BACK to HOMEPAGE MY STORY (this is my actual journal - beginning Jan 2001 to present) January 2001 My name is Tricia and I am the mother of a victim of child sex abuse. My 8-year-old daughter Juleanna was sexually abused by my husband, (Her step-father). Oh gosh...This gets me so emotional! In June of 1999 I left my husband Tim, after 5 years...He was selling marijuana and (crank; I later found out) Anyways...Selling and hangin'out w/ friends was so much more important than me and the kids...I got sick of it, and left him, and drove 8 hours up to my first husband's sister Patty's house in Starbuck WA! Patty and her husband took my kids & me into their home! Later that summer in Aug'99 I called Tim, told him I had missed him and wanted to come home, with a lot of changes of course. He agreed, and said he'd be willing to fix a lot of things. Well, I then told my sister-in-law Patty that Tim and I were getting back together. She sat the kids down while I was gone to work and told them "Mommy and Daddy are going to get back together". Juleanna became very tearful, quiet and withdrawn from life it seemed to Patty. Patty ask Juleanna (7 yrs old at the time) what was wrong, with no answer Patty had a bad feeling. Juleanna finally told her Aunt Patty what her step-daddy did to her. Oh man...Now for the phone call...Aunt Patty called me at work and said to sit down for the news. "Tim molested Juleanna,� she told me over the phone very quietly. "No way" I firmly replied...I am so ashamed to say, I didn't believe. I made myself believe that my husband whom I'd loved so much could never have done this. I went back to him finally in November '99 after he called me and asked me to come back home! After we were home, I confronted Tim about what I learned over the summer, assuring him that I of course didn't believe that he did it. He just lightly snickered and said "Oh my God, someone had told her to say it" We discussed the topic of sex abuse, he surprised me in telling me about a friend of his who is a registered sex offender...his friend was having sex with his 15 year old daughter and she got him convicted. The shocking part is when he told me that he thought his friend's daughter liked it and told only to get back at her dad for something else. When he told me all this along with "I think girls like it, cause it feels good" I was so stunned. I then sat down with my daughter and told her she had to tell me what happened (she would NEVER tell me before...she only told her Aunt Patty) She finally told me on December 10th 1999. "Dad would wake me up at night when you were at work and take my panties off and touch me on my privates. He showed me his privates and I would close my eyes" She explained all that had took place said it happened many, many times.... TEARS & MORE TEARS! I left Tim that night she told me and went to a friend�s house. Then I went to the police department. Later, she had to have a physical exam (that showed no evidence of physical abuse) at the ABC HOUSE (a wonderful place for children who are victims of sex abuse), and an interview with a detective. She would not disclose to them, or to a social worker. No charges were filed. Now a year has gone by. Juleanna has come a long way with her wonderful counselor�s help (from the ABC HOUSE)! She finally disclosed to the detective on December 13th 2000! One year and two days later from the day she told me! Oh, I am so proud of her! It should be going to Grand Jury by the end of this month, January 2001! Now I am battling another issue...trying to protect my other daughter, Shyanna from having unsupervised visitation with Tim, her dad. Tim is trying to have unsupervised visits with her; he is taking me to court saying I have no grounds to continue the supervised visits. What he doesn't know is Juleanna finally disclosed and charges are going to be brought up before he knows it! YEAH! Update January 10, 2001 I am so excited...today my daughter Juleanna and I were served with subpoenas for Grand Jury! I am so nervous, my daughter is too! I cannot wait to finally get this done... After he is indicted, it'll take about 4 months to go to trial (unless it gets postponed, which often happens). Well, wish us luck! I pray that God gives Juleanna strength to get through all this up coming court stuff. Update Jan 31, 2001 Just writing to let you know that we went to Grand Jury on January 18th! Myself, Aunt Patty, Juleanna, her Therapist, the Doctor, and the two Detectives all testified! Tim has been indicted, charged with 4 counts of sex abuse in the first degree. If convicted, in Oregon, one charge of first degree sex abuse is a mandatory 6 yrs 3 mo prison even if it's a first offense (MEASURE 11, first strike your out law); 4 counts add up to be 25 yrs in Prison. I will keep you informed of the trial...4 to 6 mo away! "MY STORY" CONTINUED... OTHER STORIES HOMEPAGE |