Results tagged “domestic violence” from Family Lawyers & Divorce Attorneys Blog

In Omaha, Nebraska, a local police officer was recently accused of strangling his wife. 
The officer, Sean Heyenga, appeared in Douglas County Court on December 18.  He faced several criminal charges, including domestic assault (violence) and making terroristic threats.  After his hearing, he was released on $20,000 bail.  In 2008, Heyenga was sworn in as a police officer.

Heyenga asked for a public defender, but the county was not able to assign him one for his recent hearing.

According to prosecutors, Heyenga came home after drinking on Thursday night.  He then got into a confrontation with his wife, which led to him strangling her and issuing death threats.  Prosecutors say Heyenga strangled his wife until she passed out.

Since the incident, Heyenga has been placed on leave pending a criminal and internal investigation.  He is scheduled to appear in court again on January 12, 2010 for a preliminary hearing.

If you need help with a domestic violence related matter in Nebraska, click here to find a family lawyer near you!

If a new bill is passed in Ohio, victims of domestic violence will be able to get their addresses shielded in a new confidentiality program.

To participate in the program, an individual would work with an appointed, trained, and certified "application assistant." To qualify for the program, the "program participant" would be required to make a sworn statement that he or she fears for their own safety and/or the safety of their children.

Once in the program, the participant's address would no longer be available to the public. Instead, all mail would be sent to the Ohio Secretary of State's Office, which would forward the mail to the participant. During voting season, the participant would vote by absentee ballot.

In a press release on her website, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said she feels that Ohio is in a good position to implement the program, and that it will immediately provide relief for victims of domestic violence.

Brunner worked closely with state Rep. Kathleen Chandler, along with various domestic violence organizations to develop the program.

There are currently 37 states that have similar programs, 19 of which are administered by the Secretary of State's Office.

On her site, Brunner said that, "a program such as this offers affected woman and their children, as well as affected men, the opportunity to live peacefully at a location of their choosing with the privacy of their whereabouts kept safe from their stalkers or abusers.".

To learn if there is a similar program in your state, click here to find a family law attorney near you!

A study by economists David Card of UC Berkeley and Gordon B. Dahl of UC San Diego has found that domestic violence rates tend to increase when a football team suffers an upset.

Card and Dahl looked at police reports of family violence on Sundays during football season, interested in learning what happened when a home team suffered an upset. For the purpose of the study, an upset was defined as a loss the home team had been predicted to win by more than three points.

After taking into account other controlling factors, such as a holiday or the weather, the study found that upset losses by the home team were associated with higher rates of domestic violence---an 8% increase to be exact.  Upsets involving a rival team had an even bigger effect on the rate of domestic violence between partners, as well as unexpected losses after games involving a high amount of sacks, turnovers, or penalties.

The increase was seen mainly in male-on-female domestic violence.  Upsets had no effect on the rate of domestic violence against children or female-on-male violence. The study also indicated that an upset increases the rate of violence against people the offender knew, but was not related to or romantically involved with, such as a friend or neighbor.

Interested in learning more about domestic violence? Click here to find a family law attorney near you!

 

The new Family Justice Center in Westchester County, New York has been given a $1 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Offices on Violence Against Women.

The Family Justice Center, which plans to open in January, will replace the Family Court Program. The grant money will be used to expand the services offered to victims of domestic violence and abuse.

Four offices are set to open, offering a "one-stop shop" for victims and their families.  Some of the services being offered include advocates who specialize in stalking, elder abuse, disabled victims, and immigration. Legal counsel for child custody and child support issues will also be provided, and victims can also get help filing for an order of protection.

Camille-Failla Murphy, director of the Family Court Legal Program, describes the program as a place where "women will have a centralized place to get all the services they need in order to be safe and move on with their lives."

The expanded program is also targeting the families of abused woman.

"Domestic violence effects everyone in the family, not just the woman. That is why it is so important that we receive this $1 million to expand the family legal services program into a Family Justice Center that will serve more women and add additional support services for her and her children," said Andrew Spano, a Westchester County Executive.

