OT: call to action

[Guest guest]

Don't know if you all remember my posting about , the 9

year old boy with autism who was allegedly abused by the Learn Center

in Clinton TN I think in late Aug or early Sept. Well, just spoke with

the mother today, evidently she was told by the DA's office that it

could take 3-4 YEARS to investigate the crime, which was video taped

by the school, mom has posession of the tap if I'm not mistaken.

HEre's what we need: We need everyone who can to call both Detective

Becker & DA & ask them, respectfully, why charges have not been

brought and when they will expect to be able to bring charges or

dismiss the case. Please be respectful, I don't want to be ugly, just

persistent. Below is the contact info, and beneath that is my letter

summarizing events as I know it. If we don't get anything back from

them by Tuesday, I'm going to fax it all over the country to everyone

I can think of.

TIA,

Debi

District Attorney

Detective Vaughn Becker

Here is the mother's email if you want to contact her personally:

im2old4that@...

January 11, 2008

To Whom It May Concern:

On or around October 16, 2008 I read an article from Knoxville

News-Sentinel in Knoxville, TN, that told a story of alleged abuse on

a nine year-old boy, . This story alleges that Learn

Center in Clinton, TN physically and mentally abused the boy for

hours, and alleges kidnapping by refusing to hand over the child to

the mother for hours. I then made phone and email contact with Ms.

Malissa , 's mother, to share my concern for this story.

I was sent pages of pictures through electronic mail, available upon

request, showing red and bruise marks to the child's face, arms,

abdomen, back, and legs. It was the mother's assertion that these

marks were given at the hands of staff from Learn Center under the

guise of Cornell's Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI.)

I contacted TN's Department of Children Services (DCS) and spoke with

" Demia " on or around October 16, 2007 at 1:33pm. It was my

understanding of her comments that DCS only handles childcare center

abuse issues, not public school issues, and that it is a law

enforcement issue. According to Ms. , the various law enforcement

officials she contacted refused to address the reports of alleged

abuse, or to file any complaints or investigations, as I told Demia

with DCS.

On or around October 16, 2007 at 3:15pm I contacted Clinton City

Police Department and Detective Becker, and left a message stating I

was a part of Autism Society of America, East Tennessee Chapter and

was in contact with Ms. regarding the alleged abuse, as well as

being under the impression from Ms. that for five days of her

continual requests, they refused to investigate the allegations.

On or around October 16, 2007 at 3:25pm I spoke with Mr. Lane

who stated Ms. should file a grievance with the mayor's office

and to call the local district attorney, as it is their authority to

investigate.

On or around October 16, 2007 at 3:30pm I contacted County's

District Attorney's office of . I spoke with Lynn Lucas who

said Ms. might have spoken with Ms. Gracie , that most in

the office were away until the following week. I explained to Ms.

Lucas that Ms. and/or myself wanted to file a grievance for

failing to investigate the alleged crime and that I could not state

strongly enough how important it was to investigate the allegation of

abuse on a disabled child by school authorities.

Since these calls I have corresponded with Ms. . Around Christmas

holidays of 2007 it was my understanding from Ms. that Detective

Becker was investigating the alleged acts against her son and that the

case was nearing a close. Evidently, as of January 12, 2008 there has

been no resolution to which his mother or I are aware.

I find the allegation of abuse by those trained in Cornell's

Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI), particularly after TCI was

notified years prior of Knox County School's failure on multiple

levels to deliver proper restraint on a six year-old little girl,

Mallory, that Cornell continues to allow their trainees to

allegedly abuse disabled children horrific and inexcusable. I would

publicly ask TCI to explain just how they can continually " train "

people to deliver restraint that is, in the paraphrased words of their

own manual, proof of failed programming on the part of the institution

using restraint.

I find the alleged abuse by the Learn Center in Clinton to be horrific

and inexcusable. I publicly ask that any and all entities focused on

abuse of children, particularly those who advocate for those with

disabilities to step forward in demanding full and complete

investigation of the alleged abuse by this facility. I publicly ask

any and all news media to fully investigate and report on these

allegations, as well as investigate and report on any potential or

perceived cover up from employees of the Learn Center to law

enforcement and court officers.

I find the amount of time the court and law enforcement officers of

County and Clinton City have wasted in investigating this

alleged abuse to be horrific and inexcusable. Murder investigations

have taken far less time than alleged child abuse, particularly when

the alleged acts took place on video that has been court-ordered to

not be destroyed, as I understand it. I call on any and all law and

court officers to come forward and fully and completely investigate

this allegation of abuse quickly and to file charges against any who

stand responsible. Not only does this little boy have a right to face

his alleged abusers in court, but these who are alleged to have abused

him have a right to have their day in court to answer the allegations,

and a right to have their name cleared, should the court find it to be so.

I assert publicly and to those who have been involved in the alleged

abuse that there has been foot-dragging and refusal to investigate

allegations of multiple criminal and civil acts. I am no attorney,

only a concerned citizen, but it is my understanding law enforcement

has a full and complete obligation to investigate any perceived crime

against a child. I publicly assert those who have jurisdiction over

alleged child abuse at Learn Center in Clinton, TN have, to date,

failed to properly investigate this alleged crime and call on

authorities over and above to investigate why this child has not had

these alleged acts expedited.

I welcome any written or public response to my concerns and am happy

to provide a full log of my correspondence to the media or officials

investigating the alleged abuse or my assertion of the appearance of a

refusal to investigate.

Sincerely,

Deborah Tyree Haney

(Electronically transmitted)