It’s not too often that I feel the need to really address something that has happened to my family, in the form of an open letter.
This is one such occasion.
My hope is that by sharing this openly, we can all learn a valuable lesson.
A couple of hours ago, child protective services showed up at our door. Apparently someone lodged a complaint this morning and they have launched an investigation.
That’s my understanding.
I spoke with two social workers from Stark County Children Services Division, while standing on my front porch.
They explained that it had been reported that we are not seeking proper medical care for our children. They also said that we have been accused of not taking them to their follow up appointments as well.
I was in absolute shock.
I mean, who would do something like this?
Of course we take our kids to get proper medical care. We go to the ends of the earth for our kids. Not only do we have all the medical records and an army of doctors and specialists but I document everything on this blog.
I became defensive and listed off everything that we are involved in. Support services, OT, PT, speech, Akron Children’s Hospital, the Cleveland Clinic, Wraparound, DD, Family Services etc.
The list goes on and on.
The social workers were very, very pleasant and I was pretty upset but keeping my cool.
They won’t say who made the accusations because they have to protect their privacy while they invade ours.
The workers want to interview the boys, Lizze, myself and want access to medical records for the boys. We have nothing to hide so this shouldn’t be a problem? Right?
I don’t know that there is a right or wrong here.
In that moment, I denied them access to anything because I want to make sure I understand what’s going on and what my family’s right are.
It’s easy to prove the accusations false, I mean really? If you were going to make up false allegations about my wife and I, you’d need to be a bit more creative than we don’t take our kids to the doctor.
Here’s the problem and my issue with this whole thing.
Where’s their proof? Why is it that someone can make a ridiculous statement like, we don’t get our kids proper medical care and all of a sudden the burden of proof shifts to us?
Why is it necessary to interview my three special needs boys when all they should need is proof that we take our kids to the doctors?
I know this won’t go anywhere but that doesn’t mean there won’t be damaged done in the process of proving ourselves once again. This is an invasion of our privacy based on some concerned citizen making a false statement.
The fact that I share on this blog doesn’t mean that our privacy can’t be invaded. Lizze and I choose what we want to share.
Here’s the thing.
Whoever did this, did this with the sole purpose of creating upheaval in our lives. They want to make us suffer for some unknown reason. They aren’t concerned about the boys. This is 100% malicious and that upsets me.
Instead of this person having to provide credible evidence to back up their claims, we have to turn our lives upside down in order to prove them wrong.
This is a huge flaw in the system.
I understand that these social workers are doing their jobs and I totally respect that. However, there should be some kind of vetting process to weed out the totally ridiculous complaints like this.
Whoever, filed this report is not only wasting taxpayer dollars but they are tying up valuable resources that are need for children that are truly in danger.
As a special needs family, life is hard enough as it.
Having to put everything aside, including taking care of my kids health, is not something that we need.
I’m greatly concerned about the impact that proving our innocence is going to have on the boys. This is very stressful and we’ve been though this when we were fighting Gavin’s abusive biological father.
We lived from one false accusation to the next. Each time we had to open our lives up and deal with the violation.
Every single time, they were proven false but the damage was already done.
I appreciate the job that a social worker does. They are overworked and underappreciated.
Having said that, at what point do we exercise common sense and avoid these situations all together?
Myself, along with several of my neighbors had called child services on a woman that lived across the street from us. In fact we called quite a few times.
This woman was locking her young kids out of the house during the day. Her barely walking infant/toddler would run around unsupervised and naked outside. The other kids were playing is trash and wandering the street.
We never got this type of response from anyone and these kids were in imminent harm.
The system is flawed and needs to be fixed.
If you make false allegations about a family as fragile as ours, regardless of whether or not there is any validity the the claims, you do damage.
I realize that I’ve become a public figure of sorts but that doesn’t warrant any of what’s about to happen to my family.
Am I over reacting? Maybe I am.
……..but you know something? This is wrong and it’s a violation and it should have been shutdown before even making it this far.
When all this is said and done, I will be exploring our options. I’m thinking that their is something in Ohio that prohibits false allegations and it’s punishable. If there isn’t, there should be.
I want all of you to please learn from this experience and the process that we are going to be going through. I will share as honestly as I can because I’m hoping that everyone can learn something from this, including anyone that intends to mess with my family in the future.
