- Report: #174877
Complaint Review: Pinal County Arizona - Apache Junction Arizona
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Pinal County Arizona
31 N. Pinal Street Florence, Az 85232 Apache Junction, 85220 Arizona, U.S.A.
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520-866-6000
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Pinal County Sheriff's Office, Public defenders office, Procecutors Office, Criminal Justice System put my son in harms way, put my mentally ill husband in prison, made statements that were false Apache Junction Arizona
My husband is in prison because he is bi-polar. He attempted suicide on June 30th, 2005. He was having a real hard time we had no money and no insurance either.
The sheriffs office was there two days before this happened I told them how bad he needed help, they did not listen to me. They told me I had better get a restraing order, If I didn't and they came back they would take us all to jail even the kids. I went down the court to get the order, the clerk adv me not to worry about it, it wouldn't be effective unless it was served. She was actually very helpful. She told me If The sheriff did come back just to have him served then maybe they could help me get some help for him. I agreed.
Well I had no choice but to call 911 on the 30th. My husband came home from work and I knew something was terribly wrong, then he matter of factly stated he "was going to die today" He said he was sorry and he loved us, he just could not take it anymore. I called the sheriff to have him served and they said there was not an officer available and it would be at least 45 min to an hour.
Then I saw him in the hallway with knife. Then I called them back as I sent the kids out the window to a neighbers house. I did not want them to know what was going on. By the time I was helping my youngest son out there were 3 officers outside the window. By the time I went out there were 10 or 12 of them.
My husband was not making us stay. He did not threaten anyone at all. They couldn't talk him out so one of the deputies came across the street to get our 10 year old son. I tried to stop him from taking him over there, he said he would arrest me if he had to to get it done. Our 10 year old had to go and stand outside the window, knew his dad wanted to die and there were several officrers behind him with their guns pointed at his dad.
He now thinks it is his fault because he didn't do a good job helping dad. He was looking forward to seeing his dad. I filled out the visitation applications. He took a plea and has to do a year Florence Prison. Our request to visit was denied because the state named us victims in the case. He did not threaten us, but the newspaper said he was threatening us with a knife. Not true.
He was hit with tasers and bean bags and he did cut himself bad enough to need 75 stitches. A counsler at Superstition Mental Health said she she could not believe they didn't call a crisis team to the scene or to the ER. There was no one in the apt except for my husband. They treated it like he had hostages in there.
They said he made a stabbing motion at an officer. That don't make any sense. He was on the phone with a friend, who happens to be married to a police officer. She said when his was hit the first time it was a suprise. They did shoot through the window, I am almost positive the shot through the window before they got through the front door. I can't figure out how he could make stabbing motion at officers that weren't even in the house yet, talk on the phone, cut himself, and get hit with bean bags through the bedroom window.
After all that he want to the hospital for stitches and then was taken straight to jail. His public defender advised him not to get a mental evaluation. He was held on 75,000 bail. They thought he was on probation for a felony at the time this happened but he wasn't. He did get a felony DUI In 2002 and was on prob for three years. That expired in Apr 2005, this happened in June 2005.
They did not bother to find out what he was on probation for. He took a plea for endangerment for the DUI. They assumed he was repeadetly violent.
We will never know if the grand jury was swayed if they thought he was on probation for felony endangerment. No matter what I tried to tell his public defender or the prosecutor, I couldn't get through to them. The victim advocate that worked with me tried to help me too. I faxed over the records where he had been previously diagnosed with depression,what meds he had taken in the past and so on.
Finally in December he was seen by a psychiatrist, and put on medication for bi-polar. He was on it for about a month I think. Then they ran out and he was off it again for another three weeks.
You are probally wondering why I am fighting for him after all of that. It is because we have been married for over 15 years. He was a good provider for for over twelve of those years. I was able to stay home with our sons when they were little and he is a good father. I know there is something wrong, and it is not his fault.
Depression runs in his family. He has two sisters and a brother that have all been treated for depression, Adhd Adult ADD and one of his sisters has been suicidal as well. i gave the courts the family history. I gave the public defender the history and still no one would listen.
