In May of 2010 my daughter disappeared from the Kentucky home I (Matthew) shared with her biological mother. I later learned that her mother had taken my daughter along with her son that I had raised for 10 years since he was a baby. She did this without my knowledge or consent in the middle of the night while I was at work. She then moved to Texas with the help of a man she had met and had been carrying a relationship with on Xbox live.
While I initially didn't fight for custody, in time (and after they had moved several more times finally to settle in New Jersey) We received a letter from my ex stating that the man she was about to marry was convicted of a crime and did not feel it was a cause for concern. She believes his explanation of the charges being bogus and throws the blame on the child vicitm. We did some research of our own and it seems the guy she met on Xbox, and whom she plans to marry is a convicted registered sex offender and is on parole for life. He was arrested in 2011 shortly after they moved in with him and it was hidden from us until 2 years later.
The original charge was Criminal Sexual Contact, Fourth Degree and a Second Count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Third Degree. He pled to a lesser charge of 3rd Degree child Endangerment. He pled guilty to a lessor charge to avoid putting the child victim on the stand. His defense was that he was suffering from side effects of strong medication. Medication that caused him to want to inappropriately touch his 13 year old niece.
Since we were not in agreement with my daughter's living arrangements we were able to get him removed from the house, but her mother makes sure he remains an everyday part of her life. She has even put in place my daughter calling this man, Dad. Her mother provides limited communication with my daughter and makes visitation difficult.
Since her mother has shown repeated judgement that terrifies us for her future, please help us continue in our efforts with the courts who will decide if this truly is a safe environment for her. Of course we want her to come live with us, but more than anything, we want her to be safe and out of harm's way.