Please say a prayer that this process is quick and as painless as possible. Please keep Lizze in your thoughts because this is the last thing in the world that she needs to be dealing with.
To whoever did this……. I feel sorry for you. We’ll survive this and once again come out on top. You’ll still be the person that tried to destroy a special needs family.
Despite everything that we live through and the challenges we face, we’re happy. We love our kids and do everything physically possible for them.
You have my pitty…..
For updates on our dealing with Child Protective Services, click HERE.
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BobGrainger Hucksgirl13 JamileyKeller Deborah2013 barney4170 LeeAnneKloppOwens Melisssssa SarahLow KatMoody AMDuser
Thank you all for your support. I really, really appreciate it. This isn’t something I would wish on anyone that wasn’t actually guilty of what they are actually accused of doing.
So sorry you are going through this. I am there right along with you. My son is severly autistic. We moved to a new neighborhood. One of my new neighbors called the police becaus my son was stimming. Talk about ignorant. The police saw that he was fine but it always has to be reported. Just craziness!
Been there several times. I have autism and bipolar disorder. Once, someone that had interviewed me for less than ten minutes filed a report with CPS stating that I must be unfit simply because I had a mental illness (yes, that was the entirety of the complaint). I must say that it was because I was then in a same sex relationship that they did not approve of. Another time I was turned in for “forcing” my child to get his diaper changed when he did not want it done. I agree that there needs to be recourse for asinine filings.
It is a shame that you and your family are having to go through this, especially since you’ve already seem to have had some issues, and face a huge issue on a daily basis. I support your decision to deny them access and educate yourself on your rights at this point. I only have a couple hundred friends, but my friends have friends, and their friends have friends, and so on, and so on. So I shared your story today with my couple hundred friends. I do hope that all works out for your family and that you accomplish your mission to educate others. Well wishes and much luck.
@kac610 thanks for helping me share this.
Hi Rob,
I’m sorry that you’re going through this ordeal. I have 2 boys with autism/SPD/ADHD and my ex-husband made false accusations to CPS three times.
On every occasion, everything was OK and no problems were found. One of the times he called while he was in an inpatient psychiatric unit -and told the nurses that he thought I was an unfit mother.
I’m unsure what the laws are in Ohio, but from my experience as a healthcare worker for many years, all complaints are anonymous, and CPS does have to follow through on all of them. The situation will came down, and you’ll get through this.
I’m keeping you and your family in my prayers.
@MsInquisitor thank you for your support. 🙂
Please get a legal representative and follow their advice before sharing any HIPAA or FERPA information with anyone from CPS. You also have a right to learn who filed this complaint against your family. If you cannot afford a lawyer please go thorugh legal aid services.
You’re not overreacting, and your request of “However, there should be some kind of vetting process to weed out the totally ridiculous complaints like this” is quite reasonable. Unfortunately, social services are not at the top of the list when it comes to funding at all levels. So you’re left with these folks who want to do the best they can with what they have, and they cast a wide net because they don’t want to miss anything. And, yes, time and resources are wasted on wild goose chases, and, worst of all, children do fall through the cracks when the system is over-burdened.
I wish you the best of luck in dealing with this and hope their concerns are addressed and you’re left in peace.
EpiRen Thank you. Well said. 🙂
I just want to say Thank You once again for all the love and support you’ve shown us.
I am so sorry that you are having to go through this. I can’t believe that someone call CPS on you when you document everything in your blog. I hope that the CPS case is resolved quickly and the case is dropped. I think if they can verify that you take the kids to the doctor that have no choice but to drop the case.
