Affidavit of Amalie Baldwin (Petitioner) Supporting Motion
For Temporary Order of Child Protection
COMES NOW Amalie Baldwin , the Petitioner in this case,
and after being duly sworn on her oath states the following:
1. I am over 18 years of age, am married to Merle James
Baldwin, the Respondent in this matter.
2. I live at my home on 337 Rabbit Track Road, Granby
Missouri which I have part title to, along with my husband
Merle James Baldwin. I have four children, Helen Fay Sue
Deines, 7 years old (born January 29, 1996), (Malachi) Adam
Deines, five years old (born March 7, 1998), Jonathon James
Baldwin, three years (born Feb. 26, 2000), Henry David Allen
Baldwin, two years old (born April 27, 2001). I am
petitioning for this Temporary Order of Child Protection for
my youngest children, Jonathan James and Henry Baldwin to
return to this home, protected from my husband James and his
mother, Inez Luellen.
3. My husband, Merle James Baldwin, pled guilty on Feb.
4, 2003 to a Class-A misdemeanor of child endangerment of
kicking my son (Malachi) Adam Deines in the face. James,
while he does lose his temper sometimes, has never actually
bruised or injured any of the children, when lashing out
with his foot. I was not present when it was alleged that
James kicked my youngest child, Henry, on January 17, 2003.
I am aware of James having been abused as a child and
having abused others. James doesn't mean to be mean, it is
just that James has been diagnosed with mental illness.
Regrettably James has not been taking his medications for
his mental illness for the past couple of months, nor did
James take his medication with him when he ran off with my
two youngest children to his Aunt Merle's.
4. I have not been able to do anything about James'
mother Inez Luellen, because James will not allow me to tell
her that she is not welcome. Inez has a long history of
neglect and abuse of James and his sister and James' sister
will not have anything to do with James or Inez.
It has gotten so bad the past couple of months that James
will not allow any of my children to go across the street at
338 Rabbit Track Road to visit my mother, Roxie Fausnaught
or Martin Lindstedt, or for them to have a key to our house.
However, Inez has been allowed to know where the spare key
is kept on the porch, and Inez routinely breaks into the
house when neither myself and my children nor James is
around. She then drinks up all of our soda pop and gets
into our refrigerator.
I wanted to confront Inez for throwing my son Henry and
kicking my son JJ on the December 31, 2002 incident
mentioned in other affidavits, however, James wouldn't let
me confront his mother. Inez has a reputation for abuse and
neglect and the Division of Family Services made one of
their conditions that Inez had to stay away while the case
was open.
I am certain that Inez was in on James abducting my two
youngest children. I cannot protect my children from Inez's
abuse if James and his Aunt Merle Turner allow Inez to see
them at Merle's place. Therefore, I am seeking that this
Petition for Temporary Child Protection extend to Inez
Luellen from appearing anywhere near my home at 337 Rabbit
Track Road, or to my mother's house at 338 Rabbit Track
Road, Granby.
5. Respondent, James Baldwin, has held it over my head
for months that he was going to run off with our two
youngest children if I didn't straighten out. However,
James would neither get a real job, nor help take care of
the children during these months. He would disappear around
7:00 a.m., not help put the children on the bus and appear
10-12 hours later around 6-8 o'clock p.m. from his work with
the bird lady. James never helped chase down JJ from running
out of the house once.
Since part of James' plea bargain and probation was that
he gain and keep a job, James prevailed upon me to claim
that his job with the bird lady was a real job, although
there was no pay stubs nor record of withholding. As a
result my food stamps for the entire month was reduced by
$200 and all James would give me was $20 or less per week.
Since my entire income consists of nothing more than my son
Adam's SSI check (now reduced because of James' fraudulent
claim of employment income), what the Division of Family
Services forwards me from my first husband's child support,
and food stamps (also reduced because of James' fraud.
Therefore, in the event of a reconciliation, I request
that James' probation be moved from unsupervised to
supervised probation so that James will be able to help, as
opposed to hindering, the actual financial support of his
two children, JJ and Henry, as opposed to making my two
oldest children, Helen and Adam Deines, subsidize them.
6. I am concerned for the health and well being of my
children, JJ and Henry, living with James at his Aunt Merle
Turner's house. Not only am I unable to protect these
children from James Baldwin refusing to take his mental
illness medication, and from Inez, James' mother, but his
Aunt Merle doesn't keep her bigger children from beating on
her own smaller children, and my children are much smaller
than his Aunt Merle's smallest children. His Aunt Merle's
home is no fit place for my small children.