If you are interested in learning about similar programs in your area, click here to find a family law attorney near you!

Efforts are underway in New York to create a domestic violence registry, similar to the type of registry used to identify and keep track of sex offenders.

The registry is being pursued by Suffolk County legislator DuWayne Gregory (D-Amityville), who wants to make an online registry of the county's current domestic violence offenders.

Gregory said the registry he is proposing would include the same information that is found on sex offender registries, such as the offender's name, address, and photograph.

"They'll be outed, and the community and the world will know this is the thing they do behind closed doors," said Gregory. "It's going to help save lives and keep people out of danger. That is why we are pushing it 100 percent."

Despite the bill's good intentions, several organizations and coalitions against domestic violence are concerned the registry could backfire.

One of the main concerns is the risk of the registry affecting the victim's confidentiality.  Because the names and addresses of the offenders would made public, it could be easy for people to use that information to identify the victim.

But despite these concerns, there are many victims who support the bill, saying there should be a registry to indicate the offenses committed.

Gregory has decided to wait to pursue the bill in the legislature until a provision has been added that leaves it up to a judge to determine how long a domestic violence offender will be listed in the registry.

To find out if your state has a similar law, click here to find a family law attorney near you.

According to officials in Modesto, California, the current recession is having a negative impact on families.  Amidst the economic meltdown, more and more people are turning to the family courts to solve issues involving child custody, child support and even domestic violence.

As the economy has grown worse, more parents are acting contentiously.  For instance, numbers from the Stanislaus County Superior Court show that applications for domestic violence restraining orders have increased by 29%.  In the past, the courthouse received 1,498 restraining order applications, but has now received 1,938. 

Additionally, in the past year, more people have utilized self-help services for their family law matters.  More than 3,300 people in Modesto have used self-help services because they claim that they cannot afford an attorney.  Self-help services for cases involving child custody have risen by 14% and for cases involving domestic violence, the rate has risen by 66%.

According to Belinda Rolicheck, the executive director for the Haven Women's Center in Modesto, more women are looking for help from the shelter.  She recently said, "What we're seeing is women who normally might have had other resources -- possibly because of the economy and job losses -- who don't have the same resources they had."

Are you in need of legal help for a domestic violence or child custody issue in California?  If so, click here to find a compassionate family lawyer!

California legislators are coming together in support of emergency legislation that calls for one-time funding for domestic violence programs and shelters statewide.

The legislation, authored by Sen. Leland Yee (D- San Francisco), calls for a transfer of $16.3 million from the Victims' Compensation Fund to the Department of Public Health's Domestic Violence Program.  The Victim's Compensation Fund currently has about $136 million.

The Legislature had previously allocated $16.3 million for the Domestic Violence Program, but Governor Schwarzenegger completely eliminated the funding as one of his line-item vetoes.

Cameron Smyth (R-Santa Clarita), who signed on to co-author the legislation, stressed the importance of funding the program, stating "it provides critical services to victims of domestic abuse, and often is the only thing keeping them from returning to their abusers."  Smyth went on to say that "The program has proven successful, and this legislation will ensure that 94 domestic violence shelters in California are able to remain open."

The Domestic Violence Program provides the funds needed to provide emergency shelter, legal advocacy, transitional housing, counseling, assistance with restraining orders, and other essential support services to victims of domestic violence and abuse.

To learn more, click here to find a family law attorney near you

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson announced that three new domestic violence laws will go into effect on July 1st.

The first of the three laws makes it a crime to deprive or damage the property of someone you live with.  Richardson said destroying or taking away another person's property is a way to gain control over them, and that that type of behavior must come to an end.

The second law makes it possible for victims of domestic violence to take time off from work to tend to their legal issues, without fear of losing their job.

The third law amends the state's stalking laws to include cyber stalking and other technical methods of stalking.

"It allows us to better protect victims of cyber stalking," said Richardson. "It's a tool for law enforcement in holding perpetrators accountable."

