For Immediate Release

Coalition for the Restoration of Parental Rights

www.parentsrights.org; www.parentsrights.com; and www.parentsrights.net

Contact CRPR National Spokesman, Dan Brunetti, dan@parentsrights.net

 

 

ANOTHER PARENT JAILED FOR DENYING VISITS IN A GRANDPARENTS RIGHTS CASE

                       

Gregory White, a Castle Rock, Colorado father has been jailed in Michigan for not allowing visitation between his three-year-old twin daughters and their maternal grandparents.  White was jailed under Michigan’s now unconstitutional grandparent visitation statute. In DeRose vs. DeRose, the Michigan appeals court found that the statute was unconstitutional because it violated parents' due process rights.  Berrien Trial Judge Thomas E. Nelson still charged White with criminal contempt of court for not allowing the visitations to occur.

 

White, 39, has been in the Berrien County Jail since March 28^th for refusing to comply by a court order to return his daughters to Michigan for visits with his deceased wife’s parents.  White is to be released on or before June 10.  Jurisdiction of the case is to be moved to Douglas County, Colorado where White lives with his wife, Mary and their children.  Mary White has adopted the twin girls. She also has a 13-year-old son and the Whites have a toddler together.  The adoption is being challenged by the grandparents, Harvey and Amy Johnson, of St. Joseph, Michigan.  They are asking to have the adoption annulled. 

 

Gregory White joins the ever growing rank of parents across the nation who are facing contempt charges and jail time rather than letting the courts overrule their parenting decisions and responsibilities.  Like White, Julie Mehring formerly of Colombia, Illinois was ordered to 13 months in jail for not allowing visitation between her daughter, Jenna, and her ex mother-in-law, the now late Ella Mehring.  About mid way through her sentence, Judge Barbara Crowder decided to reduce Julie’s jail time to a five day a week “day jail”, allowing her to go home in late afternoons and on weekends. 

 

David and Melanie Brown of Greenup, Kentucky spent six months going to the Pulaski county jail when they refused to allow visitation between their adopted daughter, Odessa and her biological paternal grandmother.  The grandmother, Shirley Kitts, of Franklin Furnace, Ohio, who did not contest the adoption, waited until after it was finalized before suing for visitation. The Brown’s were sent to jail each weekend a scheduled visit was to take place. They began refusing the visits when Kitts allegedly told the child she was going to take both of them to Heaven.

 

Scott and Amanda Johnson, a young married couple also from Greenup County, Kentucky were jailed in Boyd County, Kentucky and their children ordered to foster care on Friday, March 2, 2001 by Judge David C. Hagerman for not allowing grandparent visitation between Scott Johnson’s estranged parents and the Johnson’s two minor children, Dylan 3 and Ashby 16 months.  Johnson allegedly suffered physical, emotional and psychological abuse at the hands of his parents. 

 

Lea Ann Linder, of Fort Smith, Arkansas.  Her mother, Cleta Johnson, and sister, Carolyn Greene, were jailed after Lea Ann fled the state of Arkansas with her infant son to avoid court ordered visitation between her son and her deceased husband’s father, Bill Linder.  Upon her return to Arkansas from Ohio, Lea Ann, who had previous to the court order, never denied visitation, was jailed and the paternal grandfather given custody of her son for over six months. 

 

Other parents going through these lawsuits have been repeatedly threatened with contempt and jail if they do not abide by court ordered visitation.  However, most of these parents are ready and willing to do so to defend their Constitutional and fundamental rights. 

 

Gregory White was contacted at the Berrien County Jail on Saturday, June 1, by George Evans, webmaster of the Coalition for the Restoration of Parental Rights.  Mr. White was surprised and relieved to hear he was not alone in his fight and that others had gone through the same experience.  CRPR and its members actively support Mr. White and all his predecessors who have risked jail time, standing up for their rights as parents.  CRPR is a grassroots parents advocacy group fighting the grandparent visitation laws across the nation.  CRPR, established in 1996, was founded by grandfather Billy Sightes, a retired Indiana school teacher.  CRPR has also filed an amicus curiae brief with the United States Supreme Court in Troxel v. Granville. 

 

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