7. I am willing to discuss with my husband, James
Baldwin, a reconciliation, although he is wanting a divorce.
However, my husband shall have to keep his mother Inez away
from our house, James shall have to take his mental illness
medication, and James shall have to actually get and keep a
job, back like he used to in 2001.
Right now I am informed that I am back under the thumb of
the Division of Family Services and shall have to endure
their hounding. I find it disgusting that after going to
all of the trouble to convict James of child endangerment
that they should let James skate on letting him have the
children, when he has done nothing for them, not even
support them financially. I am currently relying on my
mother and her long-time companion, the grandparents of all
these children to help me raise my children like they helped
raise the first two.
7. Further, Affiant sayeth not, except to request that
this Court, for the good of the minor children Jonathan
James Baldwin and Henry David Allen Baldwin grant Petitioner
a temporary Order for Child Protection, and that upon
further due consideration and granting Respondent his day
before this Court, that this temporary Order be made
permanent.
-s-
_____________________________
Amalie Baldwin
337 Rabbit Track Road, Granby Missouri 64844
(417) 472-XXXX [phone # deleted]
Subscribed and sworn to before me this _16th_ day of May,
2003
Judy Anne Day
Notary Public
My commission expires April 7, 2003
.
Affidavit of Mathew David Whittenburg
Comes now Mathew David Whittenburg and after being duly
sworn on my oath states the following:
1. I am 16 years of age.
2. I live with my father, Wayne Dunmire and mother,
Deborah Ann Dunmire, two brothers, Daniel Joe (usually
called DJ) Whittenburg, and Wayne Dunmire III, both younger
than myself at 1173 Farm Road 2015, Monett, Missouri, 65708.
Our telephone number is (417) 23X-XXXX. [Phone # deleted]
3. On or about 11:00 a.m. the morning of January 17, 2003,
I, myself and the live-in babysitter Tammy Hanke were in
the living room of my mother's first cousin Amalie Baldwin
and her husband James Baldwin at 337 Rabbit Track Road,
Granby Missouri 64850. Amalie Baldwin had been removed from
her home the night before on Thursday, January 16, 2003 at
approximately 8:30 p.m., by an arrest by Newton County
Sheriff's Deputies for alleged forgery of a prescription
drug. All four of Amalie's children, Helen Fay Sue Deines,
6 years old (born January 29, 1996) and (Malachi) Adam
Deines, four years old (born March 7, 1998), from Amalie's
first marriage and Jonathan James Baldwin (called JJ), two
years (born Feb. 26, 2000) and Henry David Allen Baldwin, 20
months old (born April 27, 2001), biological children of
James and Amalie Baldwin were in the home. That night, after
Amalie's arrest, all four children had spent the night at
their grandparent's home across the street at 338 Rabbit
Track Road, Granby because all four children had been
removed from the home by the Newton County Division of
Family Services (DFS) on September 26, 2002 and returned on
Oct. 25, 2002. James Baldwin was under information accused
of kicking his stepson Adam Deines in the face and charged
with a Class-A misdemeanor of child endangerment. (James
pled guilty to the charge on Feb. 4, 2003.) James Baldwin
had also been charged with sexual molestation of his female
first cousin while a juvenile, and the DFS was aware of it,
and it was feared that the DFS wouldn't allow James to be
alone with his children, especially his stepchildren. I had
been on the telephone calling to my girlfriend Tammy the
night of Thursday, January 16th, when the deputy sheriffs
arrested Amalie. My mother and father dropped me off the
morning of January 17th. The stepchildren Helen and Adam
Deines were taken to our home east of Monett, as planned
after school, so that in case the DFS people came by that
DFS couldn't claim that James had abused his stepchildren,
especially Adam, in the absence of their mother, Amalie
Baldwin.
James was distracted and agitated that morning, running
between the front room and the kitchen, when the baby,
Henry, tugged on James's pant leg, wanting attention. James
lashed out with his foot, kicking the baby in the midsection
and making the baby fly a couple of feet into the living
room. The baby landed on his butt, and was too astounded for
a second and decided to cry. Tammy, the live-in babysitter
demanded to know what James was thinking. James responded
that he "simply couldn't take all the stress," that they,
the children were "driving him up the wall," and put his
head in his hands and walked out the front door for a few
minutes. Then James came back and said nothing about it,
although he was agitated for at least another half hour or
so.
