VAWA facilitates and funds illegal parental child abduction - part two

November 4, 4:38 AMFamily Rights ExaminerTeri Stoddard

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In Part One Donald Tenn explained how daughter Madison Tenn was illegally removed from California by her mother Shannon Phillips.

Part Two:  Tenn's next visit with Madison was scheduled for Oct. 27 and 28, 2007.  Tenn decided it would be best to have future exchanges at the Sheriff's Dept in Sulliven.  When he spoke with the Sheriff he learned Waseen had called them, stating they would not allow Tenn to visit with Madison.  He immediately called Phillips.

Shannon’s step father Bob Waseen answered and told me that I would not be seeing Madison that weekend. He stated that Shannon’s attorney Priscilla Ebdon had told them not to allow me visitation.  

Tenn continued on to the Sheriff's Dept. and filed the first of several reports of contempt based on Shannon’s unwillingness to honor the court ordered visitation. The four hour drive back to his mother’s house in Braidwood was full of heartache and shock, he says

In a recent telephone call, an attorney associated with the case vehemently stated that Phillips had been a victim of ongoing abuse at the hands of Tenn.  When asked to detail the alleged abuse the attorney said she didn't have that information, that it had been handled in California.  After being reminded that Judge Peter J. O'Brien in Sacramento, California had chastised Phillips for lying about Tenn, the attorney angrily ordered this reporter not to use her name in this article or to ever call her office again.

The next day Tenn returned to Sulliven for his visitation, but the Sheriff wasn't able to locate Phillips.  He filed another contempt complaint and was told that all documentation would be filed with the local State’s Attorney Marvin Hanson for prosecution.  On Oct. 29 Tenn began calling Hanson’s office, and met with him the next day.

On Tuesday, October 30, 2007 I met with State’s Attorney Marvin Hanson in his office at the Moultrie County Courthouse. During this meeting he told me that Shannon had been in their courtroom just yesterday [it was actually the Friday before] trying to get a restraining order against me based on fear.  Mr. Hanson told me that Judge Dan Flannel had denied Shannon’s request because the Sacramento County Court had denied her request just days earlier stating it was false. 

Marvin Hanson further told me that he full well intended to prosecute Shannon for contempt of a court order. He stated that he knew what she was trying to do because his own brother’s ex-wife took their four daughter’s out of his life.

According to the Oct. 26, 2007 transcript,  in Moultrie County Judge Dan Flannel's chambers he stated during a conversation with Mary Hughes, a representative for DOVE, an Illinois domestic violence agency, “I have grave concern over the truth and veracity of this petitioner," [Shannon Phillips.] 

Hughes said under oath that she had given Phillips and her mother thousands of dollars for travel, as well as retained the services of local domestic violence attorney Priscilla Ebdon. Hughes stated that I am a member of Fathers for Justice and therefore am a huge danger and risk for the mother, the child, herself and the judge. 

 Phillips missed several more guardianship exchanges resulting in Tenn filing additional contempt reports on Nov. 9, 10 and 13.

Madison is victim to one of 200,000 parental child abductions that happen in our country every year, by far the most common form of child abduction.  And the numbers are growing.  According to the Dept. of Justice (DOJ) Children’s Exposure to Violence: A Comprehensive National Survey, when children 17 and under were surveyed in 2008, "three times as many respondents reported being victims of a kidnapping over their lifetimes as did in the past year."

Some parents go into hiding, like Shannon Wilfong of southern IL.  See Boy captive two years by mother avoiding custody change.  While Tenn was happy for Mike Chekevdia and his son Richard when they were reunited, he said he wondered why IL law enforcement would reunite them but not he and Madison.  He says in late Nov. or early Dec. 2007 he was shown an order deputies had received from Hansen stating they were to no longer assist Tenn.

In a recent article Glenn Sacks, Exec. Dir. of Fathers & Families wrote, "The controversy over parental alienation is largely political. Children are vulnerable and impressionable, and parents in emotionally charged divorces are quite capable of using them as tools of their anger. It is true that family courts must weed out false claims of PA made by abusive or manipulative parents. It is also true that courts must act decisively to protect children from the emotional abuse inflicted by alienating ones."

 Continued in part three. 

Dedicated to Madison website

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