Not made clear in this particular article, but dad JUSTIN DIPIETRO had custody. Interesting coincidence that according to this article, the protective mother had filed for custody just two days before the little girl "disappeared." Seems Daddy also had previous issues with domestic violence, alcohol, assault charges , and probable child abuse. All huge red flags.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Maine.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/family-missing-maine-toddler-plans-file-lawsuit-39355813?yptr=yahoo
Family of Missing Maine Toddler Plans to File Lawsuit
By The Associated Press
·
WATERVILLE, Maine — May 25, 2016, 12:20 AM ET
The family of a Maine toddler who went missing five years ago plans to sue the father and other adults who were with her when she was last seen.
The Morning Sentinel reports the mother and her family believe a lawsuit "may be our only hope to bring justice" on behalf of the youngster, Ayla Reynolds.
No one has been charged in Ayla's disappearance. The toddler's father, Justin DiPietro, his girlfriend and his sister were together in the Waterville home before she was reported missing, and police say they know more than what they've told them about the toddler's disappearance.
The sister, Elisha DiPietro, told a TV show, "Crime Watch Daily," this week that her brother is a good father and that no crime was committed.
Showing posts with label Maine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maine. Show all posts
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Monday, February 16, 2015
Dad accused of suffocating 14-week-old son with pacifierl charged with depraved indifference murder and manslaughter (Lewiston, Maine)
Dad is identified as DANNY ADAMS.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2951993/Father-appears-court-accused-suffocating-14-week-old-baby-son-forced-pacifier-mouth-stop-crying.html
Father appears in court accused of suffocating 14-week-old baby son after he forced pacifier in his mouth to stop him crying
Told police he had bruised son's ears by squeezing them
Autopsy found baby Zade also had a fractured rib
Accused told cops he had injected heroin the night before
Faces sentence of 25 years to life if convicted
By Kate Pickles For Mailonline Published: 03:40 EST, 13 February 2015 | Updated: 07:55 EST, 13 February 2015
A father accused of killing his baby boy by suffocation after forcing a pacifier in his mouth, has pleaded not guilty.
Danny Adams, 24, of Lewiston is charged with depraved indifference murder and manslaughter in the death of his infant son following his death in December.
He denied the charges Justice MaryGay Kennedy read from a grand jury indictment, handed up last week.
Police said Adams forced a pacifier into the mouth of his 14-week-old son, Zade, shortly before he stopped breathing.
They said he told them he was frustrated that his son would not stop crying so put a pacifier in Jade's mouth and forced him to stay on his stomach by pushing on his back.
An autopsy determined the cause of death was asphyxiation.
Hornblower said he expects a bail hearing to be set to determine whether Adams will be held in jail without bail or allowed release prior to his trial.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew Crockett asked that Adams be barred from contacting Zade's mother, Kaitlyn Baker, 18. Kennedy agreed.
Adams has been held without bail since his arrest in early January following the death of his son on December 14.
A murder conviction in Maine carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison; manslaughter, up to 30 years.
Adams told police in an earlier interview that he had injected heroin the night before at a friend's house, then smoked marijuana with Baker when he got home. He said he had bruised Zade's ears when he squeezed them with his thumb and fingers as he held the head of the baby, who continued to cry, according to court documents.
Adams said he caused bruising on Zade's forehead when he forced a pacifier in the baby's mouth and held it in place with his palm, while supporting his fingers on the baby's forehead.
Doctors also detected a rib fracture during the autopsy. He told police he had become frustrated with Zade's crying about four weeks earlier and had squeezed the baby with force.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2951993/Father-appears-court-accused-suffocating-14-week-old-baby-son-forced-pacifier-mouth-stop-crying.html
Father appears in court accused of suffocating 14-week-old baby son after he forced pacifier in his mouth to stop him crying
Told police he had bruised son's ears by squeezing them
Autopsy found baby Zade also had a fractured rib
Accused told cops he had injected heroin the night before
Faces sentence of 25 years to life if convicted
By Kate Pickles For Mailonline Published: 03:40 EST, 13 February 2015 | Updated: 07:55 EST, 13 February 2015
A father accused of killing his baby boy by suffocation after forcing a pacifier in his mouth, has pleaded not guilty.
Danny Adams, 24, of Lewiston is charged with depraved indifference murder and manslaughter in the death of his infant son following his death in December.
He denied the charges Justice MaryGay Kennedy read from a grand jury indictment, handed up last week.
Police said Adams forced a pacifier into the mouth of his 14-week-old son, Zade, shortly before he stopped breathing.
They said he told them he was frustrated that his son would not stop crying so put a pacifier in Jade's mouth and forced him to stay on his stomach by pushing on his back.
An autopsy determined the cause of death was asphyxiation.
Hornblower said he expects a bail hearing to be set to determine whether Adams will be held in jail without bail or allowed release prior to his trial.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew Crockett asked that Adams be barred from contacting Zade's mother, Kaitlyn Baker, 18. Kennedy agreed.
Adams has been held without bail since his arrest in early January following the death of his son on December 14.
A murder conviction in Maine carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison; manslaughter, up to 30 years.
Adams told police in an earlier interview that he had injected heroin the night before at a friend's house, then smoked marijuana with Baker when he got home. He said he had bruised Zade's ears when he squeezed them with his thumb and fingers as he held the head of the baby, who continued to cry, according to court documents.
Adams said he caused bruising on Zade's forehead when he forced a pacifier in the baby's mouth and held it in place with his palm, while supporting his fingers on the baby's forehead.
Doctors also detected a rib fracture during the autopsy. He told police he had become frustrated with Zade's crying about four weeks earlier and had squeezed the baby with force.
Friday, January 9, 2015
Dad charged with murder in death of 3-month-old son (Lewiston, Maine)
Dad is identified as DANNY ADAMS.
http://www.wmtw.com/news/police-arrest-lewiston-father-in-babys-death/30581054
Lewiston father arrested in baby's death appears in court
Danny Adams, 24, suspected in 3-month-old's murder, police say
UPDATED 9:38 AM EST Jan 09, 2015
LEWISTON, Maine —A Lewiston man charged with murder in connection with the death of his 3-month-old son appeared in court Friday morning. Department of Public
Safety spokesman Steve McCausland said state and local police arrested Danny Adams, 24, around 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Adams was ordered held without bail and did not enter a plea.
Investigators said the 3-month-old, Zade Adams, was found unresponsive in a bassinet on Dec. 14. The medical examiner's officer later determined his death was due to asphyxia.
According to court documents, Adams admitted to police that he put a pacifier in Zade's mouth and the child spit it out.
Adams said he held it in the child's mouth so he would stop crying.
Adams said he held the baby down with his right hand on his back, and the baby made small fusses.
Adams said he did not kill Zade, and when he went back to check on him 45 minutes later, he was lifeless and unresponsive.
In the court paperwork, Adams also admitted causing bruising on the child's ear and bruising around the mouth was caused when he held the pacifier in the baby's mouth.
When asked about a broken rib discovered by the medical examiner, Adams said four weeks earlier Zade wouldn't stop crying; he squeezed him hard; and he let out a grunt, according to the court documents.
http://www.wmtw.com/news/police-arrest-lewiston-father-in-babys-death/30581054
Lewiston father arrested in baby's death appears in court
Danny Adams, 24, suspected in 3-month-old's murder, police say
UPDATED 9:38 AM EST Jan 09, 2015
LEWISTON, Maine —A Lewiston man charged with murder in connection with the death of his 3-month-old son appeared in court Friday morning. Department of Public
Safety spokesman Steve McCausland said state and local police arrested Danny Adams, 24, around 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Adams was ordered held without bail and did not enter a plea.
Investigators said the 3-month-old, Zade Adams, was found unresponsive in a bassinet on Dec. 14. The medical examiner's officer later determined his death was due to asphyxia.
According to court documents, Adams admitted to police that he put a pacifier in Zade's mouth and the child spit it out.
Adams said he held it in the child's mouth so he would stop crying.
Adams said he held the baby down with his right hand on his back, and the baby made small fusses.
Adams said he did not kill Zade, and when he went back to check on him 45 minutes later, he was lifeless and unresponsive.
In the court paperwork, Adams also admitted causing bruising on the child's ear and bruising around the mouth was caused when he held the pacifier in the baby's mouth.
When asked about a broken rib discovered by the medical examiner, Adams said four weeks earlier Zade wouldn't stop crying; he squeezed him hard; and he let out a grunt, according to the court documents.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Video game-playing dad pleads guilty to aggravated assault against 6-month-old daughter (Augusta, Maine)
So this "frustrated" a-hole of a father gets just 7 years in prison for destroying this child's life. Sickening but all to typical.
Dad is identified as KEVIN PEASLEE.
http://www.wcvb.com/news/maine-father-who-shook-baby-gets-7-years-in-prison/29731670
Maine father who shook baby gets 7 years in prison
Girl expected to die prematurely
Published 9:07 PM EST Nov 14, 2014
AUGUSTA, Maine —A Maine man insisted he is not a violent person, as he was sentenced Friday to seven years in prison for shaking his 6-month-old daughter so forcefully it left her brain damaged, a quadriplegic and unable to see or hear.
The baby, now in foster care, must be fed through a tube and is expected to die prematurely.
Kevin Peaslee, 22, told the judge his daughter had been extra fussy that December day because she had received shots the previous day. He was home alone with her and playing a video game, according to court documents.
The Kennebec Journal reported that Peaslee told the judge he "was frustrated that day."
"It was a horrible mistake that I can't change no matter how much I wish I could," Peaslee said. "I'm not a violent person."
The case drew national attention because of a legal battle over the state's attempt to impose a do-not-resuscitate order over the mother's objection. Maine's supreme court dismissed the mother's appeal after the state agreed to abide by her wishes.
Peaslee pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault last month. Under an agreement, two other assault charges were dropped.
Kennebec County District Attorney Maeghan Maloney said Peaslee must report Monday to begin serving his sentence. He will also have to serve three years' probation, she said.
She said she hopes the case will help other parents learn the damage they can do to their children when they act out of anger.
"I hope that it causes other parents, when they feel frustration ... to call for help or place your child in a safe place and leave the room until you cool off," she said.
Dad is identified as KEVIN PEASLEE.
http://www.wcvb.com/news/maine-father-who-shook-baby-gets-7-years-in-prison/29731670
Maine father who shook baby gets 7 years in prison
Girl expected to die prematurely
Published 9:07 PM EST Nov 14, 2014
AUGUSTA, Maine —A Maine man insisted he is not a violent person, as he was sentenced Friday to seven years in prison for shaking his 6-month-old daughter so forcefully it left her brain damaged, a quadriplegic and unable to see or hear.
The baby, now in foster care, must be fed through a tube and is expected to die prematurely.
Kevin Peaslee, 22, told the judge his daughter had been extra fussy that December day because she had received shots the previous day. He was home alone with her and playing a video game, according to court documents.
The Kennebec Journal reported that Peaslee told the judge he "was frustrated that day."
"It was a horrible mistake that I can't change no matter how much I wish I could," Peaslee said. "I'm not a violent person."
The case drew national attention because of a legal battle over the state's attempt to impose a do-not-resuscitate order over the mother's objection. Maine's supreme court dismissed the mother's appeal after the state agreed to abide by her wishes.
Peaslee pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault last month. Under an agreement, two other assault charges were dropped.
Kennebec County District Attorney Maeghan Maloney said Peaslee must report Monday to begin serving his sentence. He will also have to serve three years' probation, she said.
She said she hopes the case will help other parents learn the damage they can do to their children when they act out of anger.
"I hope that it causes other parents, when they feel frustration ... to call for help or place your child in a safe place and leave the room until you cool off," she said.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Dad with history of assault accused of throwing 3-month-old son down the stairs and fracturing his skull (Wayne, Maine)
Dad is identified as WILLIAM GOODHUE LORD JR.
http://www.centralmaine.com/2014/10/21/father-accused-of-throwing-infant-down-stairs-is-ex-riverview-nurse/
Father accused of throwing infant down stairs is ex-Riverview nurse
William Goodhue Lord Jr., 39, gave the OK to corrections officers to use pepper spray on a female patient who was not threatening staff.
By Betty Adams Staff Writer
The man accused of throwing his 3-month-old son down a flight of stairs on Monday is the nurse who was fired from Riverview Psychiatric Center after a patient there was pepper-sprayed and left for hours in restraints with the irritating substance on her skin despite the fact that she was compliant and not threatening the staff.
William Goodhue Lord Jr., 39, continues to hold an active license as a registered nurse, according to the online records of the Maine State Board of Nursing.
The certificate says Lord was first licensed as a nurse in the state in 2010, and the license’s current expiration date is Feb. 18, 2016. The address listed on his license is 57 Innes Ridge Road, Wayne, the home where police arrested Lord on Monday morning after getting a call about the injured baby once the mother took him to the hospital.
Lord is charged with aggravated assault and domestic violence assault on a child less than 6 years old and domestic violence terrorizing. The assaults name Preston Lord as the victim, and the terrorizing charge names both the infant and his mother, Ericka Melanson, as victims.
Melanson told police Lord was highly intoxicated and had been depressed about the loss of his job when he threw Preston, “who was not secured in a child safety seat, down a set of stairs. Baby Preston got ejected from the seat and landed face first,” according to information in a court affidavit filed by Trooper Dane Wing.
The mother told police the baby had stopped breathing but then started breathing when she picked him up. She took the baby to MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta. State police were notified after the mother went to the hospital. Reports indicate that police were notified about 3:30 a.m. Monday.
Hospital officials said Tuesday they could not provide the condition of the baby. Police said the baby suffered a skull fracture.
Melanson told police she heard Lord say, “Preston deserved to be thrown down the stairs,” according to the affidavit.
A 10-year-old girl who also lives at the house was left alone with Lord after Melanson left. The child remained at the house until she got herself ready for school and got on the bus Monday morning, according to Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine State Police. Lord was alone and asleep when the state police tactical team arrived about 7 a.m. and arrested him.
On Tuesday, Lord remained behind bars in the Kennebec County jail in lieu of bail, which was set at $5,000 cash or $50,000 worth of real estate. He is scheduled to be in court again Dec. 30.
At Riverview, Lord was the nurse on duty in the Lower Saco Unit on Dec. 2 when patient Arlene Edson was pepper-sprayed.
