New York Family Law Blog

A young girl was abducted and kept in a hidden compound for 18 years. The man which is alleged to of kidnapped her and fathered two children with her by rape, is in court on Thursday. It’s likely that he will plead guilty which will at least give the girl and the family a small amount of justice says a New York City Family Lawyer.
The girl was kidnapped when she was 11 in 1991 and held, locked up secretly for 18 years. The accused is already a convicted rapist with a long criminal record explains the NYC Family Lawyer. The man was convicted of kidnapping and raping a girl in 1977.
The girl disappeared while she was on her way to school and his caused her family a great deal of distress.
It was thought that the defendant would issue a guilty plea. There was a plea deal which would allow him to stay in jail for the rest of his life if he did plead guilty. However, this did not happen.
There were meetings organized and it was thought to be certain that the man would plead guilty.
However, by surprise the man entered the plea not guilty. The man’s lawyer also alleged that the jury was not properly selected and that they did not act correctly. The hearing saw concerns rose over the selection of the jury.
The Lawyer was asked to submit the concerns in writing. However, it’s not actually clear exactly what the concerns are or how they affect the outcome of the case. It’s important that these two people are held accountable for their actions. It’s also important that a clear message is sent to the community regarding this case.
The pair was thought to plead guilty as it would avoid the girl and her children from needing to testify before the court. The two children fathered by rape are now 13 and 16. The kidnapper is expected to get 431 years to life if found guilty. Judges in New York City and Long Island are harsh when it comes to sentencing in this kind of case.
The girl was reunited with her mother and has requested privacy. She also hasn’t attended any of the hearings and does not want to testify because it would bring the horrible memories flooding back.

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Police have recently charged a man in a worrying case where he left his child alone with a loaded weapon. The man went out and is alleged to of left his five year old daughter alone in the house with a loaded gun explains a New York Family Lawyer. This left his child in extreme danger of being killed, or injured.
While adults will understand that these weapons are dangerous and should not be touched, Children will not. A 5 year old child would not know that the gun wasn’t a toy which is what makes the case even more dangerous.
The 44 year old man was arrested for operating machinery under the influence. The arrest was made during the early evening of March 19th. The Police report has since been obtained by the NYC Family Lawyer.
The police department visited the home of the accused man at 1:09 am. They found the young five year old girl by herself asleep. The girl had obviously gotten herself ready for bed and gone to sleep, which is something her father should have done. This father simply doesn’t deserve to be a dad. Cases like this are taken very seriously in New York City and Queens.
When asked where her father was, she explained that she didn’t know. It is thought that this is a common occurrence in the household and that this is not unusual. The young girl was looked after by the Police until the parents were finally tracked down.
A search of the premises by police discovered two handguns, both of which were loaded and could of killed or wounded. It’s important that this kind of thing is not allowed to happen again. Five year old children should never be left home alone anyway, even if there aren’t any loaded weapons in the house.
Parents should have a good understanding of how to look after children with their best interests in mind. In this case, the father’s instincts were lacking. It’s fortunate that nothing worse happened whilst this child was left home alone. The police department could of quite easily made a much more gruesome and distressing discovery if things were different.

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Remember the good old days when skipping a day of school was not punishable by fines and jail time? Most of us have taken an unscheduled day off of school at one time or another as children, having begged our parents, with sleepy eyes, to just let us stay in bed, suggests a New York Family Lawyer. According to school officials and lawmakers, those days are no longer acceptable. 

Truancy is a big problem in public schools, reports a New York Family Lawyer. A truant child is one who has three or more unexcused absences in a school year. Those just because days are to blame. Authorities are sending a big message that it is not okay for children to miss school just because they don't feel like going.

Although this is not your normal Child Neglect, in New York City and Queens this kind of parental action or lack thereof comes very close.
Now a new law has been enacted that will fine parents of habitually truant children up to $2000 if they do not attempt to see that their children are at their desk each and every day. 

Granted, there are parents who simply do not care whether their kids get an education or not, and these parents are the focus of these heightened penalties. And while a $2000 fine might seem excessive, failing to pay that fine and get your kids up and on the bus could land parents in jail, according to this new law. 

Obviously this bill is targeted towards parents of children whose truancy has become excessive and will not affect a family who decides to take a road trip one day rather than sit in a stuffy classroom or work cubicle, establishes the New York Family Lawyer. Even so, it might make parents think twice when considering the pleas of sleepy children that a day off from school is exactly what they need.

Continue reading "Authorities crack down on truancy by sending non-compliant parents to jail" »