First, I am absolutely furious that someone would be so ignorant as to say something so completely absurd and ridiculous. Obviously whoever did this leads such a miserable boring life that they have nothing better to do than to mess with a special needs family (you’re right, very pitiful). Secondly, I know where you’re coming from. A few years back my husband’s ex-wife got CPS called on her and for some ungodly reason she thought it was us (which didn’t make a damn bit of sense b/c the child lived with us), but anyhow she called them on us in retaliation and made these outrageous allegations that my husband beat my daughter. The social worker showed up at my door, which was all that needed to actually happen b/c he was wearing a bright red shirt that said “Trumbull County Children Protective Services” real big on his chest, equipped with a badge around his neck that said the same thing and a magnet on each side of his car. So not like my neighbors thought I was having a pizza delivered right?! Well, he explained who he was, explained what he was doing there and wanted to come in (Sayge was about 4 at the time). I told him of course you can I have nothing to hide. He then started going into all these allegations about how there was all these problems of domestic violence going on in my house, physical, mental and even SEXUAL abuse. So he talked to me, examined/talked to Sayge and then I told him the story of my husband’s ex wife and it just so happened that everything he was telling me she had tried to tell me about my husband when she was throwing her jealous fit at the beginning of our relationship. I mean word for word. She had told me that he had been all those to her and had beat her son (his step son). After talking with me for about an hour he finally just laughed to himself and said this is an absolutely ridiculous claim and I am so sorry to have wasted your time. I know he was just doing his job and I was polite to him, but was so agitated at the same time. The funny thing is, my family and I called on my aunt and uncle LOOOOOONG ago b/c of the condition they were keeping the house with my little cousins. CPS actually called them to setup an appt to come out to their house (giving them a chance to clean it up of course so when they did go out there we all looked like a bunch of liars) but here was this guy who showed up at my door unannounced. Okay i am sure I have babbled on enough. The point is, even though the allegations will be proven false (as were ours) the fact that they were even made in the first place has already done the damage. I truly hope that whoever did this to you gets a more enjoyable life so that they can leave other people alone. Or here’s a thought, if someone really wants to be a “hero” and rescue some kids, go find a family who actually abuses/neglects their children and put their effort into them. On a lighter note to make you smile, if they really wanted to make allegations they should have said that they have a suspicion you feed your son cat poop LOL I’M JUST KIDDING EVERYONE IT’S AN INSIDE JOKE MY SISTER LIZ AND BROTHER-IN-LAW ROB DO NOT FEED THEIR CHILDREN CAT POOP!!!!!
BobGrainger Hucksgirl13 JamileyKeller Deborah2013 barney4170 LeeAnneKloppOwens Melisssssa SarahLow KatMoody AMDuser karenswim I just wanted to thank you all for your support, even those of you playing devils advocate. We will get through this and I’m really trying not to be angry.
I just wanted to thank you all for being there for us.
Oh guys my heart breaks for you. It is seriously one of my greatest fears not because we are doing anything wrong, but just because it is only too easy to cause so much upheaval in someone’s life. I’m sure you guys will clear it all up, hang in there.
Knowingly making a false allegation of abuse or neglect is illegal and punishable by law in most states. I would look at the medical field. Have you recently switched a doctor? Missed a follow up appointment? Disagreed with a dr and voiced your opinion? Anything? Usually something like missing appointments comes from a medical professional. Start there. If you did miss an appointment, make sure you know why and have the date that you rescheduled for. If you switched drs, have the new dr’s information. Don’t let this get you down. While it sucks, it’s one more chance to show everyone out there how strong your family really is. I’m sure that plenty of families with special needs children go through this. Be an example for them. =D
It can’t be a blog reader. I don’t think you’ve ever published your address, and wouldn’t they need to provide that when they made the report?
I’m thinking you have a disgruntled neighbor.
@BillAppleOS Some agencies I believe that all the person would need to know the county and the name of the person that they are accusing
I find that messed up, only if they read this blog then they would know what all goes on, and how much you go through.
The same kind of complaint was lodged when our boys were younger and it was horrible then as well. Just a couple years ago the school called because Bobby had an accident on the way to school and they assumed we sent him with soiled underwear … the boy suffers from encopresis but hey, we must have just sucked as parents …
I actually called the local office and not only spoke with a supervisor but explained the children’s issues and they sent someone to talk with them with us present, someone who was familiar with autism. Don’t hesitate to call them yourself to make sure that they can make accommodations to ensure that your kids are represented fairly, as are you.
We’ll totally be praying for you guys! {{hugs}}
Rob –
So sorry to hear that your family has to endure this. And you are right, the system is EXTREMELY flawed. A young friend of mine was working as an aid in a residential facility for special needs kids last summer. She witnessed a co-worker hitting a child across the face and reported it immediately. When she went back to work and discovered that co-worker still on the job she asked her supervisor what was going on – she was told that it was her word against his, and that CPS didn’t feel there was enough “evidence” to investigate…. she watched him HIT A CHILD. And basically no one cared. My guess is that the facility did not want to deal with a CPS investigation so they never actually reported it. I asked my friend if CPS interviewed HER because she was the complainant – she said she never heard anything or spoke to anyone but her supervisor, and she also quit when she found out nothing was going to happen to the guy who was abusive.