A complaint about the incident, which two nurses investigated on the state’s behalf, “was substantiated for abuse and for inappropriate use of restraints.” While it blacks out the name and gender of the patient, Edson and others identified her as the woman involved.
Edson, 30, who has been at Riverview since 2011 after being found not criminally responsible for charges of arson and assault because of mental illness, told a Maine Sunday Telegram reporter in September that “I felt like I was burning all down my back. I screamed for a shower for hours, but they wouldn’t let me take a shower.”
Lord was the nurse who gave the OK to corrections officers to use pepper spray on Edson, according to clinical notes.
And on March 10, when Lord was interviewed by the investigators, “Mr. Lord stated that he did not think this incident was abuse,” the report says.
The hospital’s policy defines abuse as “the infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation or cruel punishment that causes, or is likely to cause, physical harm or pain or mental anguish. …”
The investigators viewed video of the pepper-spray incident from cameras inside the hospital and from those carried by the corrections officers.
The investigators also noted that Lord’s nursing notes about the event described Edson as out of control, banging her head and kicking walls: “‘(Corrections officers) intervened as client was kicking holes and picking at shards of wall, warned client several times as to intent to gain control of (her) behaviors if (she) were unable to follow direction.’ There was no documentation in the nursing notes about pepper spray being deployed.”
The investigators noted that there were no holes in the room, just a large crack.
The report indicates that at least some Riverview staff members were unaware the incident had been captured on the various video devices.
On one video clip, Edson was seen at 8:51 p.m. Dec. 2, 2013, coming out of a bathroom, then undressing as she walked down a hallway to her room, behavior investigators noted that “was indicative of escalation in this patient.”
Lord, who was the nurse on duty, was recorded on audio saying, “I’ll go with a three-strike rule, basically, if we gotta do that …”
The next video, at 8:58 p.m., showed Edson “naked and standing with (her) back against the wall and (her) shoulders hunched forward. The video failed to show any evidence of assaultive behavior, violent behavior or aggression. The (corrections officer) deployed pepper spray at (Edson).”
Lord signed off on the use of the spray, according to the report. He appears to be the only one who lost his job as a result of the incident. The hospital reported the incident to state regulators on Feb. 27, about three months after it had occurred. The state Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that Lord was no longer a Riverview employee but did not provide any dates of employment.
Various administrators who viewed the videos in March during the investigation said they were shocked and wondered why it was used on a nonthreatening person, according to the report.
Daniel Wathen, a former Maine Supreme Judicial Court chief justice who serves as court master for a consent decree spelling out how the state must treat people with severe and persistent mental illness, told legislators last week he was bringing the pepper-spray incident and other problems at Riverview to the superior court judge in charge of the case. Wathen issues regular reports on the state’s compliance with the consent decree that settled a lawsuit about patient abuse at Riverview’s predecessor, the Augusta Mental Health Institute.
The hospital has had a series of problems over the past year and a half. Corrections officers brought into the facility in response to a brutal assault by a patient on a mental health worker in March 2013 were removed and later replaced with acuity specialists to monitor patient behavior.
The use of corrections officers caused federal regulators to review the hospital and remove its certification, which cut off eligibility for federal funds that amount to about $20 million a year.
Attacks on nurses and mental health workers have continued, the most recent occurring this month. Patient Ismail Awad is accused of assaulting different staff members at the hospital on Oct. 1, 7 and 14.
http://www.centralmaine.com/2014/10/21/father-accused-of-throwing-infant-down-stairs-is-ex-riverview-nurse/
Father accused of throwing infant down stairs is ex-Riverview nurse
William Goodhue Lord Jr., 39, gave the OK to corrections officers to use pepper spray on a female patient who was not threatening staff.
By Betty Adams Staff Writer
The man accused of throwing his 3-month-old son down a flight of stairs on Monday is the nurse who was fired from Riverview Psychiatric Center after a patient there was pepper-sprayed and left for hours in restraints with the irritating substance on her skin despite the fact that she was compliant and not threatening the staff.
William Goodhue Lord Jr., 39, continues to hold an active license as a registered nurse, according to the online records of the Maine State Board of Nursing.
The certificate says Lord was first licensed as a nurse in the state in 2010, and the license’s current expiration date is Feb. 18, 2016. The address listed on his license is 57 Innes Ridge Road, Wayne, the home where police arrested Lord on Monday morning after getting a call about the injured baby once the mother took him to the hospital.
Lord is charged with aggravated assault and domestic violence assault on a child less than 6 years old and domestic violence terrorizing. The assaults name Preston Lord as the victim, and the terrorizing charge names both the infant and his mother, Ericka Melanson, as victims.
Melanson told police Lord was highly intoxicated and had been depressed about the loss of his job when he threw Preston, “who was not secured in a child safety seat, down a set of stairs. Baby Preston got ejected from the seat and landed face first,” according to information in a court affidavit filed by Trooper Dane Wing.
The mother told police the baby had stopped breathing but then started breathing when she picked him up. She took the baby to MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta. State police were notified after the mother went to the hospital. Reports indicate that police were notified about 3:30 a.m. Monday.
Hospital officials said Tuesday they could not provide the condition of the baby. Police said the baby suffered a skull fracture.
Melanson told police she heard Lord say, “Preston deserved to be thrown down the stairs,” according to the affidavit.
A 10-year-old girl who also lives at the house was left alone with Lord after Melanson left. The child remained at the house until she got herself ready for school and got on the bus Monday morning, according to Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine State Police. Lord was alone and asleep when the state police tactical team arrived about 7 a.m. and arrested him.
On Tuesday, Lord remained behind bars in the Kennebec County jail in lieu of bail, which was set at $5,000 cash or $50,000 worth of real estate. He is scheduled to be in court again Dec. 30.
At Riverview, Lord was the nurse on duty in the Lower Saco Unit on Dec. 2 when patient Arlene Edson was pepper-sprayed.
A complaint about the incident, which two nurses investigated on the state’s behalf, “was substantiated for abuse and for inappropriate use of restraints.” While it blacks out the name and gender of the patient, Edson and others identified her as the woman involved.
Edson, 30, who has been at Riverview since 2011 after being found not criminally responsible for charges of arson and assault because of mental illness, told a Maine Sunday Telegram reporter in September that “I felt like I was burning all down my back. I screamed for a shower for hours, but they wouldn’t let me take a shower.”
Lord was the nurse who gave the OK to corrections officers to use pepper spray on Edson, according to clinical notes.
And on March 10, when Lord was interviewed by the investigators, “Mr. Lord stated that he did not think this incident was abuse,” the report says.
The hospital’s policy defines abuse as “the infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation or cruel punishment that causes, or is likely to cause, physical harm or pain or mental anguish. …”
The investigators viewed video of the pepper-spray incident from cameras inside the hospital and from those carried by the corrections officers.
The investigators also noted that Lord’s nursing notes about the event described Edson as out of control, banging her head and kicking walls: “‘(Corrections officers) intervened as client was kicking holes and picking at shards of wall, warned client several times as to intent to gain control of (her) behaviors if (she) were unable to follow direction.’ There was no documentation in the nursing notes about pepper spray being deployed.”
The investigators noted that there were no holes in the room, just a large crack.
The report indicates that at least some Riverview staff members were unaware the incident had been captured on the various video devices.
On one video clip, Edson was seen at 8:51 p.m. Dec. 2, 2013, coming out of a bathroom, then undressing as she walked down a hallway to her room, behavior investigators noted that “was indicative of escalation in this patient.”
Lord, who was the nurse on duty, was recorded on audio saying, “I’ll go with a three-strike rule, basically, if we gotta do that …”
The next video, at 8:58 p.m., showed Edson “naked and standing with (her) back against the wall and (her) shoulders hunched forward. The video failed to show any evidence of assaultive behavior, violent behavior or aggression. The (corrections officer) deployed pepper spray at (Edson).”
Lord signed off on the use of the spray, according to the report. He appears to be the only one who lost his job as a result of the incident. The hospital reported the incident to state regulators on Feb. 27, about three months after it had occurred. The state Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that Lord was no longer a Riverview employee but did not provide any dates of employment.
Various administrators who viewed the videos in March during the investigation said they were shocked and wondered why it was used on a nonthreatening person, according to the report.
Daniel Wathen, a former Maine Supreme Judicial Court chief justice who serves as court master for a consent decree spelling out how the state must treat people with severe and persistent mental illness, told legislators last week he was bringing the pepper-spray incident and other problems at Riverview to the superior court judge in charge of the case. Wathen issues regular reports on the state’s compliance with the consent decree that settled a lawsuit about patient abuse at Riverview’s predecessor, the Augusta Mental Health Institute.
The hospital has had a series of problems over the past year and a half. Corrections officers brought into the facility in response to a brutal assault by a patient on a mental health worker in March 2013 were removed and later replaced with acuity specialists to monitor patient behavior.
The use of corrections officers caused federal regulators to review the hospital and remove its certification, which cut off eligibility for federal funds that amount to about $20 million a year.
Attacks on nurses and mental health workers have continued, the most recent occurring this month. Patient Ismail Awad is accused of assaulting different staff members at the hospital on Oct. 1, 7 and 14.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Mom was afraid that abusive, controlling father would strip her of child custody if she left; instead he slaughtered the whole family (Maine)
Sadly, this is a typical family annihilation scenario. A control freak abuser father who insisted on total power over his wife and kids. Notice the mother's concerns about losing custody of her children if she were to leave this creep. This is a very common threat with these guys.
Dad is identified as JOEL SMITH.
http://www.pressherald.com/2014/07/29/new-details-emerge-in-saco-murder-suicide/
New details emerge in Saco murder-suicide: ‘She was afraid of him’
Heather Smith’s sister-in-law describes a marriage fraught with difficulties, including alcoholism, financial problems and controlling behavior.
By Matt Byrne Staff Writer
Heather Smith was afraid of her husband and frightened that he would take custody of their children if she ended their relationship, a family member said Tuesday.
The relationship of Heather and Joel Smith, whose bodies were found Sunday in Saco along with those of their three children in a murder-suicide, was complex and fraught with difficulties, said Jennifer Montez, Heather Smith’s sister-in-law.
Montez said that since Heather and Joel Smith began dating, he had a tendency to control the relationship, a habit that intensified when the couple married in 2010 and had two children together. Montez, 36, of Laveen, Arizona, is married to Heather Smith’s brother and described how she and other relatives would receive panicked, late-night phone calls from her sister-in-law.
“She was afraid of him,” Montez said. “And she was afraid of losing her children. So she actually sacrificed her happiness and her life because she was not willing to be a part-time mom, she wasn’t willing to see her kids only once every three weeks.”
There were other demons that plagued the couple, factors that Montez said contributed to the family’s strife.
“I’m not going to lie, they were both alcoholics,” Montez said. “That’s where some of the money problems happened.”
Montez, in a nearly hour-long interview with the Portland Press Herald, disputed the assertion that her sister-in-law was a drug addict, and that allegations of her opioid use only emerged about two weeks before the couple’s death. For the majority of their relationship, Montez said, Heather Smith maintained the family’s only stable income while her husband sought construction work in Arizona, and later in Maine, often only securing sporadic employment.
Much of their disharmony, and Heather Smith’s fear, centered on the raising of their three children, Montez said.
Heather’s oldest son, Jason Montez, 12, was born in Arizona before Joel and Heather met; his biological father has never been in the picture. During that time, Heather lived with her mother, who cared for Jason when Heather worked.
When Heather and Joel got together, they moved into an apartment within a matter of months, according to Montez.
The Montez clan, with several branches of the family within about a 30-minute drive of one another in cities around Phoenix, stayed in close touch. Poolside barbecues and extended family meals were at least weekly occurrences. Everyone knew what was going on with everyone else.
At first, the family thought Joel was good for Heather, and that she seemed happy. The families started to get to know each other when Heather announced in 2007 that she was expecting a child with Joel. They named him Noah, who was 7 at the time of his death.
When the baby was born, the Montez family tried to welcome Joel into the fold, but he was distrustful, Montez said.
He restricted the family’s access to Noah, asserting more control than he did with Jason, who was raised with help from the extended Montez family before Joel met Heather, Montez said.
Visits with Noah were allowed only at Heather’s and Joel’s home; family members were not allowed to take him overnight, or for day trips or car rides. Heather also was noticeably absent from holiday gatherings and family parties.
“He said he was a better parent than her, even though she already had a child and he didn’t,” Montez said. “If we bought (their children) a toy and he didn’t like it, they couldn’t play with it.”
Although he was holding three jobs in the days before he used a 12-gauge shotgun to kill his wife and their children July 26, Joel struggled to maintain steady employment, and it was on Heather’s steady income that the family often scraped by, Montez said.
“Unfortunately, they continued their relationship and had another child, even though they had so much turmoil,” she said.
Montez believes the couple’s move to New England was spurred by a 2009 vacation to see Joel’s father, who lives in Maine. It was a rare getaway from parenthood, Montez said – Jason stayed with Joel’s mother.
“We were not allowed to have him,” she said.
The visit was recorded in an album of Facebook photos, in which a pregnant Heather posed for pictures in Old Orchard Beach with her husband, and at an arcade. It was fall, and the leaves were turning brilliant shades of red and orange. When they came back to Arizona, Montez said, the idea to move to Maine percolated.
“They kept talking about it, ‘We’re thinking about moving there,’ ” Montez recalled. “I said, ‘Your problems are going to follow you.’
“ In hindsight, Montez believes the move to New England was designed to cut Heather off from the support network and familiarity of Arizona.
“He moved her to Maine to isolate her so she would feel she had no resources and would feel trapped,” Montez said. “He isolated her from all her family and all her friends.”
Once they settled in Saco, Heather found a position in a doctor’s office and Joel again sought work in construction.
Both parents were drinking heavily every night, and the stress began to affect Heather’s work performance, Montez said. Heather was getting in trouble, and managers gave her fewer hours. Then she lost the job.
When she was fired less than a year ago, Joel found positions as a handyman for the RiverView Apartments complex where they lived, at a separate apartment building, and working part time at Target.
The Montez family knew Heather and Joel were struggling. The couple asked to borrow money from family members. Heather, who was unhappy in the relationship, told Montez that she felt powerless to escape, despite repeated offers by her family to help her do just that.
