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Sue Papa says: Grandpa, Take Down That Blog
by Dave Thomas
C’s long-awaited hearing finally took place April 27, 2015 in Central Court of Lawrence County PA with Sue Papa in charge as Master of the Court. (C has been in CYS custody since April 3, 2015 and so, as far as I know, he may be still living in the same environment.)
You will recall from a previous post, Papa stated she was an attorney for Debra Shaw (the former Lawrence County Guardian ad Litum) in the father’s federal suit brought against Judge Hodge et al. for violation of the father’s civil rights. At the outset of these hearings, after acknowledging her role in the suit, she then ruled on her own fitness to preside, seemingly in violation of the First and Second Canons of Pennsylvania’s Code of Judicial Conduct (Effective July 1. 2014).
On April 27, 2015, Papa made it known these proceedings were “closed,” meaning that no information from the hearing may be disseminated by any of the participants.
She went so far as to admonish even those in the waiting room they will be prosecuted if they so much as mention anything they saw or heard, including discussions amongst themselves related to the hearing. So now I am no longer permitted to know the condition, education, or the whereabouts of my grandson as CYS and the Lawrence County Courts bury him deeper into their twisted system of tyrannical justice.
The only information available to me regarding the hearing was: (1) Papa instructed my son, C’s father, to direct me to remove this blog; and (2) as with many other ridiculous orders from various Lawrence County judges, he has complied and relayed Papa’s instruction to me.
Sue Papa, although you presumably have perfect immunity, it is not a license for you to violate my Constitutional right to free speech by coercing my son and holding my grandson hostage under direct or veiled threat in your court. I think you have gone too far.
Somewhere, Sue Papa, in at least one of the classes you attended in law school, I am sure the First Amendment of the US Constitution was mentioned.
Too many Americans have given their lives and bodies so that I may speak freely without fear of retribution. So, Sue Papa, my answer to your instruction to remove the blog is simply, “no.”
Why are you so afraid of this blog? Is it because you and/or your overseers have concerns about shining a light on Lawrence County politics and how the life of a 14-year-old is being sacrificed for patronage of the good ol’ boys?
Are you afraid of the truth regarding abuses and liberties that have been taken by the Lawrence County judiciary with my family coming into the light?
With your “gag order” in place, Lawrence County CYS and Krause Youth Center are free to continue their abuses to my son and grandson under the veil of secrecy.
Where is the transparency they are due? Where is the due process they are guaranteed under the Constitution? C has been incarcerated and held with juvenile criminals for 4 weeks as of May 1st with no formal charges, and C is only permitted to be represented by one of your own.
Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s fixer, is quoted as the king needed a jury to give legitimacy to her (the Queen’s) conviction and prevent the public perception of “the tyranny of one man’s opinion.” And so we have it. History repeats.
Judge Hodge, formerly recused, signed the order and CYS snatched this young man from a loving, nurturing home environment where he was thriving.
CYS has replaced that home environment with conditions where, last I knew, he is not being properly educated after being in CYS care for almost 4 weeks, in addition to being confined in the prison environment in which he finds himself. Had my son not enrolled C in a school system for 4 weeks, you would have had him jailed.
But wait, my son is under a contempt order from Judge Motto. Why? Because he enrolled C in school after C’s mother ignored C for most of the 9 months prior to the start of the 2014 school year. She could not bear that C was enjoying his life without her and was doing well in that school, so she again subjected him to the Lawrence County judicial machine.
Potentially at this point, this honors curriculum and High Honor Roll student may fail 8th grade and have to repeat. Would you have agreed to that for your own family members, Sue Papa?
What is the penalty for CYS? None. They can, therefore, continue to be as abusive as they choose under the cloak of darkness and secrecy you and the Lawrence County Commissioners provide for them.
C made a conscious choice to give up all that matters to him (including his father and his freedom) to save himself from the prospective abuse of his mother and maternal grandparents. Even you, Sue Papa, as ingrained to local politics as you are, must recognize that fact. If not, ask him!
Why won’t you focus on those circumstances rather than heap more abuse and strife on this 14-year-old as you try to fabricate a reason to discredit C’s father and placate your masters?
