Tag: Child Abuse Defense Lawyer
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CPS Cleared in 4-Year-Old Kharisma Richardson’s Death
4-year-old Kharisma Richardson died earlier this year as a result of actions taken by her mother, Daveeta Walker. In addition to severe burns and blisters, the child had also sustained blunt force trauma to the chest, and multiple bruises. The young Kalamazoo mother was convicted of torturing and abusing her young daughter to death, and…
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Despite New Trial, Ackley Headed To Prison For Child Abuse
Over the last few weeks, we have talked at length about Shaken Baby Syndrome, and the two trials in Calhoun County that were set to challenge this already questionable science. However, as it turns out, one of those trials has had an unfortunate outcome, at least for the defendant. Ackley was one of two men,…
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Recent Appeals Court Ruling Affects Another Abuse Case
A decision handed down in the Michigan Court of Appeals recently may have ripple effects on other cases currently pending, as well as in the future. The Court of Appeals decided that a fetus is not legally a baby, and therefore is not covered under Michigan’s description of “child” in the legal definition of child…
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Is It Constitutional For Caseworkers To Lie In Court?
One of the issues we have raised on a number of occasions here in our articles, is the unbridled freedom that CPS workers have, coupled with a startling lack of oversight, when dealing with parents and families. Which is why we would like to share this particular case with you, that deals with whether or…
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U of M Law School Gets Grant To Review Shaken Baby Cases
The University of Michigan’s Innocence Clinic is receiving an astounding $250,000 in federal grant money in order to reexamine convictions in a number of ‘shaken baby” cases. More and more in recent years, science is revealing that a great deal of the symptoms closely associated with shaken babies, are actually the result of a much…
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Michigan Court of Appeals Rules: A Fetus Is Not A ‘Child’
The Michigan Court of Appeals has thrown out a conviction against 30-year-old Melissa Lee Jones, a mother who was convicted of child abuse for using drugs during her pregnancy. This unprecedented ruling, while it has an immediate impact of Jones’ life, also has further reaching implications with regard to the abortion debate. Jones was convicted…
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Mom Sentenced To Prison For Accidentally Smothering Baby
Although this incident took place in the Upper Peninsula where our firm doesn’t often practice, we would still like to share it with you as it is a situation that could happen anywhere. In this case, the tragedy took place in Ishpeming, to a mother of eight. According to court records, 37-year-old Nicole Christensen was…
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Appeal Filed by Mom Who Got High While Pregnant
30-year-old Melissa Lee Jones is currently behind bars in the St. Joseph County Jail, having been convicted of First Degree Child Abuse. Ultimately she is assigned to serve out her time at Huron Valley Complex, a women’s prison, where there are a number of people incarcerated for exactly the same reason. But what is interesting…
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Foster Parent Charged For Sexually Assaulting a Minor
61-year-old Jackie Lee Pittman, a licensed foster parent and Macomb County Adoption Board member, is accused of raping a teenaged girl. Although there are no foster children currently living with Pittman since his wife passed away from cancer four months ago, the allegations are said to stem from an incident that took place in July…
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Woman Charged For Giving Alcohol To a Toddler
64-year-old Deborah A. Holloway of Muskegon has been charged with child abuse for allegedly giving alcohol to a child that she was caring for. Based on the fat that she has a substantial criminal record, Holloway may end up behind bars for more than a decade, if convicted. According to Muskegon County Chief Assistant Prosecutor…