Early in 2014, she told Montez about a plan to use a portion of the couple’s forthcoming tax return to take her children and get an apartment for herself.
The time came, the money arrived, but Heather’s plan never materialized.
The last time Montez heard news of her sister-in-law was July 15, when Joel called Montez’s husband to tell them that Heather was checked into a hospital because she was apparently in withdrawal from opioid use.
The family was alarmed, but Joel sounded calm, Montez said. He told them he had taken the children to his father’s house, and removed his guns from the residence. He took Heather to the hospital, and was looking for rehabilitation facilities where she could get clean.
Montez tried to help, looking up names of clinics in the area, but couldn’t get in touch with her brother-in-law.
Two weeks later, Montez learned they were all dead.
Dad is identified as JOEL SMITH.
http://www.pressherald.com/2014/07/29/new-details-emerge-in-saco-murder-suicide/
New details emerge in Saco murder-suicide: ‘She was afraid of him’
Heather Smith’s sister-in-law describes a marriage fraught with difficulties, including alcoholism, financial problems and controlling behavior.
By Matt Byrne Staff Writer
Heather Smith was afraid of her husband and frightened that he would take custody of their children if she ended their relationship, a family member said Tuesday.
The relationship of Heather and Joel Smith, whose bodies were found Sunday in Saco along with those of their three children in a murder-suicide, was complex and fraught with difficulties, said Jennifer Montez, Heather Smith’s sister-in-law.
Montez said that since Heather and Joel Smith began dating, he had a tendency to control the relationship, a habit that intensified when the couple married in 2010 and had two children together. Montez, 36, of Laveen, Arizona, is married to Heather Smith’s brother and described how she and other relatives would receive panicked, late-night phone calls from her sister-in-law.
“She was afraid of him,” Montez said. “And she was afraid of losing her children. So she actually sacrificed her happiness and her life because she was not willing to be a part-time mom, she wasn’t willing to see her kids only once every three weeks.”
There were other demons that plagued the couple, factors that Montez said contributed to the family’s strife.
“I’m not going to lie, they were both alcoholics,” Montez said. “That’s where some of the money problems happened.”
Montez, in a nearly hour-long interview with the Portland Press Herald, disputed the assertion that her sister-in-law was a drug addict, and that allegations of her opioid use only emerged about two weeks before the couple’s death. For the majority of their relationship, Montez said, Heather Smith maintained the family’s only stable income while her husband sought construction work in Arizona, and later in Maine, often only securing sporadic employment.
Much of their disharmony, and Heather Smith’s fear, centered on the raising of their three children, Montez said.
Heather’s oldest son, Jason Montez, 12, was born in Arizona before Joel and Heather met; his biological father has never been in the picture. During that time, Heather lived with her mother, who cared for Jason when Heather worked.
When Heather and Joel got together, they moved into an apartment within a matter of months, according to Montez.
The Montez clan, with several branches of the family within about a 30-minute drive of one another in cities around Phoenix, stayed in close touch. Poolside barbecues and extended family meals were at least weekly occurrences. Everyone knew what was going on with everyone else.
At first, the family thought Joel was good for Heather, and that she seemed happy. The families started to get to know each other when Heather announced in 2007 that she was expecting a child with Joel. They named him Noah, who was 7 at the time of his death.
When the baby was born, the Montez family tried to welcome Joel into the fold, but he was distrustful, Montez said.
He restricted the family’s access to Noah, asserting more control than he did with Jason, who was raised with help from the extended Montez family before Joel met Heather, Montez said.
Visits with Noah were allowed only at Heather’s and Joel’s home; family members were not allowed to take him overnight, or for day trips or car rides. Heather also was noticeably absent from holiday gatherings and family parties.
“He said he was a better parent than her, even though she already had a child and he didn’t,” Montez said. “If we bought (their children) a toy and he didn’t like it, they couldn’t play with it.”
Although he was holding three jobs in the days before he used a 12-gauge shotgun to kill his wife and their children July 26, Joel struggled to maintain steady employment, and it was on Heather’s steady income that the family often scraped by, Montez said.
“Unfortunately, they continued their relationship and had another child, even though they had so much turmoil,” she said.
Montez believes the couple’s move to New England was spurred by a 2009 vacation to see Joel’s father, who lives in Maine. It was a rare getaway from parenthood, Montez said – Jason stayed with Joel’s mother.
“We were not allowed to have him,” she said.
The visit was recorded in an album of Facebook photos, in which a pregnant Heather posed for pictures in Old Orchard Beach with her husband, and at an arcade. It was fall, and the leaves were turning brilliant shades of red and orange. When they came back to Arizona, Montez said, the idea to move to Maine percolated.
“They kept talking about it, ‘We’re thinking about moving there,’ ” Montez recalled. “I said, ‘Your problems are going to follow you.’
“ In hindsight, Montez believes the move to New England was designed to cut Heather off from the support network and familiarity of Arizona.
“He moved her to Maine to isolate her so she would feel she had no resources and would feel trapped,” Montez said. “He isolated her from all her family and all her friends.”
Once they settled in Saco, Heather found a position in a doctor’s office and Joel again sought work in construction.
Both parents were drinking heavily every night, and the stress began to affect Heather’s work performance, Montez said. Heather was getting in trouble, and managers gave her fewer hours. Then she lost the job.
When she was fired less than a year ago, Joel found positions as a handyman for the RiverView Apartments complex where they lived, at a separate apartment building, and working part time at Target.
The Montez family knew Heather and Joel were struggling. The couple asked to borrow money from family members. Heather, who was unhappy in the relationship, told Montez that she felt powerless to escape, despite repeated offers by her family to help her do just that.
Early in 2014, she told Montez about a plan to use a portion of the couple’s forthcoming tax return to take her children and get an apartment for herself.
The time came, the money arrived, but Heather’s plan never materialized.
The last time Montez heard news of her sister-in-law was July 15, when Joel called Montez’s husband to tell them that Heather was checked into a hospital because she was apparently in withdrawal from opioid use.
The family was alarmed, but Joel sounded calm, Montez said. He told them he had taken the children to his father’s house, and removed his guns from the residence. He took Heather to the hospital, and was looking for rehabilitation facilities where she could get clean.
Montez tried to help, looking up names of clinics in the area, but couldn’t get in touch with her brother-in-law.
Two weeks later, Montez learned they were all dead.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Dad faces charges in assault on 2-month-old twins during overnight stay (Sanford, Maine)
Dad is identified as ANTHONY CARPINELLI.
http://www.pressherald.com/news/Sanford_father_charged_with_assaulting__severely_injuring_twins.html
Maine father faces charges in assault on infant twins
Police say the 2-month-olds had to be hospitalized after being hit and shaken while their father was caring for them in Sanford.
By David Hench Staff Writer
A Sanford man is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday to face charges that he assaulted his infant twins, sending both to the hospital, one in critical condition.
Anthony Carpinelli, 21, of 25-C Bates St., who allegedly hit and shook his 2-month-old infants while taking care of them overnight last week, was charged with felony assault Monday.
Willow and Haiden Carpinelli, who were born premature on March 11, were released Tuesday from the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center in Portland.
Willow had a serious head injury from a blow and was initially in critical condition, said Sanford Detective Cpl. Sarah Roberts. She was listed in serious condition Tuesday, but a hospital spokeswoman said late in the day that she had been discharged to her family.
Haiden had internal injuries consistent with violent shaking, Roberts said. He was initially in serious condition but also recovered enough to be discharged, the spokeswoman said.
Carpinelli was with the children Thursday night while their mother was out, Roberts said. Nichole Morrill returned Friday morning and found the children in distress. At noon, she took them to Southern Maine Health Care’s emergency department in Biddeford.
Roberts would not say where Morrill had been overnight.
The hospital notified the state Department of Health and Human Services’ child protection division, which alerted Sanford police. The infants eventually were transferred to the hospital in Portland.
Anthony Carpinelli was held without bail in the York County Jail and was scheduled to make an initial appearance via video in Springvale District Court on Wednesday. Authorities decided to hold him without bail because of the seriousness of the charges and because the crimes allegedly were committed against family members, Roberts said.
The babies are small for their age, Roberts said, and injuries at such a young age can have lifelong consequences.
Carpinelli and Morrill lived with the twins and a 2-year-old daughter in a single room at Morrill’s brother’s home. The 2-year-old was not injured, Roberts said.
John Martins, a spokesman for the DHHS, said he could not yet say whether Carpinelli has any history of abuse in the department’s records, and would not know until Wednesday whether there was information he could release.
Carpinelli lived and went to school in Indiana and New Hampshire, according to his Facebook page. He has no criminal record in Maine, according to the State Bureau of Identification.
Police do not think that drugs or alcohol were involved. They said there were no witnesses.
Each year, Maine hospitals admit 75 to 100 young children who health care workers suspect have been abused, said Dr. Lawrence Ricci, a forensic pediatrician who is an expert on shaken baby syndrome. About 20 percent turn out not to have been abused, he said.
“Our sense over the past years is those numbers are on the increase,” Ricci said, in part because health care professionals are more sensitive to possible signs of abuse.
But there are more disturbing trends. “Over the past year we’ve seen more cases we think are abusive head trauma,” he said.
In a state with a population the size of Maine’s, Ricci said, he would expect to see five or six babies a year with abusive head trauma. “We’re easily seeing twice this number,” he said.
Statistics from the DHHS show that the number of children younger than 5 who were identified as physically abused rose from 241 in 2011, to 359 in 2012, to 424 last year.
Child safety advocates have worked to educate parents about ways to avoid infant abuse, which often happens as parents deal with crying babies. A video called “The Period of Purple Crying” – available at purplecrying.info – seeks to have parents recognize when a child’s intense crying has worn down their patience, creating the possibility of abuse.
Ricci said he is not familiar with statistics indicating whether twins are any more likely to be victims of abuse. However, when one twin is injured and abuse is suspected, it’s recommended that both siblings go to the hospital because of the increased likelihood of abuse of the other child, he said.
Factors including financial stress, substance abuse, domestic violence, a parent who was abused as a child, poor impulse control, anger issues and a large number of children in the home increase the likelihood of abuse, Ricci said, but the vast majority of families navigate those risks without resorting to abuse.
http://www.pressherald.com/news/Sanford_father_charged_with_assaulting__severely_injuring_twins.html
Maine father faces charges in assault on infant twins
Police say the 2-month-olds had to be hospitalized after being hit and shaken while their father was caring for them in Sanford.
By David Hench Staff Writer
A Sanford man is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday to face charges that he assaulted his infant twins, sending both to the hospital, one in critical condition.
Anthony Carpinelli, 21, of 25-C Bates St., who allegedly hit and shook his 2-month-old infants while taking care of them overnight last week, was charged with felony assault Monday.
Willow and Haiden Carpinelli, who were born premature on March 11, were released Tuesday from the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center in Portland.
Willow had a serious head injury from a blow and was initially in critical condition, said Sanford Detective Cpl. Sarah Roberts. She was listed in serious condition Tuesday, but a hospital spokeswoman said late in the day that she had been discharged to her family.
Haiden had internal injuries consistent with violent shaking, Roberts said. He was initially in serious condition but also recovered enough to be discharged, the spokeswoman said.
Carpinelli was with the children Thursday night while their mother was out, Roberts said. Nichole Morrill returned Friday morning and found the children in distress. At noon, she took them to Southern Maine Health Care’s emergency department in Biddeford.
Roberts would not say where Morrill had been overnight.
The hospital notified the state Department of Health and Human Services’ child protection division, which alerted Sanford police. The infants eventually were transferred to the hospital in Portland.
Anthony Carpinelli was held without bail in the York County Jail and was scheduled to make an initial appearance via video in Springvale District Court on Wednesday. Authorities decided to hold him without bail because of the seriousness of the charges and because the crimes allegedly were committed against family members, Roberts said.
The babies are small for their age, Roberts said, and injuries at such a young age can have lifelong consequences.
Carpinelli and Morrill lived with the twins and a 2-year-old daughter in a single room at Morrill’s brother’s home. The 2-year-old was not injured, Roberts said.
John Martins, a spokesman for the DHHS, said he could not yet say whether Carpinelli has any history of abuse in the department’s records, and would not know until Wednesday whether there was information he could release.
Carpinelli lived and went to school in Indiana and New Hampshire, according to his Facebook page. He has no criminal record in Maine, according to the State Bureau of Identification.
Police do not think that drugs or alcohol were involved. They said there were no witnesses.
Each year, Maine hospitals admit 75 to 100 young children who health care workers suspect have been abused, said Dr. Lawrence Ricci, a forensic pediatrician who is an expert on shaken baby syndrome. About 20 percent turn out not to have been abused, he said.
“Our sense over the past years is those numbers are on the increase,” Ricci said, in part because health care professionals are more sensitive to possible signs of abuse.
But there are more disturbing trends. “Over the past year we’ve seen more cases we think are abusive head trauma,” he said.
In a state with a population the size of Maine’s, Ricci said, he would expect to see five or six babies a year with abusive head trauma. “We’re easily seeing twice this number,” he said.
Statistics from the DHHS show that the number of children younger than 5 who were identified as physically abused rose from 241 in 2011, to 359 in 2012, to 424 last year.
Child safety advocates have worked to educate parents about ways to avoid infant abuse, which often happens as parents deal with crying babies. A video called “The Period of Purple Crying” – available at purplecrying.info – seeks to have parents recognize when a child’s intense crying has worn down their patience, creating the possibility of abuse.
Ricci said he is not familiar with statistics indicating whether twins are any more likely to be victims of abuse. However, when one twin is injured and abuse is suspected, it’s recommended that both siblings go to the hospital because of the increased likelihood of abuse of the other child, he said.
Factors including financial stress, substance abuse, domestic violence, a parent who was abused as a child, poor impulse control, anger issues and a large number of children in the home increase the likelihood of abuse, Ricci said, but the vast majority of families navigate those risks without resorting to abuse.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Dad denies assaulting 6-month-old daughter; baby has brain injuries, blindness (Portland, Maine)
Showing new parents videos on the dangers of shaking an infant is all very fine. But given that fathers dominate the statistics on babies that are assaulted in this way, the best way to prevent shaken baby syndrome (aka abusive head trauma) is to NOT allow unemployed deadbeat daddies to act as infant "caretakers" while the mother is forced to work and support the family.
