Any State Org for "Child Protection" needs to be shut down. They operate on their own laws. They don't have to have actual, factual evidence, just a Concern. Judges don't require PROOF! It's a SCAM to KIDNAP CHILDREN.
My 11-year-old walked less than a mile away from home. I was arrested and charged with reckless conduct.
Brittany Patterson's 11-year-old son walked to a local dollar store alone without telling her.
A stranger called the cops, concerned he might be in danger, though he said he was OK.
Patterson was charged with reckless conduct. She faces a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
(story shortened. Full article at link)
"She asked if I was OK, and I said I was," Soren told me. She asked him who his mom was, and he told her my name. Then he got a little nervous — he didn't feel like he should be talking to her — and just walked away. I guess that, at some point, she called the police.
I didn't fuss at Soren for walking to the Dollar General because I think that's fine. I fussed at him for not letting me know that he was going when leaving the property. It was a communication thing. He apologized, and we moved on with the afternoon.
I was arrested
Around 6:30 p.m., the deputy sheriff and another officer knocked on our door.
I opened the door and held my finger up, asking if they could give me a moment to end my phone call with my client. "You need to step outside now," the deputy said. They asked me to turn around and put my hands behind my back. Soren was sitting right there watching this whole thing.
They said that I was under arrest on a charge of reckless conduct and took my phone.
At the station, they fingerprinted me. They stripped me down and made me change clothes into an orange jumpsuit. They scanned my body and took my mug shot.
I was only in there for an hour and a half. My mom and sister paid $500 for me to be released on bail, and I was back home by 8:30 p.m.
On Halloween, a case manager from the Division of Family and Children Services visited our home and spoke to the kids, my mom, my sister-in-law, and my dad.
I was asked to sign a safety plan
The next day, I contacted David DeLugas, the founder of ParentsUSA, a nonprofit that often provides pro bono legal support to parents wrongly accused of child neglect.
The case manager texted me on November 5 because she wanted to stop by to go over a so-called safety plan. It required me to delegate a "safety person" — presumably my mom — to be a "knowing participant and guardian" and watch over the children when I wasn't there. Under her supervision, I also needed to download a tracking app onto Soren's phone so I could monitor his location.
DeLugas, an attorney, explained the pros and cons of me signing — or not signing — the safety plan.
I decided that it was better not to sign it. I knew the potential risk — that the deputies could push the issue and maybe even try to have my children removed from my home — so it's scary.
But I feel it's more important to stand up for what we believe in. My kids are all supportive of that decision because we've talked about everything that's been going on. We know the maximum punishment could be a $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail. DeLugas is helping us dispute the charges.
Meanwhile, friends and family have said they're concerned because they sometimes leave their kids alone at home or their kids go out for walks like Soren. They wonder now if they'll have cops show up because of it.
None of us wants the government telling us how to raise our children.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/11-old-walked-less-mile-210652272.html