9/28/09 - Judge Micheal buck dismissed our motion to remove Christopher Burnett (court-appointed attorney for my son). I was barred by armed officials from entering the plea negotiations for my son. Although my attorney objected, Judge Michael Buck allowed my son to plead guilty to Criminal Charges under coercion of his father. During a meeting following the plea, Judith Zoch (the father's court-appointed attorney attempted to verbally abuse me. Visitation and phone calls were officially set up by the court. The children and I can speak with my oldest son every Thursday for 20 minutes at 6:00 p.m. and visitation will occur every other Saturday in Chesterton, IN from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The children are to have their sibling visitation for the first three hours and my oldest son and I can visit for the last three hours while the two younger children visit with their father. My oldest daughter refuses to have anything to do with her father, so she will spend the last three hours with my husband.
The children and I did get to visit with my oldest son for a couple of hours that afternoon. My oldest son had a horrible looking rash so I called my mother and requested that she bring some topical cream for it. During the time my oldest son and I were alone, he confided that he was very depressed because he hadn't been able to talk with me for the past few weeks. He expressed that he had been very confused because Christopher Burnett (court-appointed attorney) and his father kept pressuring him to take the plea agreement that was offered. He expressed that he wished he could have talked to me...he believed that I had his best interests at heart. He then asked me if "my court stuff" is over yet and I told him no. He said, "Mom, don't take a plea like I did....because you didn't do anything wrong".
9/29/09 - my children's father called and said that he had brought my son to the doctor and my son had strep throat.
9/30/09 - Laura Mikrut (Children's Protective Services) stated that she wasn't able to perform a home visit on the children's father due to the Interstate Compact Agreement between Michigan and Indiana. In the Updated Services Plan and the Risk Assessments on the children's father and I, Laura Mikrut (Children's Protective Services) assessed my husband and I at a high risk because when she came to see the children in July, my husband didn't acknowledge her. I filed a complaint against Laura Mikrut and Marni Casterton (Children's Protective Services) for failure to properly assess our home and failure to comply with performing a home visit on the children's father.
10/1/09 - my oldest son said that he had missed five days of school so far, His father had taken him back to the doctor and he was diagnosed with Poison Sumac. He was hoping he would look better in the morning so that he could go back to school. His father hadn't bothered to pick up any homework from school for him to get caught up on and he was worried that he was getting behind. His father also doesn't have enough money to get the prescription filled to treat the Poison Sumac so he probably won't be able to go anyway.
10/6/09 - the children's father e-mailed me and said that he wouldn't be able to meet on the 9th as the court ordered due to lack of finances, but he would be able to meet on the 17th. He also stated that he would not be able to meet twice a month as the order states.
10/14/09 - Laura Mikrut (Children's Protective Services) stated that her supervisor (Kendra Spanjer) and her decided to not change the Risk Assessment for my husband and I since a new assessment will have be issued due to my oldest son not being in the home.
10/16/09 - Kendra Spanjer (Children's Protective Services) confirmed that she was refusing to redo the Risk Assessment that was done in July on my husband and I because I was refusing to cooperate with Children's Protective Services. I pointed out that I didn't refuse anything. She still did not see any benefit to waste time amending the Risk Assessment.
10/19/09 - I sent a complaint to the Sue Bailey-Carment (Director at the Department of Human Services) requesting an immediate suspension and investigation of Laura Mikrut and Kendra Spanjer.
10/21/09 - Settlement Hearing
Judge Michael Buck, Emily Hills (Prosecuting Attorney), Judith Zock (Court-appointed attorney for children's father), Christopher Burnett (Court-Appointed Attorney for oldest son), Christopher Antkoviak (Court-Appointed Attorney for the other three children) conspired to have the children's father plead guilty to neglect in an attempt to obtain jurisdiction of all four children versus allowing me to have my trial on October 26th, 27th and 28th as planned because they have no evidence that I neglect/abused my children in anyway. The forensic interviews of the children state that I was unaware of what was going on. Several of their "witnesses" that the prosecution called to testify stated that the prosecution contacted them prior to the Settlement Hearing and questioned what these witnesses would testify to as evidence of my neglect. These witnesses stated that they told the prosecution that I was a good mother and that they(the prosecution) should leave my family alone. Emily Hills threatened that I should take the plea agreement they were offering because my name is already on the Central Registry of Abuse/Neglect. I refused to take the plea that was offered which resulted in the conspiracy of convincing the children's father to agree to plea guilty of neglect. My attorney objected to this on my behalf but they canceled my trial anyway.
Laura Mikrut (Children's Protective Services) gave me a Service Agreement to look over and sign. I requested that I have some time for my attorney and I to review. She said that I could have until the 27th at the next hearing.
10/27/09 - Plea Hearing
Judge Michael Buck took the children's father's plea of neglect under advisement and set a date for another hearing to determine whether he will indeed accept this plea. Emily Hills (prosecuting attorney) and my attorney were given opportunity to prepare briefs as to why/why not this plea should be accepted and submit for review to each other and the judge prior to the next hearing.
11/5/09 - received a copy of the Central Registry Clearance Request stating that I had been listed on the Central Registry of Neglect/Abuse on April 20, 2009 by Marni Casterton.
12/1/09 - Judge Michael Buck accepted the plea of neglect by the children's father and took jurisdiction of all four children. He ordered that my husband and I undergo psychiatric evaluations and that my other two children obtain counseling services. I will have to submit to their requirements even though as Judge Buck stated in the hearing on record that "the mother and step father have done nothing wrong". I don't get my trial to prove my innocence.
12/30/09 - sent a letter to Sue Bailey-Carmen (Director of Human Services) requesting an update on the investigation that I requested regarding Laura Mikrut and Kendra Spanjer (Children's Protective Services).
I also mailed in a request that my name by expunged from the Central Registry of Neglect/Abuse.