Time and time again it is shown that these males, especially the young ones, do not have the patience or nurturing skills to take on infant care. They freak out at the least bit of aggravation--sustained crying, dirty diapers, and the like.
Too bad we don't have paid maternity leave in this country. And programs that put dudes like this one to work somehow--if only in programs like the old Civilian Conservation Corps. Breaking rocks, planting trees, pulling weeds. Anything but inflicting permanent brain damage on poor babies.
Dad is identified as KEVIN MICHAEL PEASLEE.
http://www.pressherald.com/news/Maine_father_denies_shaking_baby__causing_brain_damage_.html
Monday, January 27, 2014 Posted: 5:36 PM Updated: 5:47 PM
Maine father denies shaking baby, causing brain damage
His baby daughter is also now reportedly blind. Kevin Peaslee’s attorney says the prosecutor may be overstating the injuries.
By BETTY ADAMS Kennebec Journal
AUGUSTA — An Augusta man charged with seriously injuring his baby daughter was pulled over by police on Dec. 21 as he drove to get help for her.
“He did seek to bring his child to get help,” District Attorney Maeghan Maloney said Monday. “He ran a stop sign and was pulled over by police.”
Maloney made those comments shortly after Kevin Michael Peaslee, 21, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of assault, all related to an incident Dec. 21 at the family’s home in Augusta.
Maloney didn’t elaborate on what happened after Peaslee was stopped.
Peaslee on Monday denied state allegations that he violently shook his 6-month-old daughter, Aleah M. Peaslee, and left her with serious permanent injuries.
Defense attorney Lisa Whittier, who represented him as lawyer of the day, also told the judge she did not believe that all the medical evidence was in about the baby’s condition, suggesting the seriousness of the baby’s injuries is not yet fully known.
“I think Ms. Maloney is over-speaking about what the lifelong conditions of this baby is going to be,” Whittier said.
Aleah, born in Augusta in June, is reportedly in Maine Medical Center in Portland suffering from brain injuries and blindness.
Peaslee was arraigned Monday on the indictment in Augusta District Court via video link with Kennebec County jail.
Judge Charles Dow entered a plea of not guilty on Peaslee’s behalf. Peaslee was arrested Friday in Augusta, shortly after a grand jury in Kennebec County handed up the indictment.
On Monday, the dark-haired, bearded Peaslee wore an orange V-necked jail uniform and stood next to Whittier.
Peaslee said he did not intend to apply for court-appointed counsel and expected his parents, who were sitting on a bench at the rear of the courtroom, to hire one to represent him in the charges.
However, he later agreed to the judge’s suggestion that he fill out the paperwork for a court-appointed lawyer.
Maloney asked Dow to keep bail at $25,000 cash, which was set with the initial warrant.
“The child in question was only 6 months old and is still struggling with injuries and will have injuries for the rest of her life,” she told Dow.
However, Whittier said neither Peaslee nor his parents can post $25,000 cash bail, and she requested a surety alternative. Dow agreed to an alternative bail of $50,000 worth of real estate, but said both bails would require Peaslee to be under a Maine Pretrial Supervision Program contract.
Whittier said that if freed on bail, Peaslee would live at his parents’ Weeks Mills Road home.
Maloney objected, saying that the baby’s mother, Virginia Trask, 17, is living there. Whittier countered by saying there were other places Trask could live.
Whittier said Peaslee’s doctor had scheduled him for a diagnostic evaluation Tuesday because of mental health issues.
“Mr. Peaslee has been very cooperative since the beginning of this case,” she said. “He is a high school graduate and he is seeking a job. He is not a threat to the judicial process, he is not a threat to society, and he is not a flight risk of any sort.”
Other conditions of bail ban Peaslee from contact with Trask and with his daughter and subject him to a curfew of 8 p.m.-6 a.m.
Outside the court hearing, Maloney said that Trask was at work and not at home when the baby was injured. She also said the state Department of Health and Human Services was looking into the case.
There are no documents filed in the court except for the indictment, and Maloney said she was unable to provide all the details.
However, she said the injuries occurred during the day and that it came to the attention of law enforcement almost immediately when he was stopped.
She said she would prefer a high bail.
“I think that in a case as serious as this one that a person should be held until the trial date,” Maloney said.
She also said that officials learned Peaslee and Trask had been given a video or seen a video in the hospital after the baby was born that warns about the dangers of shaking an infant.
“Parenting is the most difficult job there is,” she said, adding that the consequences for the baby can be lifelong.
Shortly after Peaslee’s arrest Maloney said, “Shaking a baby is a horrific crime that often leads to death. In this case the 6-month-old little girl will be blind for life among other serious health consequences. Never shake a baby: call for help if you feel yourself losing control.”
Time and time again it is shown that these males, especially the young ones, do not have the patience or nurturing skills to take on infant care. They freak out at the least bit of aggravation--sustained crying, dirty diapers, and the like.
Too bad we don't have paid maternity leave in this country. And programs that put dudes like this one to work somehow--if only in programs like the old Civilian Conservation Corps. Breaking rocks, planting trees, pulling weeds. Anything but inflicting permanent brain damage on poor babies.
Dad is identified as KEVIN MICHAEL PEASLEE.
http://www.pressherald.com/news/Maine_father_denies_shaking_baby__causing_brain_damage_.html
Monday, January 27, 2014 Posted: 5:36 PM Updated: 5:47 PM
Maine father denies shaking baby, causing brain damage
His baby daughter is also now reportedly blind. Kevin Peaslee’s attorney says the prosecutor may be overstating the injuries.
By BETTY ADAMS Kennebec Journal
AUGUSTA — An Augusta man charged with seriously injuring his baby daughter was pulled over by police on Dec. 21 as he drove to get help for her.
“He did seek to bring his child to get help,” District Attorney Maeghan Maloney said Monday. “He ran a stop sign and was pulled over by police.”
Maloney made those comments shortly after Kevin Michael Peaslee, 21, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of assault, all related to an incident Dec. 21 at the family’s home in Augusta.
Maloney didn’t elaborate on what happened after Peaslee was stopped.
Peaslee on Monday denied state allegations that he violently shook his 6-month-old daughter, Aleah M. Peaslee, and left her with serious permanent injuries.
Defense attorney Lisa Whittier, who represented him as lawyer of the day, also told the judge she did not believe that all the medical evidence was in about the baby’s condition, suggesting the seriousness of the baby’s injuries is not yet fully known.
“I think Ms. Maloney is over-speaking about what the lifelong conditions of this baby is going to be,” Whittier said.
Aleah, born in Augusta in June, is reportedly in Maine Medical Center in Portland suffering from brain injuries and blindness.
Peaslee was arraigned Monday on the indictment in Augusta District Court via video link with Kennebec County jail.
Judge Charles Dow entered a plea of not guilty on Peaslee’s behalf. Peaslee was arrested Friday in Augusta, shortly after a grand jury in Kennebec County handed up the indictment.
On Monday, the dark-haired, bearded Peaslee wore an orange V-necked jail uniform and stood next to Whittier.
Peaslee said he did not intend to apply for court-appointed counsel and expected his parents, who were sitting on a bench at the rear of the courtroom, to hire one to represent him in the charges.
However, he later agreed to the judge’s suggestion that he fill out the paperwork for a court-appointed lawyer.
Maloney asked Dow to keep bail at $25,000 cash, which was set with the initial warrant.
“The child in question was only 6 months old and is still struggling with injuries and will have injuries for the rest of her life,” she told Dow.
However, Whittier said neither Peaslee nor his parents can post $25,000 cash bail, and she requested a surety alternative. Dow agreed to an alternative bail of $50,000 worth of real estate, but said both bails would require Peaslee to be under a Maine Pretrial Supervision Program contract.
Whittier said that if freed on bail, Peaslee would live at his parents’ Weeks Mills Road home.
Maloney objected, saying that the baby’s mother, Virginia Trask, 17, is living there. Whittier countered by saying there were other places Trask could live.
Whittier said Peaslee’s doctor had scheduled him for a diagnostic evaluation Tuesday because of mental health issues.
“Mr. Peaslee has been very cooperative since the beginning of this case,” she said. “He is a high school graduate and he is seeking a job. He is not a threat to the judicial process, he is not a threat to society, and he is not a flight risk of any sort.”
Other conditions of bail ban Peaslee from contact with Trask and with his daughter and subject him to a curfew of 8 p.m.-6 a.m.
Outside the court hearing, Maloney said that Trask was at work and not at home when the baby was injured. She also said the state Department of Health and Human Services was looking into the case.
There are no documents filed in the court except for the indictment, and Maloney said she was unable to provide all the details.
However, she said the injuries occurred during the day and that it came to the attention of law enforcement almost immediately when he was stopped.
She said she would prefer a high bail.
“I think that in a case as serious as this one that a person should be held until the trial date,” Maloney said.
She also said that officials learned Peaslee and Trask had been given a video or seen a video in the hospital after the baby was born that warns about the dangers of shaking an infant.
“Parenting is the most difficult job there is,” she said, adding that the consequences for the baby can be lifelong.
Shortly after Peaslee’s arrest Maloney said, “Shaking a baby is a horrific crime that often leads to death. In this case the 6-month-old little girl will be blind for life among other serious health consequences. Never shake a baby: call for help if you feel yourself losing control.”
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Dad shoots 6-week-old son, baby's mom, police officer; dad later shot and killed by police (Calais, Maine)
May sound harsh, but good riddance. You can just about bet that this POS was going to be nothing but trouble till he was dead or ended up in prison for killing somebody.
Why did the authorities let dad DANIEL PINNEY out on bail? Guys like him are obsessive and ruthless. They are not stopped by niceties like orders of protection. This is the typical judicial coddling we see for domestic violence offenders.
http://www.wmtw.com/news/maine/police-1-dead-3-wounded-in-shooting/-/8792012/20836142/-/9c5xgu/-/index.html
Baby wounded in foot in Calais shooting; Father dead
State police: Officers fire on father
UPDATED 1:42 PM EDT Jul 04, 2013
CALAIS, Maine —Maine State Police say a woman and a baby were wounded in a domestic violence shooting in Calais in which the father was the shooter and was himself shot and killed by police.
The incident took place at a home on Main Street around 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
Calais police officers shot and killed Daniel Pinney, 26, shortly after officers arrived at the home, state police said.
The wounded woman is Megan Sherrard, 21, and her 6-week-old boy, Luca Sherrard. Pinney was the child's father. State police said the woman and child were reportedly shot by Pinney and were fleeing the home when police shot him.
Megan Sherrard is being treated for multiple gunshot wounds at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. Luca Sherrard is being treated for a gunshot wound to the foot, state police said.
A Calais police officer, John Preston, was also wounded during the incident and is expected to be recover. State police said Preston and fellow officer Joseph Bartlett shot at Pinney.
Pinney had been in jail for a domestic violence criminal threatening charge involving Megan Sherrard and a bail condition required that he have no contact with her, state police said. She had filed a protection from harassment and abuse order against him on June 11.
Megan Sherrard failed to show up for a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and her father found her car in the medical practice's parking lot and contacted police because he was concerned for her safety, state police said. Investigators believe that Pinney confronted Megan Sherrard in the parking lot and forced her to return with him to his house.
Along with state police, the Maine Attorney General's Office has sent a team of its investigators to Calais to investigate the shootings.
Why did the authorities let dad DANIEL PINNEY out on bail? Guys like him are obsessive and ruthless. They are not stopped by niceties like orders of protection. This is the typical judicial coddling we see for domestic violence offenders.
http://www.wmtw.com/news/maine/police-1-dead-3-wounded-in-shooting/-/8792012/20836142/-/9c5xgu/-/index.html
Baby wounded in foot in Calais shooting; Father dead
State police: Officers fire on father
UPDATED 1:42 PM EDT Jul 04, 2013
CALAIS, Maine —Maine State Police say a woman and a baby were wounded in a domestic violence shooting in Calais in which the father was the shooter and was himself shot and killed by police.
The incident took place at a home on Main Street around 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
Calais police officers shot and killed Daniel Pinney, 26, shortly after officers arrived at the home, state police said.
The wounded woman is Megan Sherrard, 21, and her 6-week-old boy, Luca Sherrard. Pinney was the child's father. State police said the woman and child were reportedly shot by Pinney and were fleeing the home when police shot him.
Megan Sherrard is being treated for multiple gunshot wounds at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. Luca Sherrard is being treated for a gunshot wound to the foot, state police said.
A Calais police officer, John Preston, was also wounded during the incident and is expected to be recover. State police said Preston and fellow officer Joseph Bartlett shot at Pinney.
Pinney had been in jail for a domestic violence criminal threatening charge involving Megan Sherrard and a bail condition required that he have no contact with her, state police said. She had filed a protection from harassment and abuse order against him on June 11.
Megan Sherrard failed to show up for a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and her father found her car in the medical practice's parking lot and contacted police because he was concerned for her safety, state police said. Investigators believe that Pinney confronted Megan Sherrard in the parking lot and forced her to return with him to his house.
Along with state police, the Maine Attorney General's Office has sent a team of its investigators to Calais to investigate the shootings.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Dad on trial for killing mom in front of their 7-year-old son (Portland, Maine)
Dads like this obviously don't give a sh** about stripping the kids of their mother and further traumatizing them by murdering the mother before their very eyes.
The dad is identified as JOEL HAYDEN.
http://www.kjonline.com/news/New-Gloucester-murder-trial-begins-today.html
Posted: January 7
Updated: Today at 1:22 AM
Defendant's child: 'He shot my mom'
The oldest of victim Renee Sandora’s four children testifies about the 2011 killings he witnessed in New Gloucester.
By Scott Dolan sdolan@mainetoday.com Staff Writer
PORTLAND — The 8-year-old son of Joel Hayden testified on the opening day of his father’s murder trial Monday that he saw his father walk out of the family’s home in New Gloucester and shoot his mother as the child looked on in shock.
Assistant Attorney General Donald Macomber holds a bag of spent shell casings found at the scene of the crime as he presents his opening arguments in the Joel Hayden double murder trial in Cumberland County Superior Court in Portland on Monday.