And yet here you are, doing everything in your power and then some for your kids/family, and you have to deal with this.
Makes no sense. Stay strong, easy for me to say I know, but well, you have a lot of people in your corner, just know that.
As someone who reads your blog regularly and marvels at how manage all your dr visits, medications, therapy appts, etc; for your whole family this really ticks me off to read! I can not believe someone felt the need to turn you into CPS. Seems vindictive. I hope whoever felt the need to do this gets it back at them some time! Praying for your family. This was an added stress you guys sure did not need!
Wow. Look at me getting spanked into my place. And to think, I actually edited that response and toned down a few words so as NOT to tick anyone off. I certainly wasn’t trying to insinuate anything about Rob’s parental ability. As I said – when you put your life under a big public spotlight, the idea of someone calling Social Services is certainly in the realm of possibility. Opinions vary (as obviously mine can) and it’s not surprising at all to see someone else butting in.
Personally, I’ve got a 5 year old with autism and my wife and I have done a lot of our own research and have had quite a few discussions with doctors, therapists, teachers, etc. about the pros and cons of medicating our child. A close friend of the family is a doctor herself who’s been very helpful with providing input as well. Overall, we’re both of the opinion that less is better though we certainly understand that medication certainly has a purpose and place.
That being said – I also understand that “once you’ve seen one autistic child, you’ve seen one autistic child.”. All kids aren’t the same. Obviously all parents aren’t the same (nor are all doctors). I tend to think that just because everyone can’t always agree doesn’t mean that they’re wrong.
oh my, I can totally relate! Over a year ago someone called CPS on us. Said we abuse our son, and they saw us physically beat him in the face. She came into our home. My son asked her to leave! He said, “my dad is playing Bakugan with me, we are busy!” She looked him all over, took pics, questioned him away from us. I sat there shaking and crying and wondering why in God’s name someone would do this to us. They questioned his therapists whom of course said nothing but good about us. It was proven to be a false complaint, they even expunged our records. That’s not the point. We knew we weren’t guilty. We knew that some of our son’s meltdowns were extremely loud, and someone may have heard that. If that were the case, come to us. We are kind people. We also hide nothing, and all our neighbors know Liam is autistic. It boiled down to someone wanted to be a jerk, and make us suffer. We were livid. Even more so when they found it to be a false report and still wouldn’t tell us whom made the statement. In my opinion, if that report is found to be false, we should be given a name. That way we can go after the jerks who made the report for slander and false accusations. I also want to know why the state doesn’t go after the ppl whom make these false reports just to be asses. There should be a law against this kind of crap, bc you hear about it all too often. Sorry for my rant. Bottom line, I know how you and your wife must feel. Hang in there, karma is a nasty bugger, and someone, someday will get theirs! Hugs to you all!
To Michael:
As a doctor, you’d be surprised at how many various medications patients can be on at once. And yes, we do very carefully screen for over-medication or contraindications. When someone is ill with multiple conditions (not just symptoms – there is a VAST difference), you treat them as specifically as you can and don’t throw one or two (or more) medications into the mix just for the sake of bumping up the number. Unfortunately, there are many people who don’t understand that illness doesn’t just mean one pill a day and the patient will be better in a few months. Many times, it means a lifetime of numerous medications. There has been a lot of attention given to patients who are “over-medicated” and NOT enough to patients who truly do need the medication they’re on and should not be judged about whether or not they’re being adequately treated. (Any doctor who is serious and dedicated and cares deeply would never allow that to happen, and any parent who is serious, loving and dedicated would never allow that to happen.)
Also, it would not be a very kind thing to insinuate that Rob, because he’s shared the difficulties of being a parent to boys with autism, isn’t taking due caution and isn’t concerned about his children where there are a lot of pills to take. I have no doubt that as a devoted and loving dad, he makes sure to ask questions about the medication, speaks openly with all the doctors, and researches what he’s been told (which he’s evidenced on here many times). He has excellent knowledge of his children’s illnesses and I can only wish more patients were like that.
