Re: Child Custody Interference and Due Process

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Dear Mr. Parkerson,

From a mother with a good income, no history of trouble with the
law, and a college education, yet was married to a small-town
cop with a big God-like complex, let me tell you, certain
Louisiana judges are just as corrupt and backwoods as that judge
in Idaho. DO NOT assume for a moment that District Judges care
about elections...for most of the small-town elections have
people who died years ago voting--I know; I lived in such a
town. Due Process was more of a dream to me, for I was
actually told by the judge, "Ma'am, I am not going to allow you
to get on this stand and slander the name of this good officer.
If you do indeed insist on getting on this stand, it will not be
good for you." This was off the record, because he told the
court reporter to stop recording. My lawyer told me just to sit
quietly. ...and Due Process was also more of an inconvenience
for the judge and my ex-husband. Charges were fabricated, an
order was written up, signed, executed in less than 24 hours,
when the Due Process is 15 (again 15) days to first of all, get
an attorney, build a defense, and face the charges in court. I
had NO opportunity to defend myself. The false charges against
me did NOT have to be proven, and were witnessed by his family,
2 of which didn't even live in this state. In the meantime,
because said judge signed the ExParte Order, it was now legal.
My children (aged 3 and barely 9 at the time) were literally
ripped from my arms and legs by sheriff deputies who were teary-
eyed at the fact that they could tell by the children's behavior
that their job was serving the WRONG parent in this instance.
The children begged to not to have to go with them to their
father, because, "he smells like beer, and he's mean to us, and
he hits mommy!!" ...but they had to, because he was the cop in
the small town, and he appeared before the judge that would NOT
recuse himself, and he had the connections...I was just the
outsider that moved there to support him in his journey to
become a cop. In the months that followed, the agonizing and
pain-stakingly detailed tasks of transcribing each phone call,
meet with lawyers, doctors, beg to get any visitation with my
children took place on a daily basis. For 6 months, my children
cried to me, begging me to come get them, but I could not. The
"judicial system" had stripped my children and me of our civil
rights, and shown nepotism (my ex's stepfather was Chief of
Police), and place my children in the SOLE CUSTODY of a man who
threw his son to the ground for getting in his truck for his
backpack, and who spit beer on his daughter and me, because I
poured beer down the drain. During the 6 months, I had
extremely-limited visitation (perhaps 4 times), and he managed
to almost kill our daughter in a drunk 4-wheeler accident on a
state highway. You won't find any record of this in the State
Police files, because the Chief of Police called them and told
them, "we have it under control." No tickets were issued. No
penalty was given to him. It was cleaned up, covered up, and he
was paid to be off work for 2 weeks while he healed from the
accident. My daughter, she spent 2 days in the hospital, and
then was released by that same judge, BACK INTO HIS CUSTODY,
stating the restraining order he had against me was still in
affect, and "we can discus the matter when we go court." (I was
a danger to my children, according to his accusations that he
could not prove, and that I was NOT given the opportunity to
disprove BEFORE my children were ripped from me in the middle of
the night.) (there was NO trial date for custody set at that
time, for my ex's attorney filed yet another "continuance"
because he had a "fever blister and it may affect his speech,
not allowing him to properly represent his client." The judge
actually signed that piece of crap, and shortly thereafter, my
daughter's life hung in the balance, and I was helpless, and on
my knees praying for God to protect those children with all the
angels of Heaven. BTE: Although there are NO records with the
State Police concerning the accident on Hwy 43, I DO have a
recorded and transcriped phone conversation with the police
officer that was on duty at the time, and answered the 911 call.

So, please, after what has happened to that precious 5 year old,
and what happened in my children's lives, i cannot read about
"hard to believe" situations from "good ol' boy politicians in
Louisiana" who honestly do NOT care for the children. My lawyer
never gave up...and for the next 8 years, my ex made sure that
my children saw the real him through his actions of constantly
taking me back to court to try to have me thrown in jail or have
the children removed, all based on lies. We go again next
month...8 years and 4 months AFTER I left him.

The phrase "Justice System" must have been named after someone
named Justice, for there was NO justice for my children until
the pictures of my daughter after the 4-wheeeler accident were
placed on the judge's desk with threats of media involvement if
the children were NOT returned to me and a safe, loving,
alcohol-free environment. They were, but he has joint custody,
and the children are forced to visit, although they do not want
to most of the time.

Thanks for finally letting me tell part of my experience with
Louisiana Politics.

On 4/15/03, Hardy Parkerson, Atty. wrote:
>
>
>
>
> Dear Rose,
>
> Sounds like the people of Kootenai County, Idaho need to
> get them a new judge! Also, sounds like that poor lady needs
> a good lawyer who will take some action. It would be hard
> for such a thing as that to happen in Louisiana, even as
> backward as Louisiana is. Its laws are not as backward as the
> rest of the state is, however. We elect our state District
> Court judges here; and although one is seldom, if ever,
> defeated for re-election, nevertheless, they do fear that
> possibility and try to consider both sides of a case and not
> render any stupid decisions like you have referred to here.
> I believe in the elction of judges. I wonder if they elect
> their judges in Idaho, or whether they get them assigned to
> them by someone else. I wish we could elect our Federal
> judges, rather than have them appointed purely on the basis
> of politics. Bush has surely appointed some sorry ones. Hope
> some of them don't get confirmed! Oh, well! Tell me
> something new! Nice seeing your post! Best of luck! Hope
> it all works out for the lady who was done so wrong by the
> judge in Idaho. Give her my regards and tell her we are
> pulling for her to get her kids back. Now why would a judge
> ever do a thing like that!
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Hardy Parkerson, Atty.
> Lake Charles, LA
>
>
> On 4/15/03, Rose wrote:
>> I believe due process was violated.
>>
>> A woman's children were not returned after visiting their
>> father. Police were called. Woman was told to come to
>> courthouse. Children's father was there talking to
>> the 'judge'.
>>
>> (no hearing, no communication; woman waited)
>>
>> Two hours later, woman was told the father (on felony and
>> domestic violence misdemeanor probation) was given sole
>> custody. Woman was not allowed to speak.
>>
>> Father has no house, no job and no income; the woman has a
>> stable (not a lot, but stable) income.
>>
>> Woman has a record: As a 17 year old, she got caught
>> smoking CIGARETTES! That's her record the 'judge' held
>> against her. In the meantime, no visitation or contact
>> with her 2 children, ages 2 and 10 months.
>>
>> The 'judge' involved, Marano, of Kootenai County, Idaho,
>> is famous for stomping all over due process.
>>
>> No hearing until April 29th!