At times, the way that the legal system deals with custody cases absolutely blows my mind.
Since Christmas time, 2001, [Debra] Schmidt has been sitting in a California jail because she refuses to disclose the location of her two daughters, aged 7 and 9 at the time. She is protecting them from their father, Manuel Saavedra, who is a registered sex offender, an illegal alien who has been ordered deported, and an alcoholic. According to a press-release by Stephanie Dallam, research associate for The Leadership Council, the conviction came in the seven-year custody battle “after the judge refused to allow the jury to hear about Saavedra’s sex offense, his status as a registered sex offender, allegations of domestic abuse, or testimony by another ex-wife.”
And why should they? After all, one of the prosecutors in this multi-jurisdictional case thinks the gent is a swell guy.
Alameda County prosecutor Robert Hutchens, Jr., who believes Saavedra should have custody of the children, stated that “[t]hey keep throwing up this ‘he’s a registered sex offender thing’ … well, that’s going to end come August [2002] [Saavedra is eligible for a certificate of rehabilitation 10 years after his conviction, which would mean he no longer has to register as a sex offender. The decision is up to a court]. He’s led an honorable life from 1992 to present. I’ve met him many times. He’s got a steady job. He’s paid the price. He’s done what was asked. He deserves his certificate of rehabilitation. [The children’s placement] is up to the court, but I think he would be a very good father and he would be very caring to these kids, and I don’t see anything that would put these kids at risk. He’s living with a girlfriend who has a daughter who is 10 years old living in the house, and he’s been seeing [the girlfriend] for about five or six years. There’s nothing to indicate that he would ever do this again.”
Well, nothing except that new molestation charges have been filed against him.
(via Gamer’s Nook)