Hayden, 31, is on trial in Cumberland County Unified Criminal Court on two counts of murder, in the fatal shootings of Renee Sandora, the mother of his four children, and his longtime friend Trevor Mills on July 25, 2011.
Hayden’s oldest son, who was 7 at the time of the shootings, testified under questioning from Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese that he saw Mills, whom he referred to by the nickname Tre, “go through the glass” of the door of the house.
The boy, now a third-grader, said his father was in the house while his mother stood in the driveway and he watched from the grassy area beside the driveway at their home at 322 Bennett Road.
Marchese asked the boy what his father did after Mills went through the glass door.
“He went outside and he shot my mom,” the boy said.
Marchese asked the boy what he did when he saw his father shoot his mother.
“I was doing nothing. I was shocked,” the boy said. “I was shocked when I saw him do that.”
The boy said that during the shooting, his younger brother and twin baby sisters were strapped into car seats in the back of a sedan parked in the driveway.
After the boy finished testifying, as he left the courtroom, Hayden, seated between his lawyers, called out to the boy by name, saying, “Daddy loves you.”
The jury trial began before Justice Nancy Mills on Monday morning with opening statements, then went immediately into witness testimony.
Assistant Attorney General Donald Macomber said in his opening statement that the jury would hear testimony that Hayden was a drug addict prone to jealousy when he shot his friend Mills, 28, and his estranged girlfriend, Sandora, who was 27.
Macomber said that Sandora and Hayden had been fighting in the months before the shooting, that Hayden was a drug addict and dealer, and that Mills had come to Maine from Hayden’s hometown of New Bedford, Mass., to help mediate.
But Hayden accused Mills of having an affair with Sandora and used a .45-caliber pistol to shoot him four times, sending him through the glass door of the house, according to the charge. He then shot Sandora twice.
Hayden was arrested that night after a high-speed chase with police that ended when he wrecked Mills’ car in Lyman and broke his back, according to Macomber.
One of Hayden’s attorneys, Sarah Churchill, said in her opening statement that Hayden is presumed innocent and that the state does not have enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Hayden committed the crimes.
“The evidence you will hear here throughout this trial will lead you to believe that the state’s unable to meet that burden,” Churchill said.
She said the gun that was used in the shootings was never recovered, and tests on a bullet and shell casing recovered from the crime scene tested negative for Hayden’s DNA.
Churchill also said that police who arrived at the house didn’t check on the shooting victims until long after they had been shot. She said the victims were brought to the hospital more than an hour after the shooting had been reported.
“The law enforcement officers who arrived at the scene will tell you it was chaotic. They didn’t quite know what was going on here,” she said. “You will have to rely on testimony of a 7-year-old boy. You will have to decide if his memory is credible.”
The first witness called in the case was a Maine State Police dispatcher, Marcia Gilpatrick, who received the first 911 call from 322 Bennett Road.
“It was a female, and she was a little panicked,” Gilpatrick said.
A prosecutor played a recording of the 911 call, in which a woman said, “My boyfriend just shot me. He shot his buddy too. I have four kids.”
The woman can then be heard yelling at someone else before the call ends abruptly.
The first person to arrive at the scene of the shooting was the Rev. Leslie Foley, who lived across the street.
On the witness stand, Foley said she heard the first round of gunfire, but dismissed it as hunters.
She then heard more gunfire as she went to her car to retrieve her cell phone.
“I heard a young voice saying, ‘Don’t shoot.’ I heard a couple more rounds of gunfire, and I heard a voice saying, ‘Don’t leave,’” Foley said.
She said she then saw a dark-colored car “peel out” from the gravel driveway of 322 Bennett Road and “race by.”
Sandora was still alive at that point, with “her body working hard to take in air and expel air,” Foley said.
Foley helped gather the children and spoke to the first police officer who arrived. The officer told them to gather in the basement of her home for safety, she testified.
Two state police troopers, Nathaniel Jamo and Douglas Cropper, testified about arriving at the scene of the shooting, their differing priorities and how they removed Sandora from the driveway and Mills from the doorway, both of them still alive.
Testimony is expected Tuesday from police about the high-speed chase that led to Hayden’s arrest, and from a doctor regarding the autopsies on the victims.
The dad is identified as JOEL HAYDEN.
http://www.kjonline.com/news/New-Gloucester-murder-trial-begins-today.html
Posted: January 7
Updated: Today at 1:22 AM
Defendant's child: 'He shot my mom'
The oldest of victim Renee Sandora’s four children testifies about the 2011 killings he witnessed in New Gloucester.
By Scott Dolan sdolan@mainetoday.com Staff Writer
PORTLAND — The 8-year-old son of Joel Hayden testified on the opening day of his father’s murder trial Monday that he saw his father walk out of the family’s home in New Gloucester and shoot his mother as the child looked on in shock.
Assistant Attorney General Donald Macomber holds a bag of spent shell casings found at the scene of the crime as he presents his opening arguments in the Joel Hayden double murder trial in Cumberland County Superior Court in Portland on Monday.
Hayden, 31, is on trial in Cumberland County Unified Criminal Court on two counts of murder, in the fatal shootings of Renee Sandora, the mother of his four children, and his longtime friend Trevor Mills on July 25, 2011.
Hayden’s oldest son, who was 7 at the time of the shootings, testified under questioning from Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese that he saw Mills, whom he referred to by the nickname Tre, “go through the glass” of the door of the house.
The boy, now a third-grader, said his father was in the house while his mother stood in the driveway and he watched from the grassy area beside the driveway at their home at 322 Bennett Road.
Marchese asked the boy what his father did after Mills went through the glass door.
“He went outside and he shot my mom,” the boy said.
Marchese asked the boy what he did when he saw his father shoot his mother.
“I was doing nothing. I was shocked,” the boy said. “I was shocked when I saw him do that.”
The boy said that during the shooting, his younger brother and twin baby sisters were strapped into car seats in the back of a sedan parked in the driveway.
After the boy finished testifying, as he left the courtroom, Hayden, seated between his lawyers, called out to the boy by name, saying, “Daddy loves you.”
The jury trial began before Justice Nancy Mills on Monday morning with opening statements, then went immediately into witness testimony.
Assistant Attorney General Donald Macomber said in his opening statement that the jury would hear testimony that Hayden was a drug addict prone to jealousy when he shot his friend Mills, 28, and his estranged girlfriend, Sandora, who was 27.
Macomber said that Sandora and Hayden had been fighting in the months before the shooting, that Hayden was a drug addict and dealer, and that Mills had come to Maine from Hayden’s hometown of New Bedford, Mass., to help mediate.
But Hayden accused Mills of having an affair with Sandora and used a .45-caliber pistol to shoot him four times, sending him through the glass door of the house, according to the charge. He then shot Sandora twice.
Hayden was arrested that night after a high-speed chase with police that ended when he wrecked Mills’ car in Lyman and broke his back, according to Macomber.
One of Hayden’s attorneys, Sarah Churchill, said in her opening statement that Hayden is presumed innocent and that the state does not have enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Hayden committed the crimes.
“The evidence you will hear here throughout this trial will lead you to believe that the state’s unable to meet that burden,” Churchill said.
She said the gun that was used in the shootings was never recovered, and tests on a bullet and shell casing recovered from the crime scene tested negative for Hayden’s DNA.
Churchill also said that police who arrived at the house didn’t check on the shooting victims until long after they had been shot. She said the victims were brought to the hospital more than an hour after the shooting had been reported.
“The law enforcement officers who arrived at the scene will tell you it was chaotic. They didn’t quite know what was going on here,” she said. “You will have to rely on testimony of a 7-year-old boy. You will have to decide if his memory is credible.”
The first witness called in the case was a Maine State Police dispatcher, Marcia Gilpatrick, who received the first 911 call from 322 Bennett Road.
“It was a female, and she was a little panicked,” Gilpatrick said.
A prosecutor played a recording of the 911 call, in which a woman said, “My boyfriend just shot me. He shot his buddy too. I have four kids.”
The woman can then be heard yelling at someone else before the call ends abruptly.
The first person to arrive at the scene of the shooting was the Rev. Leslie Foley, who lived across the street.
On the witness stand, Foley said she heard the first round of gunfire, but dismissed it as hunters.
She then heard more gunfire as she went to her car to retrieve her cell phone.
“I heard a young voice saying, ‘Don’t shoot.’ I heard a couple more rounds of gunfire, and I heard a voice saying, ‘Don’t leave,’” Foley said.
She said she then saw a dark-colored car “peel out” from the gravel driveway of 322 Bennett Road and “race by.”
Sandora was still alive at that point, with “her body working hard to take in air and expel air,” Foley said.
Foley helped gather the children and spoke to the first police officer who arrived. The officer told them to gather in the basement of her home for safety, she testified.
Two state police troopers, Nathaniel Jamo and Douglas Cropper, testified about arriving at the scene of the shooting, their differing priorities and how they removed Sandora from the driveway and Mills from the doorway, both of them still alive.
Testimony is expected Tuesday from police about the high-speed chase that led to Hayden’s arrest, and from a doctor regarding the autopsies on the victims.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Dad charged with killing 3-month-old son (Bangor, Maine)
Dad is identified as DUSTIN BROWN.
http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article/226595/2/Maine-father-charged-in-babys-death
Maine father charged in baby's death
10:59 PM, Jan 2, 2013
BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER)-- Bangor Police have arrested 18-year old Dustin Brown on charges that he killed his three month old son.
The baby, Xander Brown, died November 25th at Eastern Maine Medical Center after Bangor Police responded to a call that the baby was not breathing. In Maine, it is mandatory to perform an autopsy on any child who dies under the age of three.
Lieutenant Timothy Reid with Bangor's Criminal Investigation Division said, "The autopsy was completed the next day. It was obvious that the trauma was inflicted and the investigation ensued at that point."
The Medical Examiner found the cause of death to be inflicted trauma. According to Lieutenant Reid, Xander suffered those traumatic injuries to his head.
Lieutenant Reid said eyewitness testimony helped police figure out who was responsible, "There were several people in the house at the time of the incident and through the investigation it was determined that Dustin was responsible."
Brown is being held at Penobscot County Jail. He will be arraigned Thursday afternoon. If convicted he could face up to 40 years in prison.
This marks the fifth homicide case in Bangor for 2012. There were seven victims in those five cases.
http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article/226595/2/Maine-father-charged-in-babys-death
Maine father charged in baby's death
10:59 PM, Jan 2, 2013
BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER)-- Bangor Police have arrested 18-year old Dustin Brown on charges that he killed his three month old son.
The baby, Xander Brown, died November 25th at Eastern Maine Medical Center after Bangor Police responded to a call that the baby was not breathing. In Maine, it is mandatory to perform an autopsy on any child who dies under the age of three.
Lieutenant Timothy Reid with Bangor's Criminal Investigation Division said, "The autopsy was completed the next day. It was obvious that the trauma was inflicted and the investigation ensued at that point."
The Medical Examiner found the cause of death to be inflicted trauma. According to Lieutenant Reid, Xander suffered those traumatic injuries to his head.
Lieutenant Reid said eyewitness testimony helped police figure out who was responsible, "There were several people in the house at the time of the incident and through the investigation it was determined that Dustin was responsible."
Brown is being held at Penobscot County Jail. He will be arraigned Thursday afternoon. If convicted he could face up to 40 years in prison.
This marks the fifth homicide case in Bangor for 2012. There were seven victims in those five cases.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Dads from different states arrested for trading child porn (Portland, Maine)
Notice that there is ZERO mention of any mothers in these homes. Were there any? Or are these two predators custodial dads?
The two fathers are identified as DANIEL COBB and DAVID MUISE.
http://bangordailynews.com/2012/11/24/news/portland/south-carolina-father-arrested-for-sharing-child-pornography-with-portland-dad/?ref=polbeat
South Carolina father arrested, accused of sharing child pornography with Portland dad
By Judy Harrison, BDN Staff
Posted Nov. 24, 2012, at 12:58 p.m.
Last modified Nov. 25, 2012, at 12:03 p.m.
PORTLAND, Maine — A South Carolina man has been charged in U.S. District Court with sending child pornography to a local man.
Daniel Cobb, 37, of Rock Hill, S.C., was arrested Nov. 15 and charged with transportation of child pornography, according to documents filed Friday in federal court in Portland.
Rock Hill is located about 70 miles north of Columbia, the state capital.
A federal judge in Columbia, S.C., ordered that Cobb be held without bail. His initial appearance in Maine has not been set. It could not be determined Saturday if he has been transported to Maine or not.
Cobb allegedly traded child pornography with David Muise, 26, of Portland who was arrested Oct. 12 at his home, which he shared with his daughter and son, both under the age of 5.
Cobb’s children both are under the age of 10, according to court documents.
Muise is facing the more serious charge of sexual exploitation of a child.
The men came to the attention of investigators in September after the Portland man allegedly sent a photo of his genitalia over a clothed child sleeping on her stomach to a Canadian girlfriend in Langley, British Columbia. The woman contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who alerted American authorities.
Muise, who is being held without bail, admitted that he had shared child pornography with others, including a person using the email address doyawill@yahoo.com. Investigators traced that email address to Cobb, according to court documents.
An examination of Muise’s computer indicated that he and Cobb made “extensive sexual comments about each other’s daughters” in online chats. The two fathers appeared “to be sharing sexually explicit photos and videos” of the victims and also [to be] actively molesting them for each other via web cameras,” the affidavit filed in support a warrant to arrest Cobb said.
If convicted, Cobb faces a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison and a maximum of 20. Muise faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of $250,000.
The two fathers are identified as DANIEL COBB and DAVID MUISE.
http://bangordailynews.com/2012/11/24/news/portland/south-carolina-father-arrested-for-sharing-child-pornography-with-portland-dad/?ref=polbeat
South Carolina father arrested, accused of sharing child pornography with Portland dad
By Judy Harrison, BDN Staff
Posted Nov. 24, 2012, at 12:58 p.m.
Last modified Nov. 25, 2012, at 12:03 p.m.
PORTLAND, Maine — A South Carolina man has been charged in U.S. District Court with sending child pornography to a local man.
Daniel Cobb, 37, of Rock Hill, S.C., was arrested Nov. 15 and charged with transportation of child pornography, according to documents filed Friday in federal court in Portland.
Rock Hill is located about 70 miles north of Columbia, the state capital.