It was agreed between myself and the babysitter that it
would be best if nothing was said to the grandparents living
across the street, especially Martin Lindstedt, right away
for fear that they would make something of the matter. They
were working on getting Amalie out of jail as soon as
possible with a petition for release on her own recognizance
and James was going to visit Amalie at the Newton County
jail at 1:30 p.m. My mother had taken James' stepchildren
for the weekend and it was thought that the DFS wouldn't
think that James would kick or abuse his own biological
children. I told my mother what happened. Sometime after
they got Amalie out of jail and back home my mother told
Amalie and Roxie Fausnaught, Amalie's mother living across
the street and some time later, within the month, Martin
Lindstedt was informed as to what was going on, after the
DFS worker from McDonald County named Mike Storm made an
inspection of the home and Adam Deines' body on Feb. 8,
2003. Martin Lindstedt allowed the DFS worker Storm to view
Adam's body and it was judged best that he didn't know about
this matter so that he could deal more effectively with DFS.
4. Around 3:30 p.m. on December 31, 2002, myself, my
friend Jimmy Bryant, and the live-in babysitter Tammy Hanke,
were sitting on the couch, while James' mother, Inez Luellen
was going off on the four children. Inez has been convicted
of child abuse and neglect in the raising of her son James
and his sister, both of whom were taken away by the Division
of Family Services. Inez was waiting for her boyfriend Terry
to come home from the truck before buying alcohol for the
New Year's celebration. Inez had just sent the older
children, Helen and Adam Deines, to the children's bedroom,
in between the living front room and James and Amalie's
bedroom and the bathroom. The two youngest, James' sons
Jonathan James (called JJ) and Henry were still in the front
room, squealing and wrestling with each other when Inez went
off on them. Inez screamed that these children didn't obey
James and Amalie and didn't obey or respect her either and
she was going to teach them to mind. Then she picked up
Henry and threw him a few feet into a chair and kicked JJ.
Me and my friend Jimmy Bryant got up and told Inez that if
she touched the kids any more we were going to lay hands on
her and make her stop. The live-in babysitter, Tammy Hanke,
ran to James' and Amalie's bedroom to tell them what was
going on. According to what I heard from Tammy, age 17 at
the time, she told James what was going on, and James didn't
even get up from playing his Nintendo game and simply said,
"If that's what it takes to make them kids mind, then that's
what it takes." Amalie wanted to get up and chew out Inez,
James' mother, for being mean to the kids but James wouldn't
let her. Meanwhile in the front room, Inez got mad because
James wouldn't go to the front room and support her, so she
went outside to cool off. We checked the two youngest
babies for damage and JJ had a bruise on one of his legs
where Inez had kicked him and Henry had a bruise on his arm
where Inez had grabbed him before she had thrown him into
the chair. Inez came back into the house, and then left
because she wasn't being supported by James or Amalie.
Later in the evening she still was mad.
There was no alcohol on the premises yet and none had
been bought for the New Year's Party when this activity
happened. Nobody was drunk. Inez was not drunk. All of the
children, Helen and Adam Deines, JJ and Henry Baldwin were
sent across the street to spend the night with their
grandparents because it wasn't a school night and Roxie
Fausnaught and Martin Lindstedt can't stand Inez.
I didn't say anything about this matter except to my
mother, Deborah Dunmire, who might of told Roxie Fausnaught,
Amalie's mother, but didn't tell Martin Lindstedt until a
month or so had passed.
5. Further Affiant sayeth not.
-s-
________________________
Mathew David Whittenburg
Subscribed and sworn to before me this _15th_ day of May,
2003
-s-
_________________________
Judy Ann Day, Notary Public
My commission expires April 7, 2007
.
Affidavit of Tammy Kaci Renea Hanke
Comes now Tammy Hanke and after being duly sworn on my
oath states the following:
1. I am 18 years of age.
2. I am a live-in babysitter for James and Amalie
Baldwin's children at 337 Rabbit Track Road, Granby,
Missouri 64833. I lived with James and Amalie from November
28, 2002 to Feb. 24, 2003, when I moved into my boyfriend's
house at 1173 Farm Road 2015, Monett, Missouri, 65708 at the
request of Mathew David Dunmire's mother, Deborah Dunmire,
to help along with her pregnancy. I moved back to James and
Amalie Baldwin's house on 337 Rabbit Track Road on May 11,
2003. The events described below happened when I lived with
James and Amalie Baldwin.
