3 More Charges!!!

I took the kids to meet with the Asst. D. A. and take a peek at the courtroom they will be testifying in. They didn't ask a single question and I had to force them to climb up the few stairs to the witness stand. They were exceptionally behaved. There was a couple of hours of sitting in a Jury Room coloring and playing with the teddy bear they each brought. The A.D.A. took each child separately and talked to them about themselves. Their likes and dislikes. Their current grade and teachers. What they want to be when they grow up. She is full of personality and made them feel as comfortable as she could. There was no speak of the abuse. She did ask if they knew what a promise was and if they could tell her the difference between the truth and a lie. Her examples didn't work for all of them and I had to help explain a little bit. She is a little dynamo and I fully expect her to nail this.

Cyr was aloof. She came across as almost irritated we were wasting her time. It was her way of keeping her emotions away. She was a little snit to me last night about how she wasn't worried but I was driving her crazy b/c I was obviously nervous. This morning she asked for anti anxiety meds. LOL At least she knows when to ask for help.

Patches shut down. Completely. She was so stressed she couldn't speak. She is mortified there will be people there. It may be a real problem. We will try to pump her up and see if we can help her. The A.D.A. will try to engage her in small talk about her snakes and a boy at school to see if she can loosen her up. My fingers are crossed.

Ruthie was Ruthie. She rocked the entire conversation, hard. She agreed to everything and understood nothing. At one point, she told her she wasn't going to talk about them b/c it was too hard. She wasn't being difficult, she was just confused. She will answer any question you ask her about the abuse, if you are direct. She should be fine. I am sure she will have lots of tears when she sees her father.

Michael went first and regressed to baby talk. It was hard to listen to but I said nothing. She has a very hard time getting out his words so it took a long time. He was quiet and kept his head down. She was surprised he was 9, he presents himself like a 4 or 5 yr old.

Ella was quiet and very strong. She was adorable. She was very scared. She is now wetting during the day, she has never done this before. She is one of the most committed to making sure they get consequences for their actions. I think she will cry quite a bit but be very convincing about what happened.

Ava bawls the instant it is brought up. Sobs and can't catch her breath. She is is now admitting she has memories of them touching her and has said it to the A.D.A. She is worried about testifying but she is prepared to tell the truth.

The A.D.A. and I spoke briefly afterward, she was amazed at how different they each were. She wasn't aware at how delayed they all are. She told me she had been able to add 3 additional charges to their case. Are you ready? They now each have 15 cts of Child Molestation, 1 ct of Aggravated Child Molestation, and .......3 cts of Aggravated Sexual Battery! I am sure some of you are wondering why I am so excited. This is a huge step above Aggravated CM. This carries a much higher sentence. With that said, she is not hopeful the Judge will give him many more years since his track record is so liberal. It just helps make sure he gets enough time.

I will be testifying at the mother's plea hearing on the 1st. I will be allowed to tell her what the children have told me they want to tell her. I will be under oath but we all feel it is important to let her know they still love her and are grateful she has stepped up and become the mother she never was. They will never trust her but do forgive her. I will help them solidify her role as a victim. They will sentence her the same time he is sentenced.

I will be the first witness of his trial. I am nervous as I can be. We worked out the schedule for the kids turns. I am sure there is more but the kids are all up in a roar. I will post it when I can think straight again. OK, that implies NEVER.

Forgive me Kerry and Lisa, I had every intention of calling you and telling you personally about it before I posted. I can't get a call out without them on my rear. Everyone is on top of me tonight.