A federal judge in Columbia, S.C., ordered that Cobb be held without bail. His initial appearance in Maine has not been set. It could not be determined Saturday if he has been transported to Maine or not.
Cobb allegedly traded child pornography with David Muise, 26, of Portland who was arrested Oct. 12 at his home, which he shared with his daughter and son, both under the age of 5.
Cobb’s children both are under the age of 10, according to court documents.
Muise is facing the more serious charge of sexual exploitation of a child.
The men came to the attention of investigators in September after the Portland man allegedly sent a photo of his genitalia over a clothed child sleeping on her stomach to a Canadian girlfriend in Langley, British Columbia. The woman contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who alerted American authorities.
Muise, who is being held without bail, admitted that he had shared child pornography with others, including a person using the email address doyawill@yahoo.com. Investigators traced that email address to Cobb, according to court documents.
An examination of Muise’s computer indicated that he and Cobb made “extensive sexual comments about each other’s daughters” in online chats. The two fathers appeared “to be sharing sexually explicit photos and videos” of the victims and also [to be] actively molesting them for each other via web cameras,” the affidavit filed in support a warrant to arrest Cobb said.
If convicted, Cobb faces a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison and a maximum of 20. Muise faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of $250,000.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Custodial dad with three daughters arrested for child pornography (Portland, Maine)
Once again, we dance around the major issue here. Why did dad JOEL DUDLEY have custody of three young girls between the ages of 3 and 8, and who gave him custody? What happened to the mother of these girls? Why has she been erased from the story?
Sounds like a lot of cover up here.
http://bangordailynews.com/2012/08/22/news/portland/westbrook-father-of-three-girls-charged-for-possessing-child-pornography/?ref=latest
Westbrook father of three girls charged for possessing child pornography
By Dylan Martin, Special to the BDN Posted Aug. 22, 2012, at 4:12 p.m.
PORTLAND, Maine — A Westbrook man was charged with possession of child pornography Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland after a special agent with the Department of Homeland Security discovered him downloading and sharing videos using file-sharing software, according to court documents.
Joel Dudley, 28, said after he was arrested on Monday that he had downloaded an estimated 500 to 600 videos of child pornography “out of curiosity,” according to an affidavit supporting a criminal complaint filed with the court. The Westbrook man said he would delete the videos after viewing them, and he periodically erased his storage drive using “Department of Defense-grade” wiping software, the document said.
Dudley is the father of three girls between the ages of 3 and 8, who were in his custody, according to an application for a search and seizure warrant of the Westbrook man’s apartment.
Investigators frequently inform the Department of Health and Human Services when children live with an individual charged with possession of pornography, according to Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine State Police. Whether the children have been removed from Dudley’s home could not be determined due to privacy laws that seal DHHS cases concerning children from the public.
Homeland Security agent Martin Conley found that Dudley allegedly downloaded three videos of child pornography between May 8 and July 4 using a file-sharing computer program called Ares. One of the videos showed an 8-year-old girl being sexual molested by a woman in her 20s, and the two others portrayed preteen girls engaging in sexual acts, according to court documents.
During the investigation, Saco police Detective Fred Williams reportedly found videos on a DVD of children engaging in sexual acts. The DVD was located on a desk in the office next to Dudley’s bedroom, according to the criminal complaint.
Conley was able to track Dudley using a modified version of the peer-to-peer software that allowed the agent to see an individual computer downloading the videos, according to the application for a search warrant. A grand jury subpoena was submitted to Dudley’s Internet service provider, which confirmed he was one of its users.
The Westbrook man said he ran a computer salvage and repair business called D & W Services out of his apartment — and sometimes from an office in Gray — which accounts for the large amount of computer equipment found on the premises by investigators, according to the complaint. Dudley said that “several other individuals had access to the entire apartment and the computer equipment inside the apartment.”
U.S. Magistrate Judge John Rich III on Tuesday ordered that Dudley temporarily be held without bail. The defendant is scheduled to appear in federal court in Portland on Aug. 27 for a bail hearing.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has asked that Dudley be held without bail pending the outcome of his case. If convicted, Dudley faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Sounds like a lot of cover up here.
http://bangordailynews.com/2012/08/22/news/portland/westbrook-father-of-three-girls-charged-for-possessing-child-pornography/?ref=latest
Westbrook father of three girls charged for possessing child pornography
By Dylan Martin, Special to the BDN Posted Aug. 22, 2012, at 4:12 p.m.
PORTLAND, Maine — A Westbrook man was charged with possession of child pornography Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland after a special agent with the Department of Homeland Security discovered him downloading and sharing videos using file-sharing software, according to court documents.
Joel Dudley, 28, said after he was arrested on Monday that he had downloaded an estimated 500 to 600 videos of child pornography “out of curiosity,” according to an affidavit supporting a criminal complaint filed with the court. The Westbrook man said he would delete the videos after viewing them, and he periodically erased his storage drive using “Department of Defense-grade” wiping software, the document said.
Dudley is the father of three girls between the ages of 3 and 8, who were in his custody, according to an application for a search and seizure warrant of the Westbrook man’s apartment.
Investigators frequently inform the Department of Health and Human Services when children live with an individual charged with possession of pornography, according to Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine State Police. Whether the children have been removed from Dudley’s home could not be determined due to privacy laws that seal DHHS cases concerning children from the public.
Homeland Security agent Martin Conley found that Dudley allegedly downloaded three videos of child pornography between May 8 and July 4 using a file-sharing computer program called Ares. One of the videos showed an 8-year-old girl being sexual molested by a woman in her 20s, and the two others portrayed preteen girls engaging in sexual acts, according to court documents.
During the investigation, Saco police Detective Fred Williams reportedly found videos on a DVD of children engaging in sexual acts. The DVD was located on a desk in the office next to Dudley’s bedroom, according to the criminal complaint.
Conley was able to track Dudley using a modified version of the peer-to-peer software that allowed the agent to see an individual computer downloading the videos, according to the application for a search warrant. A grand jury subpoena was submitted to Dudley’s Internet service provider, which confirmed he was one of its users.
The Westbrook man said he ran a computer salvage and repair business called D & W Services out of his apartment — and sometimes from an office in Gray — which accounts for the large amount of computer equipment found on the premises by investigators, according to the complaint. Dudley said that “several other individuals had access to the entire apartment and the computer equipment inside the apartment.”
U.S. Magistrate Judge John Rich III on Tuesday ordered that Dudley temporarily be held without bail. The defendant is scheduled to appear in federal court in Portland on Aug. 27 for a bail hearing.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has asked that Dudley be held without bail pending the outcome of his case. If convicted, Dudley faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Dad may have charges upgraded to homicide with death of infant son (Arundel, Maine)
With the death of the infant son, charges against dad GORDON COLLINS-FAUNCE will probably be upgraded to homicide.
Rest in peace, little one.
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120508-NEWS-120509792
Arundel infant dies; father charged with assault
By Laura Dolce
May 08, 2012 8:42 AM
ARUNDEL — A 2 ½ month old boy police said was assaulted by his father died early this morning at Maine Medical Center, police said.
Maine State Police said Ethan Henderson died shortly after midnight after being taken off life support.
The infant's father, Gordon Collins-Faunce, 23, had been charged with aggravated assault of a child under the age of 6 on Sunday evening.
Police say the death is now considered a homicide and charges are likely to be upgraded. The Maine Attorney General's Office is expected to make that decision later Tuesday.
The baby was first brought to Maine Medical Center on Saturday morning after he was found unresponsive by family members at his home at 521 Limerick Road.
State Police said a team of five detectives worked during the weekend investigating the assault.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services removed two other children from the house on Saturday, including Henderson's twin brother, police said.
Henderson lives with Collins-Faunce, and his mother, Christina Henderson, 23.
Henderson was first transported to Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford then transferred to the Portland hospital.
Collins-Faunce was taken to the York County Jail and had his first court appearance yesterday.
He entered no plea and was held on $100,000 bond.
Rest in peace, little one.
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120508-NEWS-120509792
Arundel infant dies; father charged with assault
By Laura Dolce
May 08, 2012 8:42 AM
ARUNDEL — A 2 ½ month old boy police said was assaulted by his father died early this morning at Maine Medical Center, police said.
Maine State Police said Ethan Henderson died shortly after midnight after being taken off life support.
The infant's father, Gordon Collins-Faunce, 23, had been charged with aggravated assault of a child under the age of 6 on Sunday evening.
Police say the death is now considered a homicide and charges are likely to be upgraded. The Maine Attorney General's Office is expected to make that decision later Tuesday.
The baby was first brought to Maine Medical Center on Saturday morning after he was found unresponsive by family members at his home at 521 Limerick Road.
State Police said a team of five detectives worked during the weekend investigating the assault.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services removed two other children from the house on Saturday, including Henderson's twin brother, police said.
Henderson lives with Collins-Faunce, and his mother, Christina Henderson, 23.
Henderson was first transported to Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford then transferred to the Portland hospital.
Collins-Faunce was taken to the York County Jail and had his first court appearance yesterday.
He entered no plea and was held on $100,000 bond.
Dad charged with aggravated assault of infant son; baby in grave condition (Arundel, Maine)
Dad GORDON COLLINS-FAUNCE is charged with aggravated assault. Though the mother is not charged with any criminal wrong doing, she has lost custody of her other kids to CPS.
http://bangordailynews.com/2012/05/07/news/portland/infant-boy-in-grave-condition-after-alleged-assault-by-father/?ref=mostReadBoxNews
Infant boy in grave condition after assault by father, police say
By Ryan McLaughlin, BDN Staff
Posted May 07, 2012, at 10:00 a.m.
Last modified May 07, 2012, at 6:06 p.m.
ARUNDEL, Maine — A York County man has been charged after his infant son was found unconscious at his home on Saturday, according to police.
Gordon Collins-Faunce, 23, of Arundel was charged with aggravated assault of a child under the age of 6 after he allegedly seriously injured the boy, according to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland.
Collins-Faunce is being held on a $100,000 bond after a court appearance Monday. He entered no plea. It was unclear if he had retained a lawyer.
The boy, Ethan Henderson, who is 2½ months old, is in grave condition at Maine Medical Center in Portland with head injuries, according to McCausland.
Henderson, who lives with Collins-Faunce and his mother, Christina Henderson, 23, was found unresponsive at his Limerick Road home by other family members, McCausland said. He initially was taken to Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford before being transferred to Portland.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services removed two other children from the house, McCausland said, including the boy’s twin brother.
http://bangordailynews.com/2012/05/07/news/portland/infant-boy-in-grave-condition-after-alleged-assault-by-father/?ref=mostReadBoxNews
Infant boy in grave condition after assault by father, police say
By Ryan McLaughlin, BDN Staff
Posted May 07, 2012, at 10:00 a.m.
Last modified May 07, 2012, at 6:06 p.m.
ARUNDEL, Maine — A York County man has been charged after his infant son was found unconscious at his home on Saturday, according to police.
Gordon Collins-Faunce, 23, of Arundel was charged with aggravated assault of a child under the age of 6 after he allegedly seriously injured the boy, according to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland.
Collins-Faunce is being held on a $100,000 bond after a court appearance Monday. He entered no plea. It was unclear if he had retained a lawyer.
The boy, Ethan Henderson, who is 2½ months old, is in grave condition at Maine Medical Center in Portland with head injuries, according to McCausland.
Henderson, who lives with Collins-Faunce and his mother, Christina Henderson, 23, was found unresponsive at his Limerick Road home by other family members, McCausland said. He initially was taken to Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford before being transferred to Portland.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services removed two other children from the house, McCausland said, including the boy’s twin brother.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Dad who sexually assaulted daughter for 8 years gets probation (Lewiston, Maine)
Outrageous. But typical of the kid-glove treatment these dudes get. Dad is identified as DONALD LAGRANGE.
http://www.kjonline.com/news/Ex-Lewiston-firefighter-gets-probation-for-assault-.html
Ex-Lewiston firefighter who assaulted daughter gets probation
The Associated Press
AUBURN — A former Lewiston firefighter who pleaded guilty to assaulting his daughter over a period of years when she was a child has avoided any time behind bars.
Donald Lagrange was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison, but the entire sentence will be spent on probation. He was also barred from having contact with his now 26-year-old daughter or her family, any girl under the age of 18, and ordered to undergo treatment.
The 55-year-old Lagrange pleaded guilty last week to 20 counts of misdemeanor assault. Three counts of gross sexual assault were dropped.
The Sun Journal reports that Lagrange denied harming his daughter. His lawyer says his client pleaded guilty to avoid a "harrowing" trial.
His daughter said her father sexually assaulted her from age 8 to 16.
AUBURN — A former Lewiston firefighter who pleaded guilty to assaulting his daughter over a period of years when she was a child has avoided any time behind bars.
Donald Lagrange was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison, but the entire sentence will be spent on probation. He was also barred from having contact with his now 26-year-old daughter or her family, any girl under the age of 18, and ordered to undergo treatment.
The 55-year-old Lagrange pleaded guilty last week to 20 counts of misdemeanor assault. Three counts of gross sexual assault were dropped.
The Sun Journal reports that Lagrange denied harming his daughter. His lawyer says his client pleaded guilty to avoid a "harrowing" trial.
His daughter said her father sexually assaulted her from age 8 to 16.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Law would require domestic-violence assessment after arrest (Lewiston, Maine)
Here at Dastardly, we have often called attention to the problem of batterers being out on bail, and how this leaves mothers and children vulnerable to further violent retaliation.
http://www.policeone.com/legal/articles/5270228-Maine-law-would-require-domestic-violence-assessment-after-arrest/
Maine law would require domestic-violence assessment after arrest
Officers would report results at defendant bail hearing
By Bridget O'Rourke
Sun Journal (Opinion/Editorial)
LEWISTON, Maine — Victims of domestic violence may not be safe after an arrest is made.
Last summer in Dexter, a kindergarten teacher and her two children were murdered by her husband. At the time he was at liberty awaiting trial on domestic-violence-related charges. In the wake of this tragedy, legislators are considering how Maine's archaic bail system can be improved to increase safety for victims.
The problem of domestic abuse is not unique to Maine. Year after year, all across the country, the headlines are full of heartbreaking news about family violence.
