and her two
daughters, after leaving both her mother's and her
paternal grandparents' homes. she expressed a desire to
remain with mr. woffinden. D. Also told the court he had
engaged in sexual intercourse with ehr from age 6 until
he stopped at her insistence when she was 12. Asked why
she still wished to live with him, she replied that he
had changed.
A psychiatrist examined D. and stated for
the benefit of the court: " D. and her father have a
good relationship in spite of the sexual activity that
took place in the past. There is no evidence of any
desire to repeat this behavior and at this point it is
not important for the well-being of D. The report
concluded by saying the court should (pay attention
here------>) (That's right...
sweep it under the rug. He did it for years, but he's
suddenly cured now, right?)
Trial court disagreed and on Nov. 18, 1981
awarded custody of children to paternal grandparents,
finding both parents unfit. It was re-examined for a
while, with the grandparents not being seen as suitable
guardians due to their age and disability, and in the
court's final opinion, it stated:
"Except for this series of incidents
about which the daughter has testified, I would feel that
Mr. Woffinden is the preferable custodian, no question
about it in my mind notwithstanding the fact that there
was some detrimental testimony earlier on about the
treatment of teh boys. I think that probably that would
not recur. But I do not feel that the Court can overlook
this."
"The finding that Mr. Woffinden is
presently unfit is not supported by the record; it does
not contain any testimony which indicates his prior
misconduct adversely affected the children. To the
contrary, reports by a psychiatrist, a probabtion
counselor, a therapist and the court's inchambers
conferences with the children indicate the past has no
present impact. The record contains a statement and a
letter by D. stating the past events now are unimportant.
While the trail court is correct in stating such activity
is repugnant to our society, the absence of any evidence
showing the boys knew of the misconduct or were affected
by it makes the information of little value as to them in
these proceedings."
"Because the trial court stated Mr.
Woffinden is an acceptable custodian except for the
molestation, we remand with instruction to modify the
order and grant Mr. Woffinden custody of his children."
So, here's the scoop. Dad molested the
daughter for quite some time, even had SEX with her, he
punched and kicked the boy, but he's "changed now,
and more kind and attentive", so he's a better
parent than would be the grandparents because they're too
old, and Mom spanked the boys. People can we PLEASE
address this issue before the courts?
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Lewis
County's Commissioner Mitchell- What planet is she from?
Is this the
number of children returned to abusive situations daily
by Washington State Courts?