Two Days After Hearing in Kern County Court

May 23rd Court date Platt VS Allen in Kern County

This was the day we anticipated which I had hoped would finally settle and create a legal agreement between my ex & I about his visitation and custody of her.
The fears of Child Abandonment charges still exist, but the realities of Linds being in danger while visiting with her Dad have been replaced by fears of his retaliation, against me.
In no way did the judgment bring to a close this custody case which began October 23rd, 2005. This was the day when, after hours of round-table discussions between Jer, Lindsey & I about the life we built together, marriage, the future, our business and the fact that I had moved, previously in the year to Washington State to seek what I thought to be a better life.

In our discussion the reality was Lindsey was allowed to make an adult stand as to where she wanted to reside. She summed up her thoughts up with one sentence towards the end saying, "Mom, just go. You know I'll be fine. I want to stay here." They even took bets on how long it would be before I returned, 2 weeks or 2 months.
Jer finished with, "Sooz, this is going to be one of the worst decisions you ever made."...His statement which was true, became a reality.

The evening of the day I left, less than 24 hours after I drove out of the driveway Lindsey's Dad arrived with the Bakersfield police to collect her. He lied about having a permanent residence, he never has paid any child support (this never entered any reports or court discussions) and lives in his camper or on his small boat or at his girlfriends studio apartment.
However, his determination to get revenge upon me for supposedly 'ruining his life' (by leaving our ranch and our life in Carpinteria CA November 18th, 1999 and subsequently divorcing him in 2000) and jealousy mixed with hate and contempt began months of legal requirements, legal fees and court dates.

Skip's actions showed no concern for his daughter especially when he disregarded her pleas to remain at the Bakersfield house. When the Bakersfield police asked what his home address was he gave a fellow fisherwoman and her husbands guest house address. Well, they stayed there the first night then, for months Lindsey was shipped between Skips small boat, moored part time at the guest dock in Santa Barbara, the camper in the parking lot of the harbor in Santa Barbara and Skips girlfriends studio apartment in Los Olivos CA....45 minutes to 1 hour from her Jr High School.

I wrote or called every day. Only got Lindsey on the phone 3 times in 2 months. The letters I sent which she got were countable on one hand, Skip kept the rest using them later, or trying to at least, against me in court.
Pretty sad to know she never even got most of my letters to her.

Telephone calls from this point on were ceased when Skip took away no,...supposedly threw her cell phone in the drink, and she had to use his Verizon pay-as-you-go cell phone. The one amazing telephone call was right after Thanksgiving when she said he was "too drunk to cut the turkey". They were going to visit the girlfriends parents but they were too drunk, so they cooked at the girlfriends studio apartment.
Lindsey got "in trouble" also and Skip lost his temper somewhere along the line over Thanksgiving and she was crying when she called me back after Skip hung up on me. She snuck outside the apartment with his cell phone and called.
Her voice was frail and shaky and she was crying, had been for hours. She whispered "Mom, come get me, I am slowly unravelling".

A very sad day for me knowing I had not done what every Mother should do...act like an adult and consider the kid(s) first before moving on. Even though we had talked it over the days previous to my departure she was still only 13 and I was responsible for her well-being.
I had no idea Skip would do this, move her again after she pleaded in front of the police to stay with Jer.

Skip tried extortion methods by calling and threatening to file criminal charges of child abandonment, and other financial claims if I did not sign over custody of Lindsey 100% on numerous occasions. He also, after I moved back to Bakersfield on December 17th continued to dissallow my telephone conversations and said I would not be able to see her.

Jer & I decided, since in the Parenting Plan of the divorce papers stated me as the Main Parent that we would go retrieve Lindsey from her school in Santa Barbara with the escort of a police officer. It didn't turn out as we had hoped but gladly we followed the officers instructions to leave Lindsey with her Dad until midway through Christmas/Winter break. On the day of Christmas Skip was to deliver Lindsey to our house in Bakersfield before noon.

I contacted a few attorneys finally finding the one we use presently, Richard Middlebrook. Long story shortened, child abandonment was not in the picture. Custody and visitation and which parent was more suitable to be the custodial parent became the issue.
What we ended up with in court was an offer for Skip to have regular visitation, but agree to random drug testing with no further court date set. That would have been far better than the final judgment.

What? The judge changed it? Yes, it's true. If Edwin had not began interrupting the attorney and the judge repeatedly trying to show letters from the year 2003, and other things he would still have had the visitation.
But he persisted and nearly ended up in handcuffs.
He also threatened us on the way out of the courtroom, not a very smooth operator sort of a thing a good Dad would do.

Our attorney exclaimed "he just did a better defense than I could ever do!" which was very true. Skip showed the courts, and the judge the Skip I have been trying to protect our daughter from the entire time. The times she spent with him he was "drinking continually", her words, and a danger to himself and those around him.
Instead of getting a permanent residence, quitting the smoke and becoming a stable person he chose to defy the requirements of the court and the law.

Final judgment was awful for all of us; 8 hours supervised visitation every other weekend with random drug testing and until he arrives with a clean drug test these orders will remain the same.

So, looking back it has been an eye opening experience. The tension caused by our not knowing what may become of Lindsey's now stabilized life and attorney fees has been mildly relieved. Yet it has been replaced with the threats of physical attacks by Skip.
He called the day of court exclaiming "There will be retrobution! There will be revenge! You will both be crippled for life!"
This phone call, of course violated the restraining order and any visit in person by Skip will violate the restraining order which will subsequently land him in the Bakersfield County CrossBar Hotel.
Personally I sincerely hope and even pray this does not escalate to that.
Locking the doors today, Sooz