I am also speaking as someone who has two beloved family members (one very young, one much older) with autism, so I understand the medical side as well as the familial and care side. People who aren’t involved and who don’t have a full understanding can come to incorrect judgements, they can cause a great deal of pain for everyone involved, and they can destroy someone’s life. When one doesn’t understand something, the best course (and only course, in my opinion) of action should be to educate themselves through easily available resources and ESPECIALLY by speaking with the person or people they are concerned about. This would help the person with the concerns develop a full and correct understanding.
It is important that with most issues, both sides be pointed out, but honestly, there are times when there is NO room for playing “devil’s advocate”. Because, well…when you think about it logically and “examine” all the “evidence” provided to you to come to an educated conclusion, there just isn’t. Especially when you’ve yet to be (it seems, from your understanding as you explained it) fully informed about what serious illness is, how many pills a condition can call for, and exactly how seriously dedicated physicians take their job to care for those who are in need.
Rob, you’re doing an amazing job and please know that you, Lizze and the boys are in my prayers, and my family’s prayers. Hang in there.
Hey, I am sorry you guys have to go through this, but I am going to play devils advocate for a minute (Dont get upset with me) Yes, the system may be flawed and may need to be fixed, however CPS has no way of knowing if you are telling the truth or not. Working in the health system, you and I both know that people are capable of telling very believable lies, They HAVE to check it out, which you know. Also, as for the person who reported you, we know that the boys are constantly at the MDs of various practices, BC you guys do take care of them. Hang this one up as a victory, not a setback or obstacle. You guys have nothing to hide! This is an obstacle that you just step over and move on from. The boys have been questioned before, and I am sure it won’t be the last time either. I know its an inconvenience but of all the inconveniences that can occur, have it be one you really don’t have to worry about BC you know it will all work out. I know with everything going on you have a tendency to look at the negatives, so try to look at the positive side of this and take a deep breath!
How awful. You’re right they have to investigate when a complaint comes in, just doing their job but ouch how painful. You are not obligated to let them in the house without a warrant or to release any information – although doing so often makes them go away quicker. If they can’t get voluntary agreement to services they have to decide whether to close the case or do a court filing. Kind of a judgment call which way to go as being totally uncooperative can get people ramped up to think there’s a problem. Tell them to look at your blog as there are tons of pictures and narratives about medical treatment and experience.
I’ll play devils advocate here because, well, that’s just what I do sometimes…
You said, quote, “They explained that it had been reported that we are not seeking proper medical care for our children.”
This could be a double-edged sword of putting your life on public display. Your definition of ‘seeking proper medical care’ certainly can differ from someone else’s views. Personally, yesterday’s post about the number of pills and medication you take startled me. With all the updates of the many doctor visits, I assumed your family was taking a lot of meds – but I honestly didn’t imagine it being that bad. It’s quite possible someone else believes the same thing and called Social Services.
Granted I’m not a doctor – nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night – and I’m not as intimately familiar with the situation as your medical providers, but that’s a crap-load of pills, for anyone. Over-medication should certainly be a concern. Simply put: every symptom doesn’t need a pill.
@Michael “every symptom doesn’t need a pill”. I can’t completely encapsulate all the many feelings I have upon reading a self professed non doctor’s critique of the “quantity” of pills someone takes to treat himself. I’m reminded of The Emperor in “Amadeus” who critiques Mozart by saying, “too many notes”. As the husband of a woman who has gone through chemo, I can tell you that the number of pills she took simply to combat the side effects of the drugs they fed her to keep her cancer from killing her DWARFS that meager handful.
Let me put it still more plainly…who are you to measure medical merit and efficacy of treatment by the number of pills someone takes?
Dangerously ignorant statement.
Just my opinion though…
@Michael I have 5 children, two on the autism spectrum, one with chronic migraine headaches and ADHD, one with asthma. The pharmacists at Walgreens know me by name; when picking up the prescriptions for just ONE of my boys on the spectrum (who also has Dx of OCD and a tic disorder) I walk out with FIVE bottles of pills. My son with asthma takes three medications every night. Guess what? HE CAN BREATHE WITHOUT SOUNDING LIKE A TRAIN WHISTLE. My son who takes five, count ’em up, five pills each day can stop counting his steps long enough to actually learn at school, he doesn’t break into a panic attack when confronted with a minor change to his schedule. He can sleep more than two hours a night and doesn’t fly off the handle over every set back he has during the day.