3. On or about 11:00 a.m. the morning of January 17, 2003,
I and Mathew David Dunmire, the oldest son of Amalie
Baldwin's first cousin Deborah Dunmire, were in the living
room of Amalie Baldwin and her husband James Baldwin at 337
Rabbit Track Road, Granby Missouri 64850. Amalie Baldwin
had been removed from her home the night before on Thursday,
January 16, 2003, by an arrest by Newton County Sheriff's
Deputies for alleged forgery of a prescription drug. All
four of Amalie's children, Helen Deines, 6 years old (born
January 29, 1996) and (Malachi) Adam Deines, four years old
(born March 7, 1998), from Amalie's first marriage and
Jonathon James Baldwin, two years (born Feb. 26, 2000) and
Henry David Allen Baldwin, 20 months old (born April 27,
2001), biological children of James and Amalie Baldwin were
in the home. That night, after Amalie's arrest, all four
children had spent the night at their grandparent's home
across the street at 338 Rabbit Track Road, Granby because
all four children had been removed from the home by the
Newton County Division of Family Services (DFS) on September
26, 2002 and returned on Oct. 25, 2002. James Baldwin was
under information accused of kicking his stepson Adam Deines
in the face and charged with a Class-A misdemeanor of child
endangerment. (James pled guilty to the charge, State of
Missouri vs. Merle James Baldwin, Case # CR402-2047 F(M), on
Feb. 4, 2003.) James Baldwin had also been charged with
sexual molestation of his female first cousin while a
juvenile, and the DFS was aware of it, and it was feared
that the DFS wouldn't allow James to be alone with his
children, especially his stepchildren. James' stepchildren
Helen and Adam Deines were to be sent for the weekend to
Deborah Dunmire's home east of Monett, so that in case the
DFS people came by that DFS couldn't claim that James had
abused his stepchildren, especially Adam, in the absence of
their mother, Amalie Baldwin.
James was distracted and agitated, running between the
front room and the kitchen, when the baby, Henry, tugged on
James's pant leg, wanting attention. James lashed out with
his foot, kicking the baby in the midsection and making the
baby fly a couple of foot into the living room. The baby
landed on his butt, and was too astounded for a second and
decided to cry. I demanded to know what James was thinking.
James responded that he "simply couldn't take all the
stress," that they, the children were "driving him up the
wall," and put his head in his hands and walked out the
front door for a few minutes. Then James came back and said
nothing about it, although he was agitated for at least
another half hour.
It was agreed between Mathew Whittenburg and myself that
it would be best if nothing was said to the grandparents
living across the street, especially Martin Lindstedt, right
away for fear that the grandparents would make something of
the matter. They were working on getting Amalie out of jail
as soon as possible with a petition for release on own
recognizance and James was going to visit Amalie at the
Newton County jail at 1:30 p.m.
4. Around 3:30 p.m. on December 31, 2002, myself,
Mathew Whittenburg and Mathew's friend Jimmy Bryant were
sitting on the couch, while James' mother, Inez Luellen was
going off on the four children. Inez has been convicted of
child abuse and neglect in the raising of her son James and
his sister, both of whom were taken away by the Division of
Family Services. Inez was waiting for her boyfriend Terry to
come home from the truck before buying alcohol for the New
Year's celebration. Inez had just sent the older children,
Helen and Adam Deines, to the children's bedroom, in between
the living front room and James and Amalie's bedroom and the
bathroom. The two youngest, James' sons Jonathon James
(called JJ) and Henry were still in the front room,
squealing and wrestling with each other when Inez went off
on them. Inez screamed that these children didn't obey
James and Amalie and didn't obey or respect her either and
so she was going to teach them to mind. Then she picked up
Henry and threw him a few feet into a chair and kicked JJ.