If he had thretned me or the kids ot the sheriff deputies I could understand the actions they took. I was telling them prior to this that he needed some help. It was very hard on us and we were scared after all of that.
I was truly grateful to the sheriffs office for saving his life. I thought they did do at least that much. I don't want to be their victim. I don't want to be kept from my husband. The kids want to see him. There is nothing I can do about it.
I went to the al-anon meetings and even talked to a co-dependant counsler one on one. From my perspective the al-anon meetings were a place where these women would meet and accept part of the responsibility for their husbands drinking problem. If they really believed they are powerless over alcohol, why were they in a 12 step program in the first place. The counsler told me that I can change my pattern of getting into relationships troubled ment if I was willing to work hard at it. The only man I have been with is my husband. Is that a pattern? I decided they were on auto pilot with this co-depent epidemic. I don't even think the American Psychiatric Association even acknowledges codepency.
I know that my husband is not the only one crimilized because of a mental illness. There are far too many that are. There are alot of families that are seperated as a result. This can be treated, but I don't agree that the jails and prisons are the place to do it.
Being locked up can actually make his condition worse. The more guilt and shame he endures the worse he can get. I know that because a woman at the Arizona Alliance for the mentally ill said that happens alot. Jail is the last place he needs to be. She encouraged me to fight for him, thats why I am filing this report with you.
Kelly
Apache junction, Arizona
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Apache Junction Arizona
The sheriffs office was there two days before this happened I told them how bad he needed help, they did not listen to me. They told me I had better get a restraing order, If I didn't and they came back they would take us all to jail even the kids. I went down the court to get the order, the clerk adv me not to worry about it, it wouldn't be effective unless it was served. She was actually very helpful. She told me If The sheriff did come back just to have him served then maybe they could help me get some help for him. I agreed.
Well I had no choice but to call 911 on the 30th. My husband came home from work and I knew something was terribly wrong, then he matter of factly stated he "was going to die today" He said he was sorry and he loved us, he just could not take it anymore. I called the sheriff to have him served and they said there was not an officer available and it would be at least 45 min to an hour.
Then I saw him in the hallway with knife. Then I called them back as I sent the kids out the window to a neighbers house. I did not want them to know what was going on. By the time I was helping my youngest son out there were 3 officers outside the window. By the time I went out there were 10 or 12 of them.
My husband was not making us stay. He did not threaten anyone at all. They couldn't talk him out so one of the deputies came across the street to get our 10 year old son. I tried to stop him from taking him over there, he said he would arrest me if he had to to get it done. Our 10 year old had to go and stand outside the window, knew his dad wanted to die and there were several officrers behind him with their guns pointed at his dad.
He now thinks it is his fault because he didn't do a good job helping dad. He was looking forward to seeing his dad. I filled out the visitation applications. He took a plea and has to do a year Florence Prison. Our request to visit was denied because the state named us victims in the case. He did not threaten us, but the newspaper said he was threatening us with a knife. Not true.
He was hit with tasers and bean bags and he did cut himself bad enough to need 75 stitches. A counsler at Superstition Mental Health said she she could not believe they didn't call a crisis team to the scene or to the ER. There was no one in the apt except for my husband. They treated it like he had hostages in there.
They said he made a stabbing motion at an officer. That don't make any sense. He was on the phone with a friend, who happens to be married to a police officer. She said when his was hit the first time it was a suprise. They did shoot through the window, I am almost positive the shot through the window before they got through the front door. I can't figure out how he could make stabbing motion at officers that weren't even in the house yet, talk on the phone, cut himself, and get hit with bean bags through the bedroom window.
After all that he want to the hospital for stitches and then was taken straight to jail. His public defender advised him not to get a mental evaluation. He was held on 75,000 bail. They thought he was on probation for a felony at the time this happened but he wasn't. He did get a felony DUI In 2002 and was on prob for three years. That expired in Apr 2005, this happened in June 2005.
They did not bother to find out what he was on probation for. He took a plea for endangerment for the DUI. They assumed he was repeadetly violent.