Personally, I find your “not every symptom needs a pill” remark ignorant and condescending. You are certainly entitled to have an opinion and state it for the world to see. While I agonize over the decision to add yet another medication to my child’s system and spend hours researching its safety, efficacy, side effects and goals, you can make blanket statements about a number. I’m going with the opinion of the team of M.D.’s who treat my children when it comes to how many pills they need to have the best care and outcome.
@Michael Considering how many very serious conditions Gavin has, the amount of medications he is on is considerably small! You try living ‘medication free’ when you have many serious conditions including some life threatening ones such as his dysautonomia. They stated that they have reduced his medication to as little as possible to keep him in the best care. Truthfully said, I know some people with just ONE disorder who take half that many pills just to combat the effects of it. And sometimes, the only medicine that works for that disorder comes with serious side effects which needs another medicine to counter. Such as someone being prescribed a medicine that causes weight gain very easily also being prescribed a medicine that will help keep metabolism up to prevent it. (Depakote with Adderall, for example).
Rob, I’m so sorry someone has been so awful & spiteful enough to make such a heinous accusation against you & Lizze. I don’t think they even deserve your pity. You don’t deserve to have this happen, especially when you’re already have so much else going on. You both take wonderful care of your beautiful boys & obviously love them more than life itself. I hope it is sorted soon & without causing trauma to all of you. My thoughts are with you all.
Sorry to read that you and your family are going through this… especially because I know what it feels like. I had the unfortunate experience of having to deal with them not once, not twice… but THREE TIMES after THE SAME person kept making false accusations… each time their accusation did not work they made up a new one. The first time they showed up we were in the middle of a home visit with our children’s new teacher and an autism specialist that worked for the school they were to be starting… and the CPS worker showed up… with the police!!! Talk about humiliating. I remember talking to my doctor, who wanted to know why she received a request from CPS regarding my medical records, and her telling me I had nothing to worry about (she was a family practice doctor who had seen my whole family at that point) because she knew we were good parents. And that she had made calls herself regarding patients who should not have their children repeatedly and they still had them… so I had nothing to worry about. While those should have been reassuring words… my fear was that I too knew how flawed the system was. I was worried that while “bad parents” were able to keep their kids.. its was going to be the “good parents” doing what they were supposed to do that ended up losing their children due to something that was not even true. Even when you are doing everything right… it is still a very stressful and uncomfortable feeling to know that someone with that much power over your life is watching every single thing that you do. You find yourself walking on eggshells. Luckily, in all three instances they did their investigation, verified everything they needed to, talked to all the specialists who assured them that our children were very well taken care of and flourishing not because of what they were doing, but because of all the work us parents were doing,.. and then they would close their case. And I agree… life in a household with kids with special needs is stressful enough on it’s own!! I asked the last social worker who came a few years ago “how many times are you people going to keep coming out here for these dumb reasons”. Her response to me was “Unfortunately we have to. We have to follow up on every call. God forbid we didn’t and something really was wrong or going on… ” Which I guess I understand… but seriously?? We recently just moved from the only home our children have known due to a neighbor we had. He would beat the crap out of his girlfriend and it would be so loud and violent that it would wake everyone in my home up. I called CPS multiple times reporting this and made sure that they knew that during and after the beatings you could also hear the little child crying and screaming. I saw a social worker follow up once. She spent 15 minutes in their home… and she never came back!! It’s insane!! Good luck to you, Lizzie and the boys. I hope this passes quickly for you all and that you never have to go through this again!!
Rob, I feel your pain… Ohio is especially flawed. Several friends and family members of mine had called CPS about a person we knew who was doing drugs with her kids and sending them to school to sell drugs (the problem is now solved) and CPS – in Ohio – told us there was nothing they could do! I was floored! But people like you and Lizze who take such good care of your children, (to the point of losing utilities because you’re paying for gas, vehicles, etc. to get them to their respective appointments) are getting CPS called on you? WOW! I hope you get this resolved quickly and I hope it doesn’t impact the boys too terribly much. Good luck!
Rob I just wanted to say what a neat post and I am so sorry to hear about this. Even criminals get innocent until proven guilty, so how sad. I will pray for your family. Bob & Elijah who is my 7 year old son with autism.