Mathew Whittenberg and Jimmy Bryant dealt with Inez to make
her stop, while I ran to James' and Amalie's back bedroom to
tell them what was going on. I told James what was going
on, and James didn't even get up from playing his Nintendo
game and simply said, "If that's what it takes to make them
kids mind, then that's what it takes." Amalie wanted to get
up and chew out Inez, James' mother, for being mean to the
kids but James wouldn't let her. I and Mathew checked the
two youngest babies for damage and JJ had a bruise on one of
his legs where Inez had kicked him and Henry had a bruise on
his arm where Inez had grabbed him before she had thrown him
into the chair. Inez came back into the house, and then left
because she wasn't being supported by James or Amalie.
There was no alcohol on the premises yet because none
had been bought for the New Year's Party when this activity
happened. Inez was not drunk. The older two children, Helen
and Adam Deines were sent across the street to spend the
night with their grandparents because they didn't intend to
party that night or go out.
5. I moved back to James and Amalie Baldwin's house on
337 Rabbit Track Road on May 11, 2003. My boyfriend, Mathew
Whittenburg is going to enter Job Corps around the first of
June and so I decided to move back to James' and Amalie's
house, help them with the babysitting, and seek employment
and help out with the room and board.
On the morning of May 13, 2003, James asked me to
distract Amalie by getting her in the back bedroom while he
stood in the doorway between the kitchen calculating how
long it would take him to grab anything.
On the afternoon of May 13, 2003, James waited until the
car loaded with Martin Lindstedt, Amalie Baldwin, Roxie
Fausnaught and Helen and Adam Deines left for their meetings
and a half hour or so later, around 6:05 p.m., his Aunt
Merle Turner and her boyfriend John came over in John's
pickup truck and her new car. They immediately started
loading up the children's clothing, diapers, toys, the
ferret, the puppy, the Nintendo 64, the back bedroom TV set,
his clothes and tools. Due to James' planning, it took
approximately 20 to 30 minutes and then they left.
I informed James that nobody minds that he left, but it
wasn't right to separate the children from each other.
James said that they were his kids, that they weren't being
properly taken care of by Amalie, and that he had been
planning this move with his mother and his Aunt Merle for
quite some time and was going to take advantage of the
opportunity.
6. The older children, Helen and Adam Deines, miss
their little brothers quite a bit. Helen helps her mother
take care of the smaller children quite a bit.
I have not seen James bother to take care of his own
children, much less all of them. Amalie has a tendency to
shove off child-rearing and housekeeping chores on myself,
but James doesn't do anything at all.
7. Further Affiant sayeth not.
-s- Tammy Hanke
_________________________
Tammy Hanke
C/o 337 Rabbit Track Road
Granby, Missouri 6484
Subscribed and sworn to before me this _16th_ day of May,
2003
Judy Anne Day
Notary Public
My commission expires April 7, 2003
.
Affidavit of Martin Fredrick Lindstedt
Comes now Martin Lindstedt and after being duly sworn on
my oath states the following:
1. I am 45 years of age.
2. I am the grandparent of Helen Deines, 7 years old
(born January 29, 1996), (Malachi) Adam Deines, five years
old (born March 7, 1998), Jonathon James Baldwin, three
years (born Feb. 26, 2000), Henry David Allen Baldwin, two
years old (born April 27, 2001). While I am not married to
Amalie Baldwin's mother, Roxie Fausnaught, we have been
living together for over sixteen years, my grandchildren
whom I have helped raise consider me their grandpa, and even
the Newton County Division of Family Services (DFS), with
which I have tangled admit in their own documents that I am
these children's grandfather. I live at 338 Rabbit Track
Road, Granby Missouri with Roxie Fausnaught. The Baldwin
residence, directly across the street from me, at 337 Rabbit
Track Road, was purchased by my brother, Mike Lindstedt, and
resold to Amalie and her first husband, Shawn Deines, and
then after the divorce, to Amalie and James Baldwin. I take
great interest in the health, welfare, and safety of my
grandchildren.
3. When the children were taken by the DFS last
September 26, 2002, I worked hard to get the children
returned to the custody of their parents. I helped Amalie
Baldwin file a Notice of Appeal to the Missouri Court of
Appeals challenging the order of Judge Killebrew giving them
custody to DFS, and the children were returned 29 days
later. Upon filing a Motion to Dismiss Without Prejudice to
the Missouri Court of Appeals, which was granted, the Newton
County Prosecutor, Scott Watson filed charges against James
Baldwin for endangerment of a child for allegedly kicking
his stepson, (Malachi) Adam Deines, in the face.