Why were the reports of 5-7 psychologists (all appointed by Hodge, Piccione and Motto) ignored when they all declared placing C with mother would end in disaster for C? You know this is true and this is the reason that you are trying so hard to keep him with CYS and not his mother. You are fearful of the potential outcome. You can’t place him with his father and upset the mother’s family. Quite a dilemma.
C has been the victim of physical violence at the hands of his mother and maternal grandfather. He was dragged along side of a vehicle driven by his maternal grandmother. Fortunately his pants tore to free him before he was seriously injured. Lawrence County Courts have continued to smile favorably upon these perpetrators, by ignoring their duty to protect this child in favor of patronage to their friends and Judge Piccione’s family. All the while attempting to redirect focus to the father and create a diversion; then ordering C to return to his abusers instead of protecting him from those abusers.
C has been beaten, dragged behind a vehicle, belittled, cursed at, called ugly names, and you have totally ignored it all because of who the maternal family is.
Where was CYS’ protection and the court’s protection for C while the abuse was ongoing by mother and her family? Where were you, Hodge, Piccione and Motto, besides trying to make the maternal family happy at C’s and my son’s expense?
What happened to the ChildLine reports generated by ER staff at Jameson Hospital, C’s doctor and others that should have made their way to CYS and to the District Attorney? According to Jonathon Miller, Lawrence County’s assistant DA, he had no reports of abuse. Also, according to him, he is to receive all CYS complaints forwarded to the DA’s office. He said he stores these cases on his desk rather than in a file cabinet so they are readily available.
CYS only surfaced after Judge Motto ordered C back to his abusers and C refused to be abused any longer.
CYS waited to insert themselves to control and wreck his life until after C finally settled into a great school system, made many friends, was happy and thriving. Nowhere were they to be found over the last 10 years as he has been manipulated and abused by the Lawrence County Courts. Nor were they there as mother and family physically, mentally and emotionally abused this boy.
Sue Papa, do the proper and courageous act by ending this circus and returning C to his father. For the rest of our readers in Lawrence County, be aware: as this tyranny continues to expand, you may be next to have the county trample your freedom as they arbitrarily and capriciously decide you are worthy of their ire by reading this blog.
Choose Piccione’s replacement very carefully, or continue dealing with the good ol’ boys.
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Dave Thomas is a retired electric utility operations manager, has been married for over 50 years to a woman who has served as a church secretary for over two decades. They presently live in Florida after living in same Pennsylvania community for 33 years. He is a former member of the Rotary International, Chamber of Commerce, and various state and national professional organizations.
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My two cents—Dave Thomas is a guest contributor. The blog is mine, and the decision to take something down is mine alone. Sue Papa should know that she has no jurisdiction or authority over me. She should order only what is possible—and in this case, being silenced is not.
Luckily, Dave made his own decision that he will not be muzzled, so he saved me the anguish of trying to figure out how to un-ring the bell, even if I wanted to. If this blog exposes the corruption of the Lawrence County judiciary and how business-as-usual is conducted there, this is my fondest wish. I took no vow of Omerta, and I am unwilling to play Lawrence County’s gangster game.
Normally, the requirement of silence in custody cases is for the protection of the child—and I support it. However, at no point in this ten-year process does the notion of the child’s welfare seem to have been seriously considered in the judicial process. In point of fact, silence works against the best interests of the child. The conduct of the Lawrence County judiciary has forced our hand.
And by the way, the “hell no!” that made it into today’s post title is my sentiment, not Dave’s. He is too much of a gentleman to say something so emphatic, so don’t blame him. They’re my words and, in my opinion, a lot better than the Lawrence County judiciary deserves.
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Previous installments of this unfolding story can be read here (1), here (2), and here (3).
Although it is not a part of the story of C, this is another story about the corrupt courts of Lawrence County.
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Groove of the Day
Listen to Omerta performing “City of Gangsters”
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Weather Report
82° and Clear
Wandervogel Diary 
Find an honest person to replace Judge Piccione, because he’ll reach the state’s mandatory retirement age of 70, two others to replace Judges Motto and Hodges who run for their reelection, Lawrence County’s voters have to accomplish a hard task, this autumn (see below). There is strongly to fear that it will need many months before we can hope that the word “Justice” found a semblance of meaning in this cursed County. But teenagers such as C or Jordan cannot afford to lose so many time before that Justice will be given to them.
https://www.google.fr/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=newssearch&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCAQqQIoADAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncnewsonline.com%2Fnews%2Fjudge-race-heads-county-contests%2Farticle_c3d9c6f6-9786-11e4-8aa7-571619597a14.html&ei=fqAwVdGLD8HgaoTzgZgN&usg=AFQjCNGzjDnM2VtrS7100E_UVMXyyMSRRg&sig2=kkGNEvUcZZNRgtQF_R0y8A
This is for Sue Papa and those corrupt scumbags in Lawrence County PA who have given “un-American” a new meaning.