We will never know if the grand jury was swayed if they thought he was on probation for felony endangerment. No matter what I tried to tell his public defender or the prosecutor, I couldn't get through to them. The victim advocate that worked with me tried to help me too. I faxed over the records where he had been previously diagnosed with depression,what meds he had taken in the past and so on.
Finally in December he was seen by a psychiatrist, and put on medication for bi-polar. He was on it for about a month I think. Then they ran out and he was off it again for another three weeks.
You are probally wondering why I am fighting for him after all of that. It is because we have been married for over 15 years. He was a good provider for for over twelve of those years. I was able to stay home with our sons when they were little and he is a good father. I know there is something wrong, and it is not his fault.
Depression runs in his family. He has two sisters and a brother that have all been treated for depression, Adhd Adult ADD and one of his sisters has been suicidal as well. i gave the courts the family history. I gave the public defender the history and still no one would listen.
If he had thretned me or the kids ot the sheriff deputies I could understand the actions they took. I was telling them prior to this that he needed some help. It was very hard on us and we were scared after all of that.
I was truly grateful to the sheriffs office for saving his life. I thought they did do at least that much. I don't want to be their victim. I don't want to be kept from my husband. The kids want to see him. There is nothing I can do about it.
I went to the al-anon meetings and even talked to a co-dependant counsler one on one. From my perspective the al-anon meetings were a place where these women would meet and accept part of the responsibility for their husbands drinking problem. If they really believed they are powerless over alcohol, why were they in a 12 step program in the first place. The counsler told me that I can change my pattern of getting into relationships troubled ment if I was willing to work hard at it. The only man I have been with is my husband. Is that a pattern? I decided they were on auto pilot with this co-depent epidemic. I don't even think the American Psychiatric Association even acknowledges codepency.
I know that my husband is not the only one crimilized because of a mental illness. There are far too many that are. There are alot of families that are seperated as a result. This can be treated, but I don't agree that the jails and prisons are the place to do it.
Being locked up can actually make his condition worse. The more guilt and shame he endures the worse he can get. I know that because a woman at the Arizona Alliance for the mentally ill said that happens alot. Jail is the last place he needs to be. She encouraged me to fight for him, thats why I am filing this report with you.
Kelly
Apache junction, Arizona
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Apache Junction Arizona
5 Updates & Rebuttals
Shirley
Dora,Alabama,
U.S.A.
I have a college son that's also bipolar
#2Consumer Comment
Fri, February 24, 2006
I just cannot believe the ignorance from the first two responses. I have a son that was at college and I can tell you that the law does not understand mental illness. There needs to be training for law inforcement officers to keep from making these dumb mistakes. Someone with bipolar disorder who is not on medication will become psychotic, the longer it takes to get treatment the worse this psychosis becomes and the harder it is to treat. It took us 7 years to get our son on the right medications and treatment, but now he is pretty much fine. Your husband needs to be home with you and the kids and he needs to get the correct medication and stay on it. Lithium is the medication he probably needs and it is not too expensive, he will probably need antipsychotic medication for a while and they are expensive, but well worth. I hope everything works out for you and your family. I also hope every law agency in America will soon understand that the jails and prisons are full of people who only need medication. There is not a soul in the world who wakes up and says I'm going to be a sorry piece of trash. If they are getting in trouble they probably need mental health treatment.
Heather
Boise,Idaho,
U.S.A.
I just had to respond
#3Consumer Comment
Tue, February 07, 2006
Kelly, I just had to respond to you and rebut the above postings. My husband also is also bi-polar. These responses are typical of people who do not understand mental illness. The authorities' responses, including al-a-non, are also typical. My husband is no more responsible for his disease that someone who has diabetes. If he doesn't take medicine, he gets sick. Period. So would a diabetic. But no one blames them. I too was also told to leave my husband (I was also told to changes jobs, but that is another story). When did avoidance become a solution? While I don't agree with the classification of you as a "victim" (he was more a danger to himself that you), I do understand why the attorney tried the case the way he did. While going to the hospital would have seemed the better alternative, your husband would not have gone to a hospital as someone suffering from a mental illness. He would have gone to the ward for the criminally insane. This is a whole different matter. You do not want him to go there. See if he can go to his mother's for his early release. Then perhaps you can visit him there, if it is allowed. Also, talk to his parole officer (when he gets one) Explain the situation and see what he suggests. Lastly, do not let the people who say you are better off without him get you down. Yes things would be easier, but not necessarily better.
