Chapter 21 - THE CHILDREN’S CUSTODY CASE
Marcus petitioned for contact from jail pending criminal proceedings.
His attorney argued incarceration was pretrial, not conviction.
True.
He remained legal father.
Also true.
Family court evaluated risk.
Sarah requested sole temporary custody and no direct contact.
The court appointed a guardian ad litem.
Lily’s statements.
Sarah’s injuries.
Marcus’s flight.
Digital evidence.
Trust coercion.
All considered.
No direct contact.
Letters only if therapeutically approved later.
The twins were too young.
Marcus’s mother, Diane Kane, requested grandparent contact.
Sarah hesitated.
Diane had not participated in abuse.
She had also repeatedly told Sarah:
“Marcus gets angry because he’s scared of losing you.”
That was enough to make Sarah cautious.
The court did not make Diane the villain because of her son.
Contact began supervised after assessment.
People deserved individualized evidence.
Sarah insisted.
I admired her for that.
I would have burned every Kane name out of the phone book.
May you like
Sarah had learned what I had not.
Protection without indiscriminate punishment.
