April 3, 2021

Concerns for CASA to protect abused children

The National CASA/GAL Association, Seattle, WA

Kansas CASA Board of Directors and members:

Vanessa Dudley-Miller, State director, Kansas CASA, Topeka, KS

Darren Hamilton, Netsmart, Overland Park, KS

Caitlyn Eakin, President, Central Kansas CASA, Great Bend, KS

Charles Claar, Treasurer, Manhattan, KS

David Whetstone, Howard, KS

Hon. Rebecca Crotty, Retired, District Court Judge

Jim Gurney, Evergy, Topeka, KS

Kris Wilshusen, Secretary, Grant Writer, Wichita, KS

Lisa Oathout-Marshall, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, Topeka, KS

Hon. Nancy Parrish, District Court Judge, Topeka, KS

Paula Van Norden, Accountant (retired), Wichita, KS

Sara Rust-Martin, Law Practice Management Attorney, KU Adjunct Social Welfare Instructor

Ted A. Jowett, President-Elect, Dentist, Topeka, KS

Todd Thornburg, Kansas Department of Labor, Topeka, KS

Sandra Bradley, CASA of Sedgwick County, Wichita, KS

Natalie Haag, Capitol Federal, Topeka, KS

David G. Seely, Fleeson Gooing Attorneys at Law, Wichita, KS

Good day National CASA/GAL member services:

I am writing to protect my abused son who for the last 10 years is court ordered for CASA involvement and child exchanges in 1st JD Leavenworth, Kansas. My son has not seen his father since August, 8 2020. All communications ended. My son’s phone was taken from him long ago, and all email and text messaging is forbidden by his mother. My son cannot even ask his mother to see or even talk to his father. My son cannot discuss seeing his father in any communication with his mother.

This case examples what CASA and Kansas organizations representing "child advocate" and "best interest of child" have accomplished over the last ten years involving my son. CASA claims to be more than it actually is, child advocacy is not present at First JD CASA or Kansas CASA.

This document is NOT about a single child abuse protection case involving my son. No, this is about the failure of many persons within CASA and the state of Kansas that knowingly allow child abuse. I am specific about my concerns, more like fear, of the violations of moral turpitude by Sunflower House, CASA, DCF, attorneys, therapists, and police. I have no choice except to make every attempt to protect my son, and other abused children involved with the failed Kansas CASA and other organizations that are to protect children. Exposure of what really happens to children involved with CASA, child abuse protection organizations, and the family courts may produce future positive results for some children. Improvements in child welfare organizations and legislation for improved results of family courts could be gleaned.

First JD CASA completely ended all contact and involvement with me and my son for visitation in May 2020 after an incident with First JD CASA Leavenworth and my son’s mother. I was told very little about their interactions with each other. What I was told is that after the interaction of CASA with my son’s mother to discuss scheduled and court ordered exchanges/visitation, is that CASA just stopped all exchanges. I was told that this action was from the direction of First Judicial CASA attorney and the CASA director Kelly Meyers.

All child protection responsibility and all concerns for my son's welfare and his safety was ended by CASA. Not many at CASA in Leavenworth care about children. They have done nothing to help my son for many years. Additionally, I was told by Briana Burgess that all records over the last ten years would be destroyed and case closed in six months after May 2020.

Other parents may have similar experiences with CASA. The organization just gets larger to employ more persons. Children should be managed out of CASA involvement thru helping to achieve what is in the "best interest of the child." Ten years of CASA exchanges is NOT healthy for any child. CASA could help children.

CASA is creating a FATHERLESS CHILD. The Kansas courts and most organization that are created to help children, helped to create a Kansas abused fatherless native child.

My son asked me to FILE A PROTECTION ORDER for his safety in August 2019. CASA received copies of the court documents, and did nothing. NOTHING. Where is the advocacy for my son? NO ONE CHECKED ON THE WELFARE OF MY SON. NO ONE. Not CASA, not the court, not the police, not the DCF, NO ONE asked my son why he wanted a protection order that I filed for him. No one checked on his safely and welfare, or if he wanted or need any support and counseling.

