UPDATE

FYI: The Florida Supreme Court threw out Patty's motion to remove Judge Hartert from the case--which is TERRIFIC! Judge Hartert will preside over the custody hearing which is scheduled for August 20.

Steven just returned last night from a one month visit with his mother in Florida. Naturally, he came home messed up again. He had also gained ten pounds while there. When asked what he ate he said, "Donuts, pop . . . and some green beans." Keith feels like he's constantly swimming upstream. He's got ten days to undo the damage before they return to Florida for the custody hearing. Of course, Keith will document as much as he can before the hearing, which means trips to doctors, psychologists, etc. The weight gain is one thing, but what this mother does to her son's head is quite another.

I omitted an incident from my writings as I believed that it did not necessarily have any bearing on Steven's progress. I must include it at this point to demonstrate how Patty uses any situation to twist her young son into knots.

Last summer Steven's 27-year-old Uncle Clint (Mandy's husband), a former corrections officer, was arrested and charged with "gross sexual imposition" in an incident with a 5 year old girl--a "friend of the family". Now, I have no idea what that means, but I know it isn't good. At that time the police had in their posession a pair of pajamas, blankets and one boxed rape kit. I also know that his own 5 year old daughter was removed from the home at that point and was placed in foster care--where she will stay until after the trial (which incidentally is the same week as the custody hearing--the Jenkins' are going to be one busy family). When Steven was told that Missy was in foster care, his loving mother Patty also told him that Missy was in foster care because Steven was in Utah. If he lived in Florida, Missy would be allowed to live with her mommy and daddy again! Believe it or not--she had him convinced of this. No matter what happens in the Jenkins family, if it's bad, it's because Steven lives with his dad.

What would you do if you were Keith? How do you combat all those lies? Steven loves his mother, and no child wants to believe that his mother lies to him. How do you get to the truth without putting Steven on the defensive where his mother is concerned? It's quite a balancing act, and Keith is living it everyday. Say your prayers--especially for the judge! His wisdom is crucial in this custody battle. Thanks for your interest.

C.B.

If Uncle Clint is found guilty of the charges against him I will post all the newspaper information regarding this case. Stay tuned!