“…when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
— United States Declaration of Independence
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
— Thomas Jefferson
Oh, and what part of “Congress shall make NO law” don’t you understand, you stupid corrupt cow? Seems it’s time for some tree refreshing in Lawrence County.
HELL NO!!! bitch!!!
Well, I’m certainly glad you don’t disagree with me very often.
Frank, no one feels your outrage more than C and his dad. Lets not lose focus by interjecting derogatory and degrading comments into otherwise productive commentary. These have been the same bullying tactics used against C and his dad, We are better than they.
Keep in mind Sue Papa is functioning as a puppet or potential scapegoat thrust into the process by Judge Motto. Civil disagreement with her position, the judges, CYS, Krause Youth Center, GAL and other entities is fine and welcome.
Dave,
I understand the difficult situation you are in. I certainly do not want to make it any harder for you and your family. I’m here for you if you need a friendly ear.
About 20 years ago I was summoned for jury duty in Suffolk County, NY, on Long Island, where governance by good ol’ boy networks is the norm. I actually made it to a voir dire panel, where you sit in the courtroom and the judge and lawyers sort through and question the prospective jurors. Before the questioning even started the judge called one of the prospective jurors by name and told him he was excused. After the man left the courtroom, the judge explained what had just happened. “I had to excuse that man. He’s my neighbor. I will not allow even the ghost of an appearance of something improper to taint this trial.” To your, your son’s, and your grandson’s misfortune the judges there in Lawrence County lack the integrity, morality, and ethics of that judge on Long Island.
If it were up to me, the 82nd Airborne Division would be purging and purifying the Lawrence County courts.
Dave, That is just horrible. If your grandson is in honors classes and on the Honor Roll, what could possibly happen that would put him in jail? Perhaps it is just the judges trying to get a case so they would get re-elected. That is the problem with electing judges and prosecutors, there is a pressure to win cases to get support from the uneducated public. That is my two cents.
Bruce Cordy–, “what could possibly happen that would put him in jail?”
The short answer is, C had 2 choices.
He chose to be incarcerated in the Krause Youth Center (a juvenile criminal detention facility for profit.)
Krause is under CYS authority and CYS provides inmates. Interestingly, Krause, Executive Director, David Copper, and former Executive Director of CYS Sandy Copper, I understand, are husband and wife. I leave you to ponder.
C’s other choice was to obey Judge Dominick Motto’s order to return to his mother and her family for more physical, emotional and psychological abuse. C said..NO MORE!
Not much wiggle room. His choice and analytical skills speak to his maturity at age 14. If he went to mom’s and she bruised and scratched herself; then called police saying C did it, he would actually be in the juvenile criminal system. Better choice–he is there on his own with no record.
Three judges in Lawrence County, PA (Hodge, Piccione, Motto) involved with this tyranny, are long-time friends, political allies and/or related to the mother’s family. Judge Motto remanded C into Krause, no doubt thinking a week or two of incarceration with criminal juveniles would have C wanting to live with mother. C IS STARTING WEEK 6.
Motto was wrong.
By the way, shelter victims, which C is, are not to be housed with the criminal element per PA law. However Motto pays attention only to “MOTTO LAW.” aka, Don’t let the actual law get in the way of Motto and friends.
Motto and Hodge are up for retention in November. Piccione has reached mandatory retirement. Lawrence County voters supposedly have a choice to continue the “good ol’ boys network or loosen their strangle hold on locals by finding and electing someone with very strong character from outside the network to replace Piccione. Thumbs down on retaining Motto and Hodge can only help the locals!
Sorry your going through this unfortunately Susan Papa and cys is doing almost the same thing to my son with my granddaughter I’ve been there also and I see nothing has changed in 27 yrs.
Reblogged this on Dad$ 4 Ca$h and commented:
Make me.