KLS Kansas Legal Services (and/or Legal Service Corp.) refused to help protect my son with his protection order. KLS told me I COULD NOT FILE A PROTECTION FROM ABUSE FOR MY SON, I was told three times by KLS ATTORNEYS that I COULD NOT PROTECT MY SON WITH A PROTECTION ORDER THAT MY MINOR SON ASKED ME TO FILE. KLS then told me, after giving LEGAL ADVISE three times stating that I could not file a PFA, then stated if I wanted to file the PFA, KLS WOULD NOT HELP AN ABUSED MINOR NATIVE INDIAN CHILD.

KLS employees stated they have a "CONFLICT OF INTEREST" after attempting to prevent me from securing my son's protection. I was then sent out of their office with ABSOLUTELY NO HELP OR EVEN ANY CONCERN OF THE WELFARE OF A KANSAS MINOR CHILD. NO ONE ASKED ABOUT THE ABUSED CHILD! No one I know of actually cares about children in Kansas. They care about collecting and receiving money. Protection of children is suppose to be a priority of KLS and CASA. Why does no one help my son?

Kansas District Judge Keven M. P. O'Grady placed my minor son back into the residential care of his mother after my son asked me to file a protection order for his safety. Both Judge Dan K. Wiley and Judge Keven M. P. O'Grady ignored the child's plea for safety. NOT ONE PERSON EVER EVEN ASKED MY MINOR SON IF HE WAS OK AND SAFE - not the police, KLS, CASA, DA, The Layne Project, DCF, or any district judge. Motion for In Camera Interview with my son was filed in court by me, and ignored by the judge.

The following authenticated evidence presented to Kansas District Judges to support motions and the protection order for my son included the child's text messages stating:

"having a bad day :( she is threatening me with the **dangerous tool** and threatening lies and calling people and spreading lies telling me she is going to put me in jail and she is telling me to sleep outside (in the winter) she is also saying i'm going to go to foster care just pray for me no message back so she doesn't know thanks love **minor child's name**"

"She is telling lies to friends and i am scared no msg back love and pray for me _ **minor child's initials**",

"Help mother is saying horrible things and saying and threatening jail no msg back",

"Mom and **step father** are fighting on the phone while i'm trying to sleep... i'm under the blanket ... Love ya too i'm tired but can't fall asleep because of the noise ... Thank you (text to the father) for being on the line incase of something ... Yes ill try to go to sleep so i have some rest for school tomorrow if not ill message back ..."

These are excerpts from some of the text some messages from a Kansas minor child to me, his father. Then these messages were presented as evidence to both Judge Dan K. Wiley and Judge Keven M. P. O'Grady. This evidence made no difference to the courts. Judge O'Gracdy instantly put my son back in his mother's abusive residential care. God help my son.

What did Judge O'Grady expect when he returned my son to his mother's residential care? A minor child emailed and texted his father of the abuse he is experiencing, and his mother takes the child's phone and stops all communications of the minor with his father. Judge O'Grady helped the mother so she could take the child's phone and then the child abuse could, and did, continue. My son stated that his mother would not allow him to have his phone that was given to him from his father because, "The phone is evil and has demons in it." This is scary. What is preventing my son's safety?

First JD CASA was also given this information. NO ONE HELPED MY MINOR SON.

This is why I am VERY CONCERNED for the children of Kansas.

My son has not yet been asked by anyone if he is safe, and why he requested his father to file a protection order for his safety on August 2, 2019, that Judge Keven M. P. O'Grady instantly dismissed with probable KLS legal assistance to allow continued child abuse in Kansas.

STILL TO THIS DAY NO ONE CARES to check the safety and welfare of my son, and to get him to a safe environment and then ask him about the reported child abuse and if he feels safe. READ THIS SLOWLY - Child asks his father for a protection order and NO ONE in the State of Kansas bothered to check the welfare of the minor native child or help the father protect his son.

Six months ago, Austin and Logan were killed in the First Judicial District. I believe these children knew they were not safe. I believe other persons knew the children were not safe long before they were killed. What a tragedy, and then when I tell everyone about my son's situation, NO ONE CARES. Could CASA have saved these children?