In mid November 2002, between Nov. 4, 2002 when James
Baldwin was served notice of these charges, and before
November 26, 2003 when James showed up for arraignment and
getting a public defender to represent himself, one weekday
night around 7:30, I saw Adam Deines sitting on the floor of
his bedroom paying no attention to what his stepfather was
telling him to do. I then seen James quickly kick Adam in
the buttocks and then draw back his foot. Seeing the look
of surprise on Adam's face, I said, "It's all right, Bub,"
(Bub or Bubbie is the household name for Adam Deines). I
then turned to James and told him, "We just got out from
under having DFS take these children away from us under the
excuse that you kicked this very boy in the face. I don't
need Bubba going to school the next morning and telling the
school teacher that `Daddy James just kicked me again last
night.' You yourself were charged with a felony, reduced to
a misdemeanor for this very same conduct. It doesn't matter
whether or not you leave a bruise to 'those people,' we'll
have to go through this nightmare all over again if you
simply cannot control that petty little temper of yours."
James hemmed and hawed, trying to explain how it was Adam's
fault. James never takes responsibility for anything. I
explained that spanking Adam on the buttocks with his hand
was legal, but kicking him there was not. I also explained
that if he hurt the children that I would hurt him a lot
harder and much more thoroughly. If there were any broken
bones or major bruising that I would forgo corporal
punishment of James and make a police complaint myself
against him.
I did not report this incident to anyone other than
Amalie and her mother, Roxie. Adam didn't have a bruise on
his butt, James' kick was quick and unexpected. I did talk
to Adam and Helen Deines, James' stepchildren, and
instructed them to tell myself and Roxie Fausnaught if James
hit or touched them inappropriately on their private parts.
I did not trust Amalie with the job of safeguarding the
children's interests because she would let James get away
with anything short of major harm to the children.
4. On November 26, 2002, after James Baldwin's
arraignment, there was a final sit-down with the DFS people,
Jill Braden and Bea Watson and myself, James and Amalie.
The DFS people claimed that they couldn't do anything about
James' charges. They talked about how James needed to find a
job. I mentioned that James could work at Granby House, the
senior nursing home and Bea Watson hinted that James
wouldn't be able to work with seniors. It had something to
do with James' past. Afterwards, I asked James what he was
in juvenile jail for, and after some evasion, told me that
it was for sexual molestation of an underage girl. I asked
if it was for molesting his sister, because she won't have
anything to do with either James or his mother Inez, and
James admitted that he had molested his first cousin Shana,
daughter of his Aunt Merle.
I went over to the Newton County Courthouse to see
criminal files and could find none on James Baldwin because
he was a juvenile at the time. I did get the criminal file
on James' father, Leuper Baldwin, who molested my
granddaughter Helen Deines, and found out the Leuper has
gotten away scot-free with child molestation by virtue of a
non-signed by any judge `Request for Non-Trial Setting'
filed by his lawyer. James' dad got away with child
molestation thanks to Scott Watson.
I confronted James with his criminal history of child
molestation, his mother Inez's conviction for child abuse
and neglect, his father's getting away with child
molestation, and his Aunt Merle's letting James molest her
own daughter. James' entire family is a pack of child
molesters.
James takes no responsibility for his actions. James has
told me that since he was molested as a child both by his
mother's boyfriends and the foster parents that DFS assigned
to him, that he didn't think it was wrong for him to molest
his first cousin, Merle's daughter. I have instructed my
granddaughter Helen to inform myself and Roxie if James
touches her like James' father Leuper touched her and Helen
says that she knows and she will.
I cannot believe that the Division of Family Services
thinks that it is safe for James to take his biological
children, Jonathan James (called JJ) and Henry Baldwin to a
family with such a history of child abuse and neglect. I am
morally certain that if left in that environment that both
these small children will be sexually, physically, and
mentally abused before reaching the age of puberty.
James' Aunt Merle Turner has two retarded boys. The
oldest, Gary, has a violent criminal record. The oldest
girl, Shana, has been molested by James when he lived with
his Aunt Merle. There is a daughter, Missy, who looks
healthy. There is another boy, named Josh, who is profoundly
retarded, around eight or nine years old, obese, and with
the mind of a three year old, if that. This boy simply
cannot refrain from hitting his little brother, Mikey, who
seems of normal intellect, but has diabetes, or something
else physically wrong with him. If James' Aunt Merle cannot
or will not prevent her huge retarded child from hitting his
very own younger brother, then how is she going to prevent
that child from hitting infants of three or two years of
age, even if she wanted to?
