On CPS, Smoking Pot, and Killing Kids For Their Own Good

Dec. 17, 2015 (Mimesis Law) — A Michigan social worker asked the mother of a 14 year old girl if she has life insurance on her daughter, Abbie Odonnell, after the 5′ 9″ teen went from 145 lbs to 92 lbs under CPS custody. Her twin sister Alexis is being housed in a maximum security juvenile detention facility, and her bunkmate has reportedly murdered 7 people. Their 17 year old sister Alyssa is being held in another lock-down facility. The girls’ crime? The twins admitted to smoking pot on one occasion.

Abbie and Alexis decided to do one of the stupid things children do, and post a photo of them smoking marijuana to Instagram. A Michigan Child Protective Services worker contacted Laura Dalton, and told her she had to file an “incorrigible” petition against her daughters, which Laura was happy to do. After all, a few bong hits are a Very Bad Thing, and the social worker was more than happy to help set this family on the road to righteousness.

The social worker reportedly demanded that she go to the courts and file charges on the twins for being “incorrigible” – in other words, not following the rules. They were 13 at the time. Laura went along with it, because she knew that smoking pot was bad, and that the twins had made a poor choice. The worker convinced her that this would help.

The children chose probation over going to trial, because being in front of a judge who handles “incorrigible” or “delinquency” cases are often terrifying experiences for children that don’t frequent the justice system. At that point, the hook was set and the trap was ready to be sprung for Michigan’s CPS workers to come in and act “for the good of the children.”

The court gave the twins the choice between going to trial or accepting probation. Alexis and Abbie chose probation. Not long after that, they missed school one day because they didn’t feel well. The very next day, while their mother was at the grocery store, CPS again came to the home. The girls freely allowed the social workers into the house. At that time, Laura says that they all believed that the social workers were honestly trying to help them. Things reportedly got much worse, very quickly. The social worker called Laura, who headed home right away. By the time she got there, not only were the twins gone, their 15 year old sister Alyssa was also taken into CPS custody. CPS social workers also took their birth certificates. Alyssa had nothing to do with the marijuana incident or the probation, but she was there when CPS came. Later, CPS alleged that someone had made a call to centralized intake that Laura couldn’t handle her children. They also stated that they had put services, like life skills, in place, but Laura says that the only thing at that time was probation.

This is standard operating procedure for a government agency with the power to dictate your parenting decisions and split families. One has to wonder if Laura ended up on the Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry since she committed the egregious offense of letting her teenage daughters rest while going to the grocery store. After all, it’s not like such things haven’t happened in other states.

Since Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services has the final say in placement for children when removal from the home is required, the family was split into two foster homes. Alyssa, the eldest child, went to one foster home. The twins went to another, where they were abused repeatedly and told their presence in said foster home was prima facie evidence their mother didn’t love them.

Twice the twins tried to run from their abusive foster parents. At one point, when Abbie was admitted to a psychiatric facility, she tried to report the abuse. Her feelings on the matter were very clear: she’d had enough of the situation.

She told the hospital staff that, if they made her go back, she would either commit suicide or run away. They discharged her that evening anyway.

When the teens ran, they were placed in the Wolverine Secure Treatment Center’s “Endeavor” program, which is designed to give “rehabilitative services for girls ages 12-20 who have been convicted of violent crimes.” It’s an absolutely great place to send two girls who smoked pot so they learn to never do it again.

Abused and neglected children, as well as those who commit non-violent crimes, such as smoking pot and running away, are housed in this maximum security juvenile facility, alongside those teens who have committed violent acts, including murder. Alexis is now rooming with a girl who has reportedly murdered 7 people, most in gang-related crimes. Abbie is scheduled to go into this cabin when she goes back, the young twins who have never even been accused of violence, with an alleged gang murderer.

Abbie is currently in the hospital, with severe issues stemming from anorexia. She’s around 92 pounds right now, and a feeding tube has been inserted to keep her alive. This was a conscious choice by Abbie, and she made that very clear to CPS workers.

You can control where I live, but you can’t control whether I live or die.

Because of Abbie’s decisions to run in the past, and because she is a resident of Wolverine, being in the hospital doesn’t even afford her the common courtesy treated to most patients.

Even now, because Abbie is considered a resident of Wolverine, she is required to be shackled in the hospital and wear a full straight leg brace shackled to the bed, designed to keep kids from running away. She spent 4 days without being able to bend her leg even once, complaining all the while that the brace was too tight. When a doctor finally loosened it, he found that the metal brace had caused bruising on the back of her knee and ankle.

The story of Abbie, Alexis, and Alyssa Odonnell are important because they illustrate one clear truth. No matter the state in which you reside, the Department of Children’s Services, Child Protective Services, DHS, or any other acronym representing a body that has the ability to separate your family with impunity is not your friend. They are not there to help. They are there to do one thing only, and that’s destroy lives and tear familial relationships apart. And the actions of most social workers associated with those organizations can lead to the deaths of your children. Unfortunately, we’ll only get to the point where we understand that when the friendly, concerned social worker knocks on our front door.

Main image Abbie, Laura, and Alexi, courtesy Odonnell family.

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