Stephen
Vancouver,Washington,
U.S.A.
with Marc on this one....
#4Consumer Comment
Tue, February 07, 2006
Like many victims of abuse-you are looking for excuses for your husbands behavior-hold him accountable-after all, do you not appreciate the fact he endangered you and your children just by creating an enviroment where you were in harms way?Find a man with a less/lethal disorder to babysit.
Marc
Makaha,Hawaii,
U.S.A.
A lot of new-age medical jargon.
#5Consumer Comment
Tue, February 07, 2006
Bi-polar, depression, whatever. The headshrinkers have come up with excuses for all sorts of bad behavior, everything but that your husband is off his rocker or trying to get away with his anti-social behavior. A lot of men are having a hard time with money, he just needs to suck it up, be a man about it, and get tougher. It sounds like he's been hanging around with some bums and they've convinced him that taking care of his family is just too tough. In that case, you're better off without him. If I sound harsh, it's from experience. I work with the children of people that give up because life isn't what they expected it to be. Spelled s-p-o-i-l-e-d. Your obligation is to the kids at this point, he's a grown man, not your child.
Kelly
Apache junction,Arizona,
U.S.A.
criminal justice system. There is more to this story.
#6Author of original report
Mon, February 06, 2006
My husbands bail was reduced in August to 30,000. His mother bailed him out. He ended up in trouble while he was out on bail. I tried again to get help for him. He was hearing voices now and his moodswings were really up and down. I was really afraid for him. I told his public defender about this, he decided that Randy was ok and didn't have a problem. The Counselors at Superstitions Mental Health strongly urged us to have his lawyer file a rule 11. Which means it would have to be determined if he understood what was going on and/or recieve treatment before the case moved on. The lawyers response to this was it would't be a good move. He will get put somewhere where and probally mistreated and would end up with a worse sentence. I did get two second opinion consultations from criminal defense lawyers. They both agreed that this should be a misdemeanor at most and he should have the mental evaluation. I told this to his lawyer and to the prosecutor, it didn't do any good though. Those lawyers I had consultations with said that they could probally make this go away. The thing was I needed 7,500 retainer fee for one and 5,200 for the other one. We couldn't afford to be treeated fairly. The criminal justice system works well for those with enough money. My husband took his medicine. He accepted the plea. He agreed to go th prison, well the public defender told him to. He said he could beat the prosecutor if it went to trial. We cannot even visit him. The kids and me are not criminals. We didn't break any laws. Why do I feel like I am being punished? I was there when he needed help, I called for help. I honestly trusted those officers, and the courts to help him. I have had enough. I would be happy if they would let our son see his dad. Our older boy would like to see him too. There is a family liasion at the prison. They are suppose to be there for the families.Their handbook claims how important it is for families to stay in touch and visit. They even claim to help arrange vistis. They wont help us though. Because the state decided to make us "victims." I can understand why the state speaks for people. It is good that they protect women from an abusive partner. Not every case is black and white. I would prefer to speak for myself. I should have the right to decide if I can visit my husband. I have had no help with this matter. Why isn't there someone who can help us? my husband can get early released in April. They wont let him come home. I have a good job now, and My insurance kicks in in March It will cover his prescriptions and treatment. He is more than welcome to come home too. You can think of it from a tax payers perspective--Why would the state for him th stay in custody if he has a hoime to go to? Do you think you should be the ones to pay for his shelter, food and treatment? He could come home, get a job and pay taxes too. My private insurance will pay for his care, instead of the state paying for it. If there is anyone out there that can advise me here it would be greatly appreciated.