Domestic violence is a serious and costly problem that hurts us all. Roughly half of the state's homicides each year are lethal incidents of domestic violence. In addition, more than 5,000 domestic assaults are reported to law enforcement agencies in Maine each year, which equates to about one assault report every 102 minutes.
Victims of domestic violence are predominantly female and come from all walks of life. Children exposed to domestic violence are particularly vulnerable. These children are more likely to experience developmental delays, learning and behavior problems and other adverse emotional, psychological and physical issues. Chronic exposure to domestic abuse has been shown to cause changes in the brain development of young children.
When a child's lifelong potential is diminished, it hurts us all. It may also contribute to the need for greater public expenditures for education, health care, law enforcement and court services.
A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The bail process exists to protect that important presumption. Bail is set to assure a defendant appears in court, but the safety of victims and the community are also supposed to be protected in the process. However, to do this, adequate relevant information must be available regarding the risk an individual poses.
As the deaths of Amy, Coty and Monica Lake tragically illustrated, victims of domestic violence may not be safe after an arrest has been made. Indeed, the time between an arrest and a trial can be particularly dangerous because domestic violence tends to escalate when a perpetrator feels he is losing control.
During this session, state legislators have the opportunity to increase safety for victims of domestic violence and their children by making some long overdue changes in the bail system. The proposed changes include having judges, rather than bail commissioners, decide bail in cases of domestic violence, and having the defendant's criminal history available for consideration.
In addition, and perhaps most importantly, LD 1711 is a bill that would require law enforcement officers to administer a standardized domestic-violence risk assessment at the time of arrest and to report the results when the defendant's bail is being considered.
This kind of specialized risk assessment would provide meaningful information about risk that should be considered when bail is being addressed.
Since domestic violence is an under-reported crime, the results of a domestic violence risk assessment may be more pertinent than a defendant's criminal history.
Under LD 1711, members of the Maine Commission on Sexual and Domestic Abuse would decide which risk assessment tool will be used. One measure they may consider is the Ontario Domestic Abuse Risk Assessment. This 13-question, yes-no risk scale was developed specifically for use by law enforcement officers in the field to determine a defendant's likelihood of re-offending against his current alleged victim.
The ODARA is a brief, practical, cost-effective and reliable tool to flag cases where heightened safeguards are warranted.
The deaths of Amy Lake and her children were preventable. We must not let their deaths be in vain.
Proposed changes to the bail system will offer better protection for families threatened by domestic violence. In particular, I urge legislators to support LD 1711, an act to mandate the use of standardized domestic-violence risk assessments in the management of domestic violence crimes.
Bridget O'Rourke is a licensed attorney and a guardian ad litem who practices in central Maine. She handles many cases involving families with children who have experienced domestic abuse. She lives in Wayne.
http://www.policeone.com/legal/articles/5270228-Maine-law-would-require-domestic-violence-assessment-after-arrest/
Maine law would require domestic-violence assessment after arrest
Officers would report results at defendant bail hearing
By Bridget O'Rourke
Sun Journal (Opinion/Editorial)
LEWISTON, Maine — Victims of domestic violence may not be safe after an arrest is made.
Last summer in Dexter, a kindergarten teacher and her two children were murdered by her husband. At the time he was at liberty awaiting trial on domestic-violence-related charges. In the wake of this tragedy, legislators are considering how Maine's archaic bail system can be improved to increase safety for victims.
The problem of domestic abuse is not unique to Maine. Year after year, all across the country, the headlines are full of heartbreaking news about family violence.
Domestic violence is a serious and costly problem that hurts us all. Roughly half of the state's homicides each year are lethal incidents of domestic violence. In addition, more than 5,000 domestic assaults are reported to law enforcement agencies in Maine each year, which equates to about one assault report every 102 minutes.
Victims of domestic violence are predominantly female and come from all walks of life. Children exposed to domestic violence are particularly vulnerable. These children are more likely to experience developmental delays, learning and behavior problems and other adverse emotional, psychological and physical issues. Chronic exposure to domestic abuse has been shown to cause changes in the brain development of young children.
When a child's lifelong potential is diminished, it hurts us all. It may also contribute to the need for greater public expenditures for education, health care, law enforcement and court services.
A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The bail process exists to protect that important presumption. Bail is set to assure a defendant appears in court, but the safety of victims and the community are also supposed to be protected in the process. However, to do this, adequate relevant information must be available regarding the risk an individual poses.
As the deaths of Amy, Coty and Monica Lake tragically illustrated, victims of domestic violence may not be safe after an arrest has been made. Indeed, the time between an arrest and a trial can be particularly dangerous because domestic violence tends to escalate when a perpetrator feels he is losing control.
During this session, state legislators have the opportunity to increase safety for victims of domestic violence and their children by making some long overdue changes in the bail system. The proposed changes include having judges, rather than bail commissioners, decide bail in cases of domestic violence, and having the defendant's criminal history available for consideration.
In addition, and perhaps most importantly, LD 1711 is a bill that would require law enforcement officers to administer a standardized domestic-violence risk assessment at the time of arrest and to report the results when the defendant's bail is being considered.
This kind of specialized risk assessment would provide meaningful information about risk that should be considered when bail is being addressed.
Since domestic violence is an under-reported crime, the results of a domestic violence risk assessment may be more pertinent than a defendant's criminal history.
Under LD 1711, members of the Maine Commission on Sexual and Domestic Abuse would decide which risk assessment tool will be used. One measure they may consider is the Ontario Domestic Abuse Risk Assessment. This 13-question, yes-no risk scale was developed specifically for use by law enforcement officers in the field to determine a defendant's likelihood of re-offending against his current alleged victim.
The ODARA is a brief, practical, cost-effective and reliable tool to flag cases where heightened safeguards are warranted.
The deaths of Amy Lake and her children were preventable. We must not let their deaths be in vain.
Proposed changes to the bail system will offer better protection for families threatened by domestic violence. In particular, I urge legislators to support LD 1711, an act to mandate the use of standardized domestic-violence risk assessments in the management of domestic violence crimes.
Bridget O'Rourke is a licensed attorney and a guardian ad litem who practices in central Maine. She handles many cases involving families with children who have experienced domestic abuse. She lives in Wayne.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Dad admits guilt in assault involving 4-month-old daughter (Augusta, Maine)
Dad is identified as ROBERT M. PHILLIPS.
http://www.kjonline.com/news/father-admits-guilt-in-assault-involving-his-crying-daughter_2012-02-28.html
Father admits guilt in assault involving his crying daughter
By Betty Adams Staff Writer
AUGUSTA -- A father on Tuesday admitted he shoved his 4-month-old daughter's head into a cushion to stop her from crying last November.
That blow left swelling and some bruising, as well as an outline of fingermarks, on the infant's forehead.
Robert M. Phillips, 37, of Waterville, pleaded guilty in Kennebec County Superior Court to a charge of aggravated assault on his daughter, Chloe.
Phillips was sentenced to seven years in prison, with all but 18 months suspended, and three years of probation. Conditions of probation prohibit him from unsupervised contact with children under 12.
The baby, now 7 months old, is being watched closely for any long-term effects as a result of the assault, attorneys told Justice Nancy Mills.
The prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Brad Grant, told the judge that Chloe, who has a twin sister, had awakened the night of Nov. 12, and Phillips took the crying baby downstairs.
Grand said Phillips placed the baby on a cushion on a small couch or love seat, turned her on her stomach and twice pushed her head into the cushion, which had a wooden board underneath.
"Ultimately the child fell asleep," Grant said.
Chloe's mother, Brittney Young, saw the swelling and brought the baby to a local hospital and the child was later transferred to Maine Medical Center in Portland. She was released after several days, and Grant so far there are no evident long-term problems as a result of the injury.
"There is some concern the development of the child may be delayed some," he said.
Initially, Phillips told Waterville Police Detective Chris Paradis that Chloe fell from a couch. "It's clear no one believed that at all," Grant said.
Shortly afterward, Phillips confessed.
Phillips, who has been jailed since his arrest on Nov. 14, told the judge on Tuesday he had nothing to say.
However, his attorney, Pam Ames said, "He understands he will have a long row to hoe if he's ever going to have contact with his children."
Ames said the state Department of Health & Human Services had become involved in the case and placed both girls with their maternal grandmother.
"Everyone is watching this child," Ames said.
Mills added conditions of probation that require Phillips to accept any pending or final orders of the Department of Health & Human Services and to undergo parenting classes to the satisfaction of his probation officer. He is banned from contact with his daughter unless his probation officer agrees to it.
Grant said the baby's mother agreed with the sentence.
"The mother feels like a substantial jail sentence is necessary," Grant said.
http://www.kjonline.com/news/father-admits-guilt-in-assault-involving-his-crying-daughter_2012-02-28.html
Father admits guilt in assault involving his crying daughter
By Betty Adams Staff Writer
AUGUSTA -- A father on Tuesday admitted he shoved his 4-month-old daughter's head into a cushion to stop her from crying last November.
That blow left swelling and some bruising, as well as an outline of fingermarks, on the infant's forehead.
Robert M. Phillips, 37, of Waterville, pleaded guilty in Kennebec County Superior Court to a charge of aggravated assault on his daughter, Chloe.
Phillips was sentenced to seven years in prison, with all but 18 months suspended, and three years of probation. Conditions of probation prohibit him from unsupervised contact with children under 12.
The baby, now 7 months old, is being watched closely for any long-term effects as a result of the assault, attorneys told Justice Nancy Mills.
The prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Brad Grant, told the judge that Chloe, who has a twin sister, had awakened the night of Nov. 12, and Phillips took the crying baby downstairs.
Grand said Phillips placed the baby on a cushion on a small couch or love seat, turned her on her stomach and twice pushed her head into the cushion, which had a wooden board underneath.
"Ultimately the child fell asleep," Grant said.
Chloe's mother, Brittney Young, saw the swelling and brought the baby to a local hospital and the child was later transferred to Maine Medical Center in Portland. She was released after several days, and Grant so far there are no evident long-term problems as a result of the injury.
"There is some concern the development of the child may be delayed some," he said.
Initially, Phillips told Waterville Police Detective Chris Paradis that Chloe fell from a couch. "It's clear no one believed that at all," Grant said.
Shortly afterward, Phillips confessed.
Phillips, who has been jailed since his arrest on Nov. 14, told the judge on Tuesday he had nothing to say.
However, his attorney, Pam Ames said, "He understands he will have a long row to hoe if he's ever going to have contact with his children."
Ames said the state Department of Health & Human Services had become involved in the case and placed both girls with their maternal grandmother.
"Everyone is watching this child," Ames said.
Mills added conditions of probation that require Phillips to accept any pending or final orders of the Department of Health & Human Services and to undergo parenting classes to the satisfaction of his probation officer. He is banned from contact with his daughter unless his probation officer agrees to it.
Grant said the baby's mother agreed with the sentence.
"The mother feels like a substantial jail sentence is necessary," Grant said.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Bail for batterers under review after dad murders two kids, mom (Maine)
Dad STEVEN LAKE murdered his two kids and their mother last summer. He had previously threatened them, but got out of jail on $2,000 bond. Not holding my breath that daddy coddling in the state of Maine is actually going to stop though.
http://bangordailynews.com/2011/12/26/news/state/dexter-tragedy-brings-bipartisan-focus-to-domestic-violence-bail-decisions/?ref=latest
Shooting of Dexter family brings bipartisan focus to domestic violence bail decisions
By John Christie
Posted Dec. 26, 2011, at 2:08 p.m.
Last modified Dec. 27, 2011, at 9:08 a.m.
MORE ARTICLES IN MAINE'S BAIL SYSTEM:
Report: People need almost no legal training to set bail
•Officials may set bond amounts without full criminal history
•Maine’s bail system: best state can afford or a threat to due process?
•Maine’s bail system: will it be improved?
•‘Broken’ bail system freed man who went on to murder family
•Shooting of Dexter family brings bipartisan focus to domestic violence bail decisions
The deaths of Amy, Monica and Coty Lake at the hands of husband and father Steven Lake may be the tragedy that brings major reform to how the criminal justice system handles dangerous domestic violence cases.
The June 13 triple murder-suicide is becoming a rallying point for changes in the system from an unofficial coalition of domestic violence groups, leading Republicans and Democrats and the state’s top judge and public safety official.
“Change will occur,” said Brian Gagan. “I can guarantee you that.”
Gagan was part of a four-man team of former police officers — now academics and consultants — who recently released a “domestic violence psychological autopsy” of the Dexter incident.
The team interviewed 69 people this year to discover the systemic causes behind the murders. It cites multiple failures by police, prosecutors, the courts, bail commissioners and the Legislature.
Among the failures: bail commissioners set “ridiculously low” bail of $2,000 twice after Lake was picked up for threatening and stalking his wife. In both cases, he was bailed out by his father in a matter of hours.
Although this was the most damning report yet on the pretrial criminal justice system, it is not the first time problems have been raised by experts — and then mostly ignored.
But this time, the response may be different.
Those coalescing behind a change include Republican Gov. Paul LePage; his public safety commissioner, John Morris; state Rep. Emily Cain of Orono, the leading House Democrat; Chief Justice Leigh Saufley; Attorney General William Schneider; Evert Fowle, a district attorney; and advocates with social service and law enforcement backgrounds.
“It takes a long time and sometimes a horrible tragedy for people to put this together,” said Julia Colpitts, executive director of the Maine Coalition To End Domestic Violence and vice chairwoman of the Maine Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse.
One of the focal points of legislative changes will be the way the state sets bail for defendants accused of domestic violence.
Except in murder cases, bail is not set by a judge. It is set by one of the state’s 115 bail commissioners. There are no job requirements to be hired; bail commissioners get one day of training a year; and they are independent contractors paid by the people they set bail for, not the courts.
This beleaguered system has been changed very little since it was established by the Legislature in 1883.
‘Orphan’ system
The bail commissioners come under the direction of the state’s judiciary and Saufley, who has been working behind the scenes to improve it with the limited funds and laws available to her.
This year she was able to reinstate a position that will help train and select bail commissioners. The Baldacci administration eliminated the job during a budget crunch; LePage and the Legislature restored it.
But generally the bail commissioner system has been “an orphan within state government,” Saufley said.
“The Legislature will have to look whether it wants to unwind this ancient system of bail commissioner,” she said, adding that she doesn’t see that happening soon because of the costs involved.