Richardson said he was proud of the progress the state has made in protecting victims of domestic violence, but that domestic violence and sexual assault are still a big problem in New Mexico, and there is still a lot more to do.

For more information about domestic violence laws, click here to find a family law attorney near you.

There has been a spike in domestic violence throughout Florida, and officials are saying the grinding recession and troubled economy are to blame.

According the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, there was a 37% increase in the state's 42 certified domestic violence centers from August through December of last year.

In a recent report prepared for the legislature, the coalition wrote, "We know when perpetrators are laid off from work there is increased severity in violence and frequency of violent assaults because he is home more often."

Advocates acknowledge that although domestic violence can occur in good economic times and in bad, the recession is taking its toll, with more than 33% of Floridians unemployed.

According to Karen Oehme, director of the Institute for Family Violence Studies at Florida State University, bad economic times have a cascading effect, and that domestic violence is more likely to occur in households strapped for cash.

Furthermore, hard economic times have also led to an increase in economic and financial abuse.  It's not uncommon for abusers to keep their victims economically trapped by seizing their paychecks and denying them access to money.

Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, social services agencies are also strained to the breaking point, making it difficult, if not impossible, to provide aid, relief, help, and resources to victims of domestic violence.  

For more information about domestic violence, click here to find a family law attorney near you! 

Lawmakers in Salt Lake City are considering a bill that would multiple domestic violence charges against a person who commits an act of abuse or violence in front of children.

Under House Bill 275, a separate third-degree felony would be charged for every child present, and each child would qualify for restitution.

According to Rep. Kerry Gibson, the current laws on domestic violence only qualify restitution for one child, even if multiple children were present.  The new law would ensure that each child who bears witness to an act of domestic violence would qualify for restitution.

On Thursday, the bill was passed unanimously out of a House committee. Now it will go the House floor for more debate.

For more information about domestic violence, please click here to find a family law attorney.

According to the MercuryNews.com, a Redwood City judge has determined that a brother and sister will stand trial for abusing and neglecting their mentally disabled sister.

Bertha Lozano, 46, and Jesus Ramirez, 53, forced their 58-year-old mentally disabled sister to live in an 8-by-12 foot metal shed with only a mattress and portable toilet.

San Mateo County prosecutors said police found the woman last month, shivering while wearing nothing but a thin nightgown, after investigating an unrelated call at Lozano and Ramirez's home.

The victim told police that she receives $700 a month in disability checks from Social Security Income, but investigators found no bank account in her name and no evidence that she ever received any money. Police later determined that Ramirez and Lozano had been stealing their sister's checks.

Lozano and Ramirez are both being charged with neglect of a disabled person and embezzlement. They are each being held on $250,000 bail.

For more information about domestic violence, click here to find a family law attorney near you!

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin a dispatcher within the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department was recently fired for accusations of gross neglect of duty.

According to Sheriff David Clarke, a woman called 911 from her cell phone in August to report that her boyfriend was assaulting her in front of her children.  She was requesting help from law enforcement.  At first, the victim tried to call for help from a landline, but the domestic violence offender pulled the phone cord from the wall.  She then decided to call 911 from her cell phone.

Sheriff Clarke recently said, "The experienced dispatcher should have known that you don't hang up on people because they are unable to articulate the kind of help they need."

The technology that 911 dispatchers use allow authorities to locate callers, within 300 feet, by tracking the callers' cell phones.  Even if the callers are not able to verbally tell the dispatchers where they are, authorities are able to track the location.  So, even though the victim had hung up, police still would have been able to track where she was and offer help.

Clarke claims that the dispatcher should have transferred the domestic call to the Milwaukee Police Department for immediate follow-up instead of allowing the caller to remain disconnected from help. 

According to police, this is not the first time the dispatcher had received disciplinary action for poor judgment.  The dispatcher has a history of violations. 

"There is no excuse for this. I will not tolerate it, and I am demonstrating that. Nine-one-one dispatchers operate with no margin for error. They all know this. I'm disgusted by what took place," Clarke said.

If you or a loved one needs assistance with a domestic violence matter, click here to find a family law attorney near you!