Some Kansas organizations are harassing me for my speaking and writing facts and events to attempt to protect children. It was called journalism. I have received many threatening messages, some from police computers. Someone using the Leavenworth police or courthouse computers even committed identity theft to create email accounts with my personal information to then file charges and prosecute me. This is insanity. This evidence of police identity theft is authenticated by the Google legal department. It is a fact that identity theft was committed by the Leavenworth police, or someone with access to the police computer server. This is corruption of one of the worst kinds. Framing a father with criminal charges, because a child's mother is the judges COUSIN's friend, neighbor, landlord for over twenty years. The police and attorneys want to remove a father from his children and create fatherless children.

What is CASA/GAL policies when corruption is identified? What is policy when a CASA/GAL organization or CASA advocate knows that nepotism, prejudices, racism, or just bias against men and fathers puts a child in unsafe/unhealthy residential care, or at risk of child abuse? There are many family court judges that will not do what is in the "best interest of a child". Or commit judicial obstructions that allows continued child abuse or risk of imminent harm to children. Are there any CASA policies in corruption or obstruction cases to attempt to protect children before they are harmed or even killed?

One more VERY SERIOUS ISSUE is the FAILED Johnson County Sunflower House forensic child interview. The interview was conducted by Det. Scott Bassett, case number JOCO 16-8321. The detective admitted the failure of his child forensic interview procedures on a recorded phone line, and of the child being coached by his mother who was standing behind Det. Bassett during the interview. This is in violation of procedure.

After the detective had admitted the child interview failure, he said he was not going to allow criminal child coaching, and would conduct an investigation to include a lie detector test and prosecution. He sounded upset the first time we spoke, because he had incompetently did his job and participated in this child abuse and illegal activity. When I called Det. Bassett a month later, he reneged fixing his failed interview, because he was "too busy". I reminded Det. Bassett that he had participated in this child abuse and illegal activity, and that child abuse will continue and I could be prosecuted. Which did happen a year later. Then, I again contacted Sunflower House to correct the failed interview, which they denied correcting and allowed continued child coaching and my prosecution. Det. Bassett at that time had changed jobs and I spoke with Det. Barbra Walk, who acknowledged speaking with Det, Basset, her subordinate, about the failed child forensics interview. Again, fixing the failed child interview was denied.

Sunflower House forensics interview evidence could be considered worthless, child abuse and child coaching is allowed and failed interviews are not corrected.

The Sunflower House failed child forensics interview video will show exactly what my son previously told me did happen, that the mother stood behind Det. Bassett and coached my son. "Daddy, I had to say what I was told to say, because mom was standing behind him (Det. Bassett) in the doorway and made faces at me if I did not say exactly what she wanted me to say."

THERE IS NO EXCEPTIONS TO ALLOWING ANY FAILED SUNFLOWER HOUSE FORENSICS CHILD INTERVIEWS. Absolutely NONE.

The Sunflower House forensics interview procedures are published on the internet. Det, Bassett did not competently do his job. Evidently, he was untrained on the procedures and lacked the skills to protect the interview process from manipulation, lying, and child coaching.

Will CASA fix this failed child forensics interview NOW, or does CASA not care about this unacceptable and tragic interview failure which allowed continued child abuse?

Of course, then one year after the Sunflower House failed forensics interview, Kansas DCF filed another abuse case on me (number 7 of 8 that I have received so far), and district court cases were filed against me (protection order number 6 of 8 so far.) Both the District and DCF abuse cases against me were dismissed, but no one ever even bothered to help my son, and stop the child coaching and false police reporting.

The false police reporting continues in Leavenworth. The false reporting is so extreme that Judge Dan K. Wiley's COUSIN came to the Leavenworth Justice Center and police station with my son's mother and my son to file false police reports and forced the child to lie to police and district attorneys. (Case information and police video available, case 18-11221.)