In the meantime, though, a number of changes from politically strange bedfellows are making their way towards public debate.
Gagan’s group proposes more than 50 reforms, some legislative and some procedural. Among them are nine changes to the bail system, including that in cases such as Lake’s, a District Court judge, not a bail commissioner, should set the bail.
It also recommended that in most cases in which terrorizing, assault or other violence has occurred while the defendant has been ordered to stay away from a spouse, the defendant should be jailed until a trial.
‘The training and the budget for bail commissioners has so drastically been restricted,” Gagan said, “it’s no surprise that cases have slipped through the cracks.”
Public Safety Commissioner Morris said he has been meeting with the governor, Schneider and the Maine Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse to come up with legislation for the 2012 session.
The governor’s bill is still being worked on, but Morris said it would address the bail issue.
Like Gagan’s group, LePage administration has the idea to take bail decisions in serious domestic violence cases out the hands of bail commissioners and have them handled by a judge.
“Judges have more training and they are more experienced and are able to assess the danger associated with” a defendant, Morris said.
Evert Fowle, district attorney in Kennebec and Somerset counties, has been a critic of the bail commissioner system. The Morning Sentinel has reported he too is submitting a bill to put judges, not bail commissioners, in the decision-making role in the most serious domestic violence cases.
Rep. Ken Fredette, R-Newport, a lawyer, has submitted a bill that also puts bail decisions in violent domestic cases in the hands of a judge, who could require defendants to wear an electronic monitoring device that tracks their whereabouts for authorities.
Perhaps the most far-reaching idea would provide a “risk assessment” tool that would be used by police and bail commissioners.
Using science
One such process used now in other states and Canada, the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment, calculates how likely spouses are to assault their partner again.
The 13 yes-or-no questions in the assessment cover the defendant’s history of violence, antisocial behavior, substance abuse and other factors.
Rep. Cain’s bill, which will be brought up next year, would mandate the use of a “standardized risk assessment in the management of domestic violence crimes.”
It would require law enforcement and the state Department of Corrections to set up processes to implement risk assessment statewide over the next two years.
“We need to learn from the horrible things that happened in the Dexter case,” Cain said. “We need consistency, reliability and accuracy in the bail process.”
The governor’s pending legislation will offer a similar idea.
Meanwhile, Sagadahoc Sheriff Mark Westrum, a critic of the bail commissioner system, is about to start a model program using an assessment tool in his county.
Westrum challenges the comments from some bail commissioners who say they can make a reasonable risk assessment with the information they have now because they personally know most of the people in their community.
Brian Rideout, a bail commissioner in Piscataquis County, said, “Ninety percent of these guys, I know,” but he added that sometimes he has to “pry out” of police the criminal histories of a defendant.
‘The bail commissioner may think he knows, but you never really know what a person is capable of,” Westrum said, but a system based on verifiable data will go a long way to making better decisions.
Rideout said the recent public attention on bail has created “a really touchy situation now” and noted that Judge Robert Mullen, who oversees bail commissioners, has focused more on domestic violence in the recent annual training session
The Maine Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse has been working with legislators and the governor’s office on the pending bills.
Julia Colpitts, vice chairwoman of the commission, said a central problem “is that bail commissioners don’t have enough information to make a reasoned decision in the case of someone arrested for domestic violence.”
Even in the rare cases when a bail commissioner has access to a full criminal record, she said, that is not enough to assess the risk, which is why she is among those pushing for a scientifically based assessment.
Saufley said, “We’re moving, I hope, more rapidly to a more objective risk assessment tool. Anyone can be misled by another human being. The more we step away from that and rely on the science, I think the better we will be. But it’s all nascent now.”
In the report by Gagan’s group, he and his co-authors address the political side of changing laws and attitudes about domestic violence.
They say their recommendations should be adopted “in short order … despite the roadblocks that will be attempted by a dramatic minority of decision makers, leaders and professionals who do not accurately understand the importance of preventing [domestic violence homicides].”
Colpitts’ comments, based on her years of experience on the front lines of the issue, echoed the report’s view:
Reports, she said, “don’t get things done” on their own.
“There’s been a history of inaction,” she said. “That needs to stop.”
This story is part of a continuing series called, “Maine’s Bail System: A 19th Century Holdover.” Contributing writers Emily Guerin and Mary Helen Miller provided research for this story.
The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting is a nonprofit and nonpartisan journalism organization that provides in-depth reporting as a public service to its Maine media partners. The email address is mainecenter@gmail.com. The website is pinetreewatchdog.org.
http://bangordailynews.com/2011/12/26/news/state/dexter-tragedy-brings-bipartisan-focus-to-domestic-violence-bail-decisions/?ref=latest
Shooting of Dexter family brings bipartisan focus to domestic violence bail decisions
By John Christie
Posted Dec. 26, 2011, at 2:08 p.m.
Last modified Dec. 27, 2011, at 9:08 a.m.
MORE ARTICLES IN MAINE'S BAIL SYSTEM:
Report: People need almost no legal training to set bail
•Officials may set bond amounts without full criminal history
•Maine’s bail system: best state can afford or a threat to due process?
•Maine’s bail system: will it be improved?
•‘Broken’ bail system freed man who went on to murder family
•Shooting of Dexter family brings bipartisan focus to domestic violence bail decisions
The deaths of Amy, Monica and Coty Lake at the hands of husband and father Steven Lake may be the tragedy that brings major reform to how the criminal justice system handles dangerous domestic violence cases.
The June 13 triple murder-suicide is becoming a rallying point for changes in the system from an unofficial coalition of domestic violence groups, leading Republicans and Democrats and the state’s top judge and public safety official.
“Change will occur,” said Brian Gagan. “I can guarantee you that.”
Gagan was part of a four-man team of former police officers — now academics and consultants — who recently released a “domestic violence psychological autopsy” of the Dexter incident.
The team interviewed 69 people this year to discover the systemic causes behind the murders. It cites multiple failures by police, prosecutors, the courts, bail commissioners and the Legislature.
Among the failures: bail commissioners set “ridiculously low” bail of $2,000 twice after Lake was picked up for threatening and stalking his wife. In both cases, he was bailed out by his father in a matter of hours.
Although this was the most damning report yet on the pretrial criminal justice system, it is not the first time problems have been raised by experts — and then mostly ignored.
But this time, the response may be different.
Those coalescing behind a change include Republican Gov. Paul LePage; his public safety commissioner, John Morris; state Rep. Emily Cain of Orono, the leading House Democrat; Chief Justice Leigh Saufley; Attorney General William Schneider; Evert Fowle, a district attorney; and advocates with social service and law enforcement backgrounds.
“It takes a long time and sometimes a horrible tragedy for people to put this together,” said Julia Colpitts, executive director of the Maine Coalition To End Domestic Violence and vice chairwoman of the Maine Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse.
One of the focal points of legislative changes will be the way the state sets bail for defendants accused of domestic violence.
Except in murder cases, bail is not set by a judge. It is set by one of the state’s 115 bail commissioners. There are no job requirements to be hired; bail commissioners get one day of training a year; and they are independent contractors paid by the people they set bail for, not the courts.
This beleaguered system has been changed very little since it was established by the Legislature in 1883.
‘Orphan’ system
The bail commissioners come under the direction of the state’s judiciary and Saufley, who has been working behind the scenes to improve it with the limited funds and laws available to her.
This year she was able to reinstate a position that will help train and select bail commissioners. The Baldacci administration eliminated the job during a budget crunch; LePage and the Legislature restored it.
But generally the bail commissioner system has been “an orphan within state government,” Saufley said.
“The Legislature will have to look whether it wants to unwind this ancient system of bail commissioner,” she said, adding that she doesn’t see that happening soon because of the costs involved.
In the meantime, though, a number of changes from politically strange bedfellows are making their way towards public debate.
Gagan’s group proposes more than 50 reforms, some legislative and some procedural. Among them are nine changes to the bail system, including that in cases such as Lake’s, a District Court judge, not a bail commissioner, should set the bail.
It also recommended that in most cases in which terrorizing, assault or other violence has occurred while the defendant has been ordered to stay away from a spouse, the defendant should be jailed until a trial.
‘The training and the budget for bail commissioners has so drastically been restricted,” Gagan said, “it’s no surprise that cases have slipped through the cracks.”
Public Safety Commissioner Morris said he has been meeting with the governor, Schneider and the Maine Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse to come up with legislation for the 2012 session.
The governor’s bill is still being worked on, but Morris said it would address the bail issue.
Like Gagan’s group, LePage administration has the idea to take bail decisions in serious domestic violence cases out the hands of bail commissioners and have them handled by a judge.
“Judges have more training and they are more experienced and are able to assess the danger associated with” a defendant, Morris said.
Evert Fowle, district attorney in Kennebec and Somerset counties, has been a critic of the bail commissioner system. The Morning Sentinel has reported he too is submitting a bill to put judges, not bail commissioners, in the decision-making role in the most serious domestic violence cases.
Rep. Ken Fredette, R-Newport, a lawyer, has submitted a bill that also puts bail decisions in violent domestic cases in the hands of a judge, who could require defendants to wear an electronic monitoring device that tracks their whereabouts for authorities.
Perhaps the most far-reaching idea would provide a “risk assessment” tool that would be used by police and bail commissioners.
Using science
One such process used now in other states and Canada, the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment, calculates how likely spouses are to assault their partner again.
The 13 yes-or-no questions in the assessment cover the defendant’s history of violence, antisocial behavior, substance abuse and other factors.
Rep. Cain’s bill, which will be brought up next year, would mandate the use of a “standardized risk assessment in the management of domestic violence crimes.”
It would require law enforcement and the state Department of Corrections to set up processes to implement risk assessment statewide over the next two years.
“We need to learn from the horrible things that happened in the Dexter case,” Cain said. “We need consistency, reliability and accuracy in the bail process.”
The governor’s pending legislation will offer a similar idea.
Meanwhile, Sagadahoc Sheriff Mark Westrum, a critic of the bail commissioner system, is about to start a model program using an assessment tool in his county.
Westrum challenges the comments from some bail commissioners who say they can make a reasonable risk assessment with the information they have now because they personally know most of the people in their community.
Brian Rideout, a bail commissioner in Piscataquis County, said, “Ninety percent of these guys, I know,” but he added that sometimes he has to “pry out” of police the criminal histories of a defendant.
‘The bail commissioner may think he knows, but you never really know what a person is capable of,” Westrum said, but a system based on verifiable data will go a long way to making better decisions.
Rideout said the recent public attention on bail has created “a really touchy situation now” and noted that Judge Robert Mullen, who oversees bail commissioners, has focused more on domestic violence in the recent annual training session
The Maine Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse has been working with legislators and the governor’s office on the pending bills.
Julia Colpitts, vice chairwoman of the commission, said a central problem “is that bail commissioners don’t have enough information to make a reasoned decision in the case of someone arrested for domestic violence.”
Even in the rare cases when a bail commissioner has access to a full criminal record, she said, that is not enough to assess the risk, which is why she is among those pushing for a scientifically based assessment.
Saufley said, “We’re moving, I hope, more rapidly to a more objective risk assessment tool. Anyone can be misled by another human being. The more we step away from that and rely on the science, I think the better we will be. But it’s all nascent now.”
In the report by Gagan’s group, he and his co-authors address the political side of changing laws and attitudes about domestic violence.
They say their recommendations should be adopted “in short order … despite the roadblocks that will be attempted by a dramatic minority of decision makers, leaders and professionals who do not accurately understand the importance of preventing [domestic violence homicides].”
Colpitts’ comments, based on her years of experience on the front lines of the issue, echoed the report’s view:
Reports, she said, “don’t get things done” on their own.
“There’s been a history of inaction,” she said. “That needs to stop.”
This story is part of a continuing series called, “Maine’s Bail System: A 19th Century Holdover.” Contributing writers Emily Guerin and Mary Helen Miller provided research for this story.
The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting is a nonprofit and nonpartisan journalism organization that provides in-depth reporting as a public service to its Maine media partners. The email address is mainecenter@gmail.com. The website is pinetreewatchdog.org.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Dad who seriously beat 8-year-old son says he's a "good parent" (Gainesville, Florida)
Memo to UNNAMED DAD: "Good parents" don't assault their kids and leave them with severe welts and bruising. No mention of a mother in this home. Is this a single dad?
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20111209/ARTICLES/111209569
Police: Father beats son, says trying to be good parent
By Karen Voyles
Staff writer
Published: Friday, December 9, 2011 at 8:42 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, December 9, 2011 at 8:42 a.m.
A Gainesville man suspected of beating his 8-year-old son told police he was trying to be a good parent.
In an arrest report filed Thursday, Officer Kelvin Walker wrote that the back of the boy’s legs and buttocks were covered in severe red, black, and blue bruises and welts.
Walker also wrote that when he showed the 41-year-old father a photo of the marks apparently left by his leather belt, the father “agreed that is was abusive but stated he is only trying to be the best parent he can be.”
The boy told investigators that he was beaten Tuesday because he had been disruptive at school.
The incident this week marked the second time the father has been investigated for the treatment of his son. Police said the man was also investigated in Maine three years ago for marks found on the boy’s neck. The outcome of the Maine investigation was not immediately known, police said.
The father was booked into the Alachua County jail on a charge of child abuse.
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20111209/ARTICLES/111209569
Police: Father beats son, says trying to be good parent
By Karen Voyles
Staff writer
Published: Friday, December 9, 2011 at 8:42 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, December 9, 2011 at 8:42 a.m.
A Gainesville man suspected of beating his 8-year-old son told police he was trying to be a good parent.
In an arrest report filed Thursday, Officer Kelvin Walker wrote that the back of the boy’s legs and buttocks were covered in severe red, black, and blue bruises and welts.
Walker also wrote that when he showed the 41-year-old father a photo of the marks apparently left by his leather belt, the father “agreed that is was abusive but stated he is only trying to be the best parent he can be.”
The boy told investigators that he was beaten Tuesday because he had been disruptive at school.
The incident this week marked the second time the father has been investigated for the treatment of his son. Police said the man was also investigated in Maine three years ago for marks found on the boy’s neck. The outcome of the Maine investigation was not immediately known, police said.
The father was booked into the Alachua County jail on a charge of child abuse.
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