Sharon and Michael Gravelle were sentenced today to two years jail-time and three years probation, in the most egregious judgment that comes to mind. Here is a couple that has been vilified in the media, their good name has been dragged through the mud, and to make matters worse, they were denied a fair trial.

The media can't even get their stories straight. A case in point: Caged Kids Couple Jailed

Sky News states, "A couple who caged some of their 11 adopted, special-needs children in wire-and-wood enclosures, are now behind bars themselves."

I can personally attest to the fact that Mr. & Mrs. Gravelle are at home, awaiting their much deserved appeal. As for the "damning testimony" given by the children… These poor children didn't have a chance. I had been grilled at length by social workers when I was in my teen years and they will promise you anything – even the opportunity to go home, if you will just "tell the truth" and say whatever they tell you to say. Folks, I couldn't make this stuff up.

After speaking with Sharen at length this evening, I am convinced that the children's testimony was coached and that the children were "testifying" exactly as they were instructed to testify.

A few other facts of the case that never made it out of the courtroom...

• An important fact that was not allowed to be addressed during the trial was that caseworker Jo Johnson obtained a fraudulent search warrant by lying to the Juvenile Judge who issued it. She stated the children were actually being held in a tiny cage, one that she knew was used only for the dogs.
• The caseworker who actually worked closely with the Gravelle family for several years is actually being taken to court for defending the actions of Michael and Sharen Gravelle. Unlike the Gravelle's her trial will be heard in another county due to media saturation; an action that was denied the Gravelle's.
• The caseworker even testified that removing the children from the home traumatized them and constituted an abuse far worse that the abuse the Gravelle's were charged with and now stand to go to jail over.

There is much more to this case than meets the eye, as you can see by watching this, the first of several videos to be posted here over the coming weeks.

We ask that you pray for the children's well-being and that you pray for Michael and Sharen Gravelle. If these parents can be charged with abuse. Who's next?

• Watch The Real 'Children in Cages' Story
• Gravelle Family Petition

The Gravelle's need $4,000, in order to start their appeal. Please consider donating to their defense.

Please support the Gravelle family by sending a donation in any amount to:
Gravelle Family Defense Fund at Key Bank,
11 West Main Street,
Wakeman, Ohio 44889
Phone: (440) 839-2555

Labels: cages, Gravelle, Huron County Court

Sharon Gravelle responds via e-mail to questions that were asked of her. Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of the original e-mail, only her response. But it sheds a great deal of light on the proceedings and answers some questions, which have been asked here.

I don't care if you post articles about Elaine Thompson but remember she is the only social worker that I know who left CPS and went out on her own because of the corruption within the agencies. She is also the only social worker we ever found to help us without drugging our children.

The only reason she is being charged is because she came to our defense in the court and then Russ Leffler the Huron county prosecutor made the public statement that "some people don't know when to keep their mouths shut" and that is why he charged her with all those counts.

Russ Leffler is also making it known that he will not charge the Huron county social workers and the sheriffs who lied and made falsified statements to get a search warrant. In the signed affidavit it as stated that the beds were 24"x18"x30" and locked -- in order to obtain the search warrant. To add insult to injury Judge Earl McGimpsey suppressed the fact that the search warrant was illegal and that the county officials lied to obtain it during the trial and refused to allow testimony to that effect.

They falsified documents, lied in the depositions, juvenile and criminal trials in order to take the kids. The prosecutor was heard in the bank across from the court bad mouthing the Gravelles and the judge... he has done this since the case broke and the judge did nothing to him.

Russ Leffler even yelled during the criminal trial that Michael Gravelle should not try to represent Moses leading the people out of Egypt but since it is CHRISTmas Michael should try for a Jesus complex....again the judge did nothing. Russ was in the hall during court breaks calling Michael's lawyer a motherf--er and also told him to go f--k himself, when Drucker asked him why he was doing this.

When Drucker asked Leffler why he was not separating the prosecution's witnesses Russ Leffler (prosecutor) began to crow loudly outside the court room doors like a chicken. The list of injustices goes on and on and on and when they take our "internationally televised" case and win then there is not much hope for those that follow us in court.

I also have a two-hour video with retired FBI investigator Donald Parsons, who knows the corruption in Huron county and names the people---prosecutors, judges, lawyers, etc. who are involved in these cover-ups and I don't know how to air the thing.

I was even told by one of the people that taped the DVD that the cameraman was going to sell it - maybe even to the county for a profit to keep it from being aired. I have seen the DVD and it certainly does name corrupt county workers, prosecutors, judges, etc. but how do I get it on the air?

