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I am so upset right now I can’t stand it. The family court system has failed again. I’ll try to make a long story as short as possible. My twins have had a friend since kindergarten (they’re now sophomores in HS). His parents are divorced and the father has custody. He has verbally, physically, and mentally abused this boy and his sister for as long as I’ve known them. I don’t know either of his parents very well because they’re not the type of people we socialize with. The father is in the paper all the time he’s on his 4th DWI and I don’t know how many possession charges, assaults (bar room fights) the list goes on.
About three months ago, his other ex was bringing her daughter over to the house for his visitation. She heard yelling and crashing so she called the police and they removed the 16 and 15 year olds from the home and placed them with their mother. She thought the custody battle was over, but he showed up the day before school started with the local police to get them. He had legal custody so the mother had no choice. The kids however refused to go and were given the choice of temporary foster care or returning to their father’s custody. They both chose foster care.
The mother finally had her day in court yesterday, the judge would not entertain the latest assault and possession charges as they are still pending. Nor would he read impact statements from any of the family or neighbors. (The loser’s mother, that they had all lived with up until a year ago, wrote a statement in support of the mother). What really blew my mind is that the judge did not even speak to the 16 and 15 year olds to get their side of the story. He said that they were “too young”. He ordered them out of the foster care system and back into their father’s custody.
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I've been married for 24 years and have four wonderful children.
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