Custodial dad stabbed 9-year-old daughter with pencil; mom now has "full custody" (Pascagoula, Mississippi)

Once again, we see that a lot of the child custody back story behind the assault of this 9-year-old girl is hidden away in the shadows.

1) Initially we see that a father, CLIFFORD OLIN MCLAIN, has been charged with felony child abuse for stabbing his 9-year-old daughter with a pencil. Got it. That's simple enough.

2) But if you read carefully, you'll see that the 12-year-old daughter of daddy's "girlfriend" (not the mother of the 9-year old) had been "possibly assaulted" as well. (Why it's not clear whether she had been assaulted or not is somewhat mysterious to me, but I digress.)

3) So given that the 9-year-old's mother DOES NOT live in this home, we obviously have a case involving custody/visitation since the girl's mother is still alive (see below). And it sure sounds like Daddy is CUSTODIAL, because the article also mentions that a total of four children "lived with" him and the girlfriend.

4) Notice that the mother now (FINALLY!) has "full custody" of her daughter, which further suggests that Daddy either had full custody previously, or at minimum, had joint legal custody and substantial physical custody. Of course, these details are are not spelled out. The fact that the mother now has full custody also suggests that there are (and were) no significant barriers to her assuming custodial care of this child (e.g. that she's a fit parent).

5) So who is this outstanding paternal specimen who was basically awarded custody of this child? He is an unemployed deadbeat on "disability" (disabled, my @$$...) with a history of shoplifting. He was on probation for a drug possession conviction (read: drug abuser) and had a history of "domestic disputes" (Daddy's brother shot Daddy in the leg--in self-defense?--last summer).

So once again, we see that daddies are not depressed, oppressed, or otherwise discriminated against when it comes to getting child custody. Even white trash like this dude can get custody. So will the fathers rights folks finally shut up about it already?

But on a more serious note, who was the judge who gave this @$$wipe custody to start with? Who were the court personnel who supported this bizarre decision? Will we see them held responsible for subjecting this little girl to all this trauma? Don't bet your mobile home on that.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2011/01/father_stabbed_daughter_with_pencil_say_deputies.html

Moss Point father stabbed 9-year-old daughter in chest with pencil, say deputies
Published: Wednesday, January 26, 2011, 4:00 PM
Updated: Wednesday, January 26, 2011, 4:04 PM
By Cherie Ward - The Mississippi Press

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- A 36-year-old father was arrested and charged with felony child abuse Tuesday night after investigators learned he stabbed his 9-year-old daughter in the chest with a pencil, authorities said Wednesday.

Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd said the charge against Clifford Olin McLain was the result of an anonymous tip that was called into the Sheriff's Office reporting McLain was abusing his daughter and had possibly assaulted his girlfriend's 12-year-old daughter.

Byrd said McLain was also charged with misdemeanor assault related to the 12-year-old girl.

Byrd said investigators determined that McLain physically assaulted both girls at his home on Chatsworth Road in Moss Point. McLain said in County Court at the Jackson County Courthouse in Pascagoula that his girlfriend and a total of four children live with him.

"They are charging you on the 24th day of January 2011 that you did willfully, unlawfully, feloniously and intentionally stab with a pencil ... a child being 9 years of age. Such abuse caused serious bodily injury to the child," said County Judge Larry Wilson in court.

McLain was on probation for a drug possession conviction when he was arrested Tuesday night, Byrd said.

McLain disputed that in court and told Wilson he though he was cleared from probation in September. He told the judge he did not have a job and was drawing disability funds as the result of an injury.

The judge set the McLain's bail for the new charge at $25,000 and said he would be held at the Jackson County Adult Detention Center until investigators could determine if he was released from probation.

"And you are to have no contact with this child in any way," Wilson told McLain.

McLain said he had been told that the girl's mother took full custody of the child.

According to previous reports, McLain was arrested by Pascagoula police officers in December on a misdemeanor shoplifting allegation and was shot in the leg by his brother during a domestic dispute in August.

During the Wednesday court hearing, McLain was agitated that reporters and photographers were allowed in the courtroom.

He hid his face from cameras and answered Wilson's questions with his back to the judge to avoid having his photograph taken.

Outside the Jackson County Courthouse in Pascagoula, McLain screamed at photographers, "This is only my first offense. Why are you taking my picture?"