I have had several organizations tell me that if we just don't take a plea then they will be there for us... at least until they had Michael's biological daughter get on the stand and testify that he molested her... and they have signed documents to prove it. I have seen the documents and they were not signed by him. But those will never be shown to the public will they? We tried to get a copy of the police investigators report, where it states that allegations were unsubstantiated but the policeman has since retired and the "paperwork" is in a cardboard box somewhere in the evidence room and no one has the time or inclination to find it.

All the evidence we have to prove ourselves innocent is in a box somewhere or the prosecutor will hold it until after the case is over.

He did that in 1993 and sent a man to jail for murder even though all the evidence says James was innocent. The prosecutor Russ Leffler even admitted in the media that he forged subpoenas to get medical records and then when asked by the same Judge McGimpsey about it, Leffler said, "It doesn't matter because I didn't use the records to convict James.

This is the same corrupt system we are fighting now.

This is the same prosecutor that said he doesn't care if Huron County social workers or sheriff's department lied or falsified records. Now the commissioners are saying they are proud of their workers and the head of CPS said he is proud of his workers and will not file any charges against them.

By the way the head of CPS (DJFS here) is also being charged with sexual harassment again. I think this is the 3rd time if I have been told correctly.

Here is one for you -- I was told by someone out of the county engineer's office about how many felonies and misdemeanors I would be charged with before the trial was even over. I was also told by some of the people who work with some of the jurors that #162 was going to get on the jury to make sure we get put into cages -- he made the jury.

One juror told a friend of mine that he was an alternate before, he was "randomly" drawn by the judge, with the use of envelopes. Go figure.

Most of the jurors knew either the prosecutor, judge, social workers, or witnesses for the state or they knew several of the prosecution team but Judge McGimpsey said they could still be jurors -- a jury of impartial peers---I think not!!!

The problem for us now is that sentencing is tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. and I have no way to show the DVD nor can I expose any of this without the money or time that an appeal would afford us.

So, remember that Elaine Thompson was on our side and fighting to help the Gravelles and keep the family together. oh! They also came to take our kids after being informed by CPS that she was on a plane to Paris so they came as she was getting on the plane -- do you think that is coincidence? I could write all night, if you have any way to get a DVD online let me know.

Sharen

More Information

• Watch the Two-hour video
• Watch The Real 'Children in Cages' Story

The Gravelle's need $4,000, in order to start their appeal. The family has received $2,200, toward that goal, as of Feb. 26, 2007. Please consider donating to their defense.

You can show your support for the Gravelle family by sending a donation in any amount to:
Gravelle Family Defense Fund at Key Bank,
11 West Main Street,
Wakeman, Ohio 44889
Phone: (440) 839-2555

Labels: cages, CPS, Gravelle, Huron County Court, Ohio

Many people are wanting to blame Huron County social services, but for the wrong reasons. To put it very simply, the highly trained social services people did not suspect criminal activity by the Gravelles because they witnessed no abuse.

The case started as a media circus, with countless anti-Gravelle people jumping on the bandwagon for publicity sake. The sheriff, prosecutor, sundry case workers, guardians, the local/national media, and even the judge started seeing "cages" when there were none.

I visited the Gravelles and saw homemade, artistically decorated bunk beds which had doors that were added to do the obvious (obvious to everyone except Huron County's powers that be) - protect the children. Paid expert witnesses were bussed in by the hundreds, it seems, to prove how much more they loved the children, who no one but the Gravelles could care for.

There are too many contradictions in this case to mention: improper search warrants; inaccurate description of the bunk beds; not cages; very questionable children's testimonies; faulting the Gravelles instead of Huron County Job and Family Services; the media frenzy; expert witnesses who have been proven to distort and exaggerate such cases since the infamous McMartin daycare case in California; the children diagnosed as developmentally disabled and then, suddenly, they were not so disabled.

The Gravelles should have been commended, not convicted, for taking on such an overwhelming task.

If the HCJFS had noticed or heard or witnessed anything that indicated abuse of the children, they could have conferenced with the Gravelles - who even hired their own personal social worker for oversight - instead of running like the proverbial bulls in the China shop led by antihero, prosecutor Leffler.

The fact is that the Gravelles took care of children under the watchful eye of those people who know more about parenting than even parents, the HCJFS, and gave them a home when no one else would.

