On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Domestic Violence on Tuesday, July 30, 2013.
Having a child taken away due to accusations of abuse or neglect is any parent’s worst nightmare. Fathers may be left feeling like there is nothing that can be done. However, depending on the accusations, there may be options.
An example of a child being taken away from a father stems from a recent alleged domestic incident in Foley, Missouri. In this case, a girlfriend is accused of hitting a child before trying to run down her boyfriend in a car. After the incident, the girlfriend was put in jail on a $50,000 cash-only bail and her two children, along with the boyfriend’s son, were put into foster care. It should be noted that at no point in this was the boyfriend accused of abusing the girlfriend or the children.
The incident happened on Sunday. According to the sheriff’s office, a boyfriend told police a fight broke out when he saw his girlfriend punch his 3-year-old son. At the time, the boyfriend and his 3-year-old son were living with the girlfriend and her two children.
After seeing his girlfriend punch his son, the boyfriend took off for the neighbor’s house. After initially leaving, he did come back to the house, but this was to get his son.
According to the sheriff’s office, after leaving again, the girlfriend got into her car with her two children and proceeded to hit the man with her car. She hit him hard enough to knock him down. He was, however, able to get up and take the keys out of the vehicle. He also refused medical attention.
When deputies arrived on the scene the girlfriend was arrested. She has been charged with first-degree domestic assault.
Deputies also determined the home was unlivable. All three children were taken out of the home and put into foster care.
Of course this is a rather sad story, especially considering the fact that children were involved. However, in family violence cases such as this — especially where the behavior of a girlfriend is questionable — a parent should realize there may still be options. An attorney with experience handling these types of cases would be able to look at the facts and provide insight into options.
Source: St. Louis-Post Dispatch, “Foley woman ran down boyfriend with her two children inside vehicle, police say,” July 29, 2013