I cannot imagine what a minor child would think after being forced to lie in the police stations, and then no one helped the child. Kansas is teaching my son that it is Ok to lie to police and file false reports to deliberately hurt people.

Some states have statues that require district attorney review of three or more unsubstantiated DCF child abuse cases for false reporting prosecution. Kansas needs this law. After how many protection orders does the police finally stop the lying and the false police reports? Four, six, eight, or how many before the police stop it? Many of the false police reports and cases against the father can be reviewed for false statements. Forty police cases against the father were filed in two years, twenty-one cases were filed in just eight months. And no one suspects lying? The Leavenworth police allowed the false reporting, and allowed the reporting incidents that forced the minor child to lie.

CASA should have all of this documented for my son, I doubt that they do. Ms. Briana Burgess said she would destroy all case records after six months from May 2020.

CASA NEEDS TO REVIEW POLICIES FOR ASSISTING CHILDREN IN THESE SITUATIONS. Training would be required for CASA. Also, removal of bad employees and volunteers would be necessary. What is the CASA policy for instant termination of affiliation with the CASA organization? A CHRI does not identify an absence of morality in any CASA employee or volunteer.

Why didn't Kansas CASA help my son and I to get an attorney to STOP THE CHILD ABUSE. The previous director is an attorney and could have helped my son.

My son has missed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New years, all weekly visit, all holidays, and now he will miss EASTER AND SCHOOL SPRING BREAK. My son was not allowed to go to his grandfather funeral. Judge Wiley, CASA, and my son's mother did not allow a child bereavement and time with his father's family. This is amoral.

This is child abuse. We can never give my son his Christmas that was taken from him. We cannot help my son to understand how the State of Kansas can allow this abuse. No empathy or help of any kind came from CASA for an abused child. My son's Christmas gifts are still wrapped and unopened at my residence. All of these abuses are in violation of the Kansas Code for Care of Children K.S.A. 38-2201 (b)(1)(3)(4)(7).

Also, Kansas CASA in Topeka understood my son's situation before the holidays and offered to visit my son and give him a Christmas gift - but that did not happen. CASA did not attempt to restore child exchanges for visitation so my son could see his father for Christmas. If CASA can see a child being abused, why can't they stop the abuse. If the problem is judicial, what can CASA do in these situations? No one with CASA helped my son, they were probably too busy soliciting donations and funding, or spending precious time with their families.

In November 2020 I contacted Kansas CASA Director Vanessa Dudley-Miller and Denise Stevens for assistance. In December 2020 after I did not receive any contact from Kansas CASA to help my son restore some visitation with his father, I wrote an emotional message for Kansas CASA. I had hoped that with four days until Christmas that someone could help my son. I was wrong - no help from anyone.

I and the Kansas CASA board of directors have just recently, on March 22, received an email from Kansas CASA Ms. Dudley-Miller stating there would be a review of CASA policies and a CASA investigation. Additionally, I was previously told not to contact Ms. Stevens, because her new job is training. Ms. Dudley-Miller was the contact for Kansas CASA child abuse issues. Due to a "conflict of interest" (rule 226) Ms. Dudley-Miller would now be unable to help my son.

I was then referred to the Kansas CASA board of directors for any help and assistance. No names were provided, just the email addresses of the mostly board members. No contact of any kind has been received since the email on March 22, 2021. I fail to understand how a CASA investigation can occur without my input. I fail to understand why no one at CASA has made any effort to stop the child abuse of my son. It is still occurring. Why is there no CASA actions to help my son?

We can look forward for improvements. I do have ideas and legislation that I wrote to help children and families. My legislation is published and easy to find on the internet. Search FairCourts legislation. Good things for children may come from the suffering and extreme abuse of my son. All states can implement this published legislation to help families. CASA could support and advocate this legislation for all States to improve family courts, which have a very bad reputation.

Please help the children of Kansas. And, please help my minor native son.

Contact me anytime if I can assist you in any way to help children through and with CASA involvement. My name is redacted from this document for fear of additional retaliation and SLAPP proceedings. This personal contact information is listed elsewhere.

Thank you for your considerations and time.

Enjoy the Holiday.

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