Prosecutor Leffler certainly reminds me of the prosecutor who falsely indicted the Duke Lacrosse students on frivolous charges in Durham, North Carolina. The jury was naturally mesmerized for the "sake of the children," and did not give the Gravelles any benefit of the doubt. May I even suggest that some jurors had to get home on time for Christmas, and that the prosecutor was hurried to visit a relative overseas for the holidays?

Unless this sort of witch-hunting is stopped, other Huron County citizens can expect (and I know of some) to be proven guilty - even before a trial. The System is not working.

In Summit County, where I live, we ordinary citizens have had to be relentless in purging our Social Services. Perhaps, citizens of Huron County need to do the same.

Do not support any future levies for these people until they learn that parents have rights too. Write letters to the editor, write to State Of Ohio agencies who oversee your local social services. Complain to the Bar Association about malicious prosecutors. Elect only judges and prosecutors who have some semblance of reason and who are not easily manipulated by the status quo and social workers, and expert witnesses who have one agenda: justifying and perpetuating their employment, not justice. Get involved, or you could be next.

I have been wanting to comment on the Gravelles for some time, and have been told by some Huron County locals that the media has not been printing many of the pro Gravelle letters. Is that the case?

Sincerely,
Joe Clarke

Related Articles

• Gravelles file for acquittal
• More Gravelle News
• Gravelle Family Petition

Labels: cages, Gravelle, HCJFS, Ohio

I'm sure many of you are following the Gravelle case in the news. The articles I have read thus far have not been complimentary, to say the least. In fact, every article that has been published begins out horrifically and ends with a single redeeming statement or two about the parents.

I gave Sharon a call today just to see how they are holding up. Sitting in the courtroom day after day listening as the truth is distorted and lies are told is really hard for them both; I could hear it in her voice.

While I would be an idiot to believe this was a perfect family; I personally don't know of any. I do believe the Gravelle's had their heart in the right place, when they took in these children. The state is certainly out to persecute them.

My heart really goes out to this family. The children have all been separated and some of them can't even understand why. These were children no one wanted and caseworkers from the state approached Mr. & Mrs. Gravelle about taking the children in, not the other way around, though you wouldn't know that from sitting in the courtroom.

Son Testifies Against Parents

I even received a nasty letter from their son, blasting me for being supportive of the Gravelle's. He claims the father admitted to abusing him, the father made no such claims to me and the accusations made against Mr. Gravelle by the boy and later his sister were both found to be false and without merit.

In fact, the daughter who testified at the pre-trial hearing will not be allowed to testify for the prosecution because it was learned that she intentionally falsified statements because she was mad at her father.

I have a grandson who sleeps in a "cage," it's painted nicely and enclosed securely because he can't be trusted not to get up in the middle of the night and get out and wander the streets. Special restraints are sometimes to help keep him from injuring himself when he gets upset.

He eats things that mess up his bowels and has severe sensory issues. I get regular updates from his adoptive parents and they have simply had a terrible time keeping up with his medical needs. If the state can prosecute the Gravelle's, they could certainly prosecute my grandson's parents for doing some of the very same things the Gravelle's are being accused of.

People who have never cared for autistic children and children with other debilitating diseases, have no idea the heartache and pain a parent goes through in providing for their care. Not to mention all the money that goes into their care and treatment. It's no picnic.

State Seeks Caregivers

As far as I'm concerned, the only thing their guilty of is having too big of hearts. The state asked them to take in these special children the state was unable to place elsewhere; No one wanted these children, the state made huge money on these kids when they adopted them out.

The dirty little secret here is that the state can turn around and sell these same children again to the next poor soul who simply loves children and can't say no to them, if they can convince a jury that these parents were unfit. In otherwords, the state has a vested interest in the outcome of this case and their motives are not simply altruistic.

We are talking about children who were so abused that they ran out into the street to see their father when he drove by their foster home. That is a matter of public record. Now the state has had these children in custody since March and have coached these children to testify in court about the “abuse” they have suffered. Even the judge was appalled by some of the statements they made in his chambers before they were allowed to testify in open court.

This trial is a farce and nothing good will come of it, even if the children are allowed to go back home, it will be years before the damage will be undone, if ever.

I would just like to add a public note to their son...

You should be ashamed of putting your family through this. None of us have perfect childhoods and maybe you feel your parents could have done a better job? Most adults feel that way at sometime in our lives. You don't air your dirty laundry in public just for the attention. Please seek help.

This whole case just makes me sick.

Labels: cages, CPS, false accusation, fraud, Gravelle