There is a clear and present danger in James having
control of his two biological children in that environment.
5. James informed me as early last year around July or
August of his intentions to run off with his two children.
This intention has become more and more openly stated,
especially the last month or so. When asked how James
intended to support his children when James will not get a
job to support himself or his two children, James has
informed me of his intentions of becoming a `welfare dad'
and having his grandmother or his Aunt Merle raise his two
children.
James has not had a job, other than under-the-counter
jobs for cash by the day, since 2001. James lied to myself
about being laid-off at Talbot Wire when in fact he was
fired for inefficiency. James has signed promise after
promise to work, both to the Division of Family Services and
as part of his probation agreement. Only the promise of
incarceration might make James work, and possibly not even
then.
The last six to eight weeks James has disappeared around
7:30 a.m. and only come back around dark, spending 10-12
hours a day with this elderly woman who pays him something
for keeping her exotic birds fed, cleaned, and watered. When
James would come home, he would make all of the children,
his own and his step-children come home from my house and go
to bed.
I was informed two weeks ago by Roxie that James and
Amalie had their food stamps cut by $200 because James
claimed to have a job which paid five dollars an hour.
However, no W-2 or W-4 forms were signed, no Social Security
or taxes withheld. Amalie claims that she seen only $20 per
week. This means that James' pretense at work took $120 in
food stamps out of feeding the children.
On the evening of Tuesday, May 13, 2003, I drove Roxie
Fausnaught and Amalie to their American Legion meeting and
the two oldest grandchildren, Helen and Adam Dienes to see
their father Shawn Deines and eat chili at Wendy's. I
brought Shawn back to spend the night at my house and visit
his biological children. When we got home, Tammy Hanke, the
babysitter informed us that James and his Aunt Merle and
Merle's boyfriend John had taken the infants JJ and Henry,
some of their clothes, the ferret, one puppy, and the family
dog to his Aunt Merle's. James had waited for his
opportunity to run off and had taken it with money he had
squirreled away from being paid to feed the bird lady's
birds.
I am informed by Amalie Baldwin that James intends to
file for divorce and keep his two children at his Aunt
Merle's.
6. James has informed me twice that as far as he is
concerned that he doesn't want his stepchildren Helen and
Adam and would just as soon that myself and Roxie get
custody of them. Amalie didn't like the notion and said that
James was kidding. However, most of the money to keep the
entire household across the street came from child support
filtered through the DFS from Amalie's first husband, an SSI
check on Adam Deines, and food stamps. James contributed
little or nothing to family upkeep and Amalie certainly
wasn't going to have that money go to her mother, Roxie
Fausnaught, by having her have custody of the two oldest
children.
7. Amalie can be, and is, rather lazy, fat and indolent.
She doesn't always get up in the morning to send the two
oldest children off to school. Her third child, Jonathan
James Baldwin, is an undisciplined and unruly child addicted
to running out of the house and into the street. The other
three children combined are not the discipline problem that
JJ is. And Amalie will shove off most of her parental
responsibilities to the babysitter, myself and Roxie, and
her oldest child, Helen, whenever possible.
However, Amalie has never abused any of her children
insofar as I can see. She does keep her children clean, in
good clothes, and well fed. Myself and her mother, Roxie
Fausnaught have helped raise her children, especially Helen
and Adam Deines, and they have turned out good so far.
I would prefer that Amalie Baldwin, raise, insofar as
possible, her own children, including her youngest children,
with my and Roxie's support as has been the case for the
past seven years. However, if necessary, myself and Roxie
are prepared to raise our grandchildren ourselves, and will
move into a larger house, a double-wide trailer down the
street at 378 Rabbit Track Road. As the grandparents of all
four children, we have by law the first opportunity to raise
them, at an expense to the taxpayers of far less than what
it would cost for foster care, or what it costs for Amalie
Baldwin to maintain her separate household.
8. Further Affiant sayeth not.
________________________
Martin Lindstedt
338 Rabbit Track Road
Granby Missouri 64844
(417) 472-6901
Subscribed and sworn to before me this _16th_ day of May,
2003
Judy Anne Day
Notary Public
My commission expires April 7, 2003
.
.
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