A group of Minnesota parents has asked a federal judge to strike down Minnesota’s child protection laws, saying they are overly broad and put children at risk of being removed from safe and loving homes. In a letter filed in federal court Tuesday, the parents are seeking a court order declaring that certain state laws that govern when and how children can be removed from their homes are unconstitutional and deprive families of due process. The growing parents’ association, Stop Child Protection Services From Legally Kidnapping, said it has documented nearly 50 cases in 23 counties across the state in which children were wrongly removed and placed into foster care, based on false or disputed evidence. “Families are being abused, and in some cases, destroyed, as a result of laws that are inappropriate,” said Dwight Mitchell, the lead plaintiff in the case and founder of the parents’ group. “This is legal kidnapping.” The legal action marks an … [Read more...] about Minnesota parents seek a statewide ban on child removals, allege abuses
Parental kidnapping laws state
Victim’s family seeks investigation into former law enforcement handling of Welch cold case
WELCH — Dwayne Vancil wasn't surprised by the names of three new suspects in the December 1999 killings of his brother, sister-in-law, niece and his niece's friend. He first got word from a friend that the trio was involved within two weeks of the discovery of the dead bodies of Danny and Kathy Freeman and the disappearance of 16-year-olds Ashley Freeman and Lauria Bible."I was on these guys the first couple of weeks. I was in Chetopa, Kansas, and called the former OSBI agent on the case and told him, you’ve got to come up here. He totally dismissed it. He said he was on to some people in the Bluejacket, Timber Hill area," Vancil said. "This case was grossly mishandled by previous law enforcement and there’s no reason this shouldn’t have been solved within a matter of weeks. We potentially had the opportunity to get the girls back alive — that’s the real tragedy."At a news conference Monday in Vinita, authorities announced that three … [Read more...] about Victim’s family seeks investigation into former law enforcement handling of Welch cold case
Dad’s lawsuit says Dakota County ‘legally kidnapped’ his son
Dwight Mitchell says spanking his child led to Dakota County social services tearing his family apart. Mitchell filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday against the county and Minnesota Department of Human Services. He hopes the case will result in widespread changes to the child protection system that will keep other parents from unfairly losing their children. State laws need to be updated and racial bias in the system needs to be addressed, Mitchell said. “I knew something had to be done about this tragic situation,” Mitchell said during a Tuesday afternoon news conference at the Capitol of his decision to take legal action. The lawsuit describes Mitchell as a management consultant who works in Minnesota and commutes home to New Jersey on the weekends. State and county officials said they had not seen the lawsuit and declined to comment. Typically, they do not discuss individual child protection cases. SEPARATION CAUSED STRUGGLES Dakota County child protection … [Read more...] about Dad’s lawsuit says Dakota County ‘legally kidnapped’ his son
Update: Teens in 1999 cold case kidnapped, raped and strangled, document states
Update, 3:00 p.m.: Authorities on Monday announced they have arrested and charged a man in the deaths of a Welch couple and two girls who have been missing since 1999.District Attorney Matt Ballard announced Ronnie Dean Busick, 66, is charged in Craig County District Court with four counts of first-degree murder-malice aforethought, four counts of accessory to murder in the first degree, two counts of kidnapping and one count of first-degree arson and accessory to arson in the first degree. He is in custody at the Harvey County, Kansas jail.Busick's charges are in connection with the December 1999 slayings of Danny and Kathy Freeman, their daughter Ashley and her friend, Lauria Bible, 16, who had stayed overnight at the Freeman home to celebrate Ashley’s 16th birthday.The two other suspects in the case were identified as Warren Phillip Welch II, 61, who died in 2007, and David A. Pennington, 56, who died in 2015.The teenagers were kidnapped, tied up, raped by the three men, held … [Read more...] about Update: Teens in 1999 cold case kidnapped, raped and strangled, document states
China has been kidnapping its expats from countries around the world — and it may be happening in the US
Members from the pro-democracy Civic Party carry a portrait of Lee Bo (L) and Gui Minhai before they protest outside Chinese Liaison Office in Hong Kong, China January 19, 2016. Bobby Yip/Reuters In recent years, the Beijing government's forced repatriation of Chinese nationals — who are considered to have committed a crime — has been advancing quickly. There have been cases of kidnapping and pressurized exit in countries such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, with the Chinese government claiming to have repatriated over 3,000 people since 2012. In the U.S. State Department, concerns have arisen that such instances of forced repatriation have already taken place in America. Before he disappeared from his luxury apartment at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong on Jan. 27, 2017, Xiao Jianhua, a Chinese-Canadian billionaire, favored female bodyguards. Why, exactly, was unclear: Perhaps he simply liked being surrounded by women; perhaps he … [Read more...] about China has been kidnapping its expats from countries around the world — and it may be happening in the US