Stacy Lynne
Yesterday, you received an email concerning Mr. Goldstein, KRFC, and information regarding the confusion that Cheif Hutto, Sheriff Smith and candidate for district attorney Cliff Reidel have created concerning violations of court orders. As I am sure you discovered, there is no authentic confusion surrounding whether violating a court order is a "civil" matter or criminal offense.
In case you are wondering what this has to do with new evidence in current and pending lawsuits against the city and county, here is the statute number so that you can read it for yourself. You will have to go to Colorado Revised Statutes on-line to read the statute, or you can read it in the statute books that city attorneys, district attorneys, and sometimes law enforcement officers have in their possession.
Title 18. Criminal Code; Article 3. Offenses Against the Person; Part 3. Kidnapping; 18-3-304. Violation of custody order relating to parental responsibilities. CLASS 5 FELONY.
Why do you think that Fort Collins Police Chief John Hutto and Cliff Reidel, candidate for district attorney, are stating on the public record that violation of a court order is not a crime? Why are multiple officials saying this is a "civil" matter and law enforcement doesn't get involved in civil matters? Is it even true that law enforcement don't get involved in "civil" matters? No, for at least two simple reasons:
1. I was arrested for NOT violating a "civil" court order. Law enforcement obviously got involved in that so-called "civil" matter and that is why the county is being sued.
2. Kidnapping and violation of court orders are felony crimes. Claiming that kidnapping is a "civil" matter is preposterous. Felony offenses are obviously not "civil" issues.
Is it possible that Chief Hutto, Cliff Reidel, and District Attorney Larry Abrahamson don't know the statutes they have vowed to obey? I doubt that is the case. Even lower-ranking Fort Collins Police Department officers Slaughter, Gubbels, and Colvin know that violating a court order is a crime. They also know that kidnapping is a crime and they were prepared to enforce the law against the perpetrator of domestic violence and child abuse until somebody of a higher rank told them to stand down. I doubt that Hutto, Riedel and Abrahamson are unaware of these criminal statutes. However, if they are truly ignorant about the statutes, then you have a much larger problem in front of you than their willful and collusive intent to abuse a woman and child.
These crimes are not simple misdemeanors we are talking about; they are felony crimes that involve a child.
Since April, I have reported the perpetrator's crimes to law enforcement regarding six felony crimes involving my son. And the officials' story keeps changing. On Sunday, August 5, 2012, at 5:00 PM, I expect to be reporting another felony crime against the perpetrator for not obeying the court order. See, if I don't keep reporting the perpetrator's crimes against my son and myself, then you all will accuse me of child abuse. That is how it works: if I don't protect my son from child abuse, you (Larry Abrahamson has already explained this part) are required by statute to file charges against me for dependency and neglect. However, if you (law enforcement) choose not to protect my son from child abuse, what are the charges for that? Who holds you accountable for enforcing the law in the first place so that you can't charge me with a crime in the second place? How can I protect my son? Is your goal merely to make me do my part but you won't do your part to actually protect us? That is complete insanity on your part.
Domestic violence and child abuse is one of those issues that makes people incredibly uncomfortable. I fully understand the trauma that speaking of this type of abuse arouses in people. I get that because for 10 years I have been ducking from attacks and dodging the blows so that I can protect Jaden. But, if we don't talk about it in a much more open and public forum, then nothing will change. Ethical and moral responsibility to my son, myself and my community dictates that I do not remain silent.
You have taken everything that is sacred from me: my son, my soul, my heart, my son's innocence, my son's childhood, my son's heart, my son's soul, my son's potential. You have not taken my voice. Try to take my voice from me and 100 more voices will begin to speak; take those 100 voices, and 100 new voices will speak. That is how egregiously horrific your actions against Jaden have been. The brutal impact of your illegal and devestating actions have shocked people throughout this city and county and country. If we are quiet, wickedness wins.
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) is an organization that I am just now getting familiar with--too bad I wasn't led to them 10 years ago. I know that some of you are going to instantly discredit the NCADV because they are a "radical feminist organization". You may believe that what a man does to "his woman" and "his child" is "his business". You may even be holding onto the notion that a man has a "right" to hurt "his" woman and child. Maybe some of you are victims or survivors of a perpetrator's violence and abuse. Maybe some of you are the perpetrators of domestic violence and child abuse. Maybe you are one of the lucky ones and you have been spared the trauma--that is my hope for you all.
The following is a true story that I share because I want you to understand how destructive domestic violence is:
When he destroyed her for driving her car to work, she rode her bike instead.
When he destroyed her for riding her bike to work, she walked.
Then he destroyed her for walking to work, because she was wearing shoes.
Perhaps she "deserved" to be destroyed because he "didn't approve" of the job she was doing.
What kind of job was she doing that caused him to destroy her? Teaching at an elementary school.
Maybe you think she could have just ignored his destruction and kept her job and walked barefoot to work.
She tried this too.
Except that the most frightening thing he did to her was threaten to hurt her son. And she quit her job.
Was he finished with her yet? No. He made the court believe that she had never had more than a part-time job, as if SHE had some character flaw or personality disorder.
Domestic violence and child abuse is about power and control. Abusers have hundreds of ways to control women and children. And all of them hurt.
All I ever asked of law enforcement and the district attorney was for them to obey the law, follow the statutes and protect Jaden and me. I even waited to ask for help for nine years, when the abuser had become so dangerous that I was unable to protect Jaden and myself. You didn't help us. But worse than that, you gave the abuser ultimate power by stripping my child from safety and forcing him to live unprotected. You reinforced his abuse!
My son believes that he is being punished for something that he did. Even more crushing to Jaden is that he looked up to and respected and admired Sheriff Smith. Part of my mistake when I did ask for help from the sheriff's office is that I believed the sheriff would help us; at that time, I told Jaden that their job is to protect people who are being hurt (Jaden seemed greatly relieved then by this possibility). Jaden still has the little campaign pin that Sheriff Smith handed to him once in a parade; he placed that special pin next to his plastic sheriff badge and proudly wore it for months whenever he was "on patrol"; now Jaden can't figure out what he did to the sheriff to make him so mad at him.
As a mom, it has been heartbreaking to watch Jaden see his real-life hero, Sheriff Smith, fall to disgrace.
It is not too late for you to enforce the statutes that were created by legislators whose goals were protecting victims of abuse. Jaden is supposed to be in my custody per court order on the first Sunday of the month. Sunday, August, 5, 2012. Do you think anyone will help me find my son and safely return him to me?
Sincerely,
Stacy Lynne