The story of Sarah Knight has been spreading like wildfire among Facebook groups, crossing ideological and political lines in its awfulness. When something can draw liberals and conservatives together in outrage, you know that it has to be an especially egregious event. And this certainly is one.

Nicholas Elizondo served six years in jail, having been convicted in California in 1995 of lewd acts with a minor, after he molested a six-year-old girl. Lisa Knight was pregnant with their child in 2008 but she divorced Elizondo, moved to Oklahoma and raised the girl, who was born with a cleft lip and palate, on her own. Sarah Knight occasionally saw her father, both supervised and unsupervised.

Elizondo sued for sole custody of the child after Lisa stopped allowing him to see her. Sarah’s mother says that Elizondo had shown little interest in her daughter until Sarah reached age six. One would think that this is a no-brainer: a convicted pedophile wanting sole custody of his child who just happens to be the same age as his victim was. Apparently it’s not for Oklahoma judge Howard Haralson. Oh sure, he put on a good show, taking the bench with a solemn face and saying that the decision had been a hard one. Seriously?

It’s rather interesting that Elizondo’s attorney had been in the judge’s chambers during deliberation. Even more so when the sounds of laughter were heard coming from the room by courtroom observers, including Knight and Sarah’s cousin, Jodi Coomer. Why was that allowed? Wouldn’t that be grounds for dismissing the verdict? Lisa Knight thinks that there is something more behind Judge Haralson’s decision.

Lisa Knight stopped allowing Sarah to visit her father for a very good reason: the child reported that her stepbrother had “touched her” when she was in the bath while the three were staying in a motel. Any responsible mother would have done the same. Even if Elizondo is correct when he claims he was part of the late 90’s “witch hunt” trials that occurred in California, even if the victim testified that she wasn’t molested, the fact that Sarah’s stepbrother touched her inappropriately should be reason enough to suspend visitation. As long as 19-year-old Joseph is living with his father, the danger for the child should outweigh parental rights. Especially when that parent was convicted of pedophilia and has shown little interest until now.

But that’s not the way Judge Haralson works. Knight’s attorney speculates that Haralson is punishing Sarah for what he called a fabrication. Then there’s the deal with asking Knight to name all of Sarah’s doctors off the top of her head. As mentioned previously, Sarah was born with a cleft lip and palate, necessitating being seen by many specialists over many years. But since Lisa Knight couldn’t name them all, Haralson drew the brain-dead conclusion that she was a bad mother. Knight is distraught:

“I don’t understand how a sex offender can just walk in the courtroom and just take her after I’ve had her for six years. I just know that his victim was six years old at the time and Sarah is six years old right now.”

Knight is at the end of her rope, wanting to fight the decision but unable to afford moving forward with it. In the meantime, Sarah is being moved to a place she doesn’t know with two men who are possibly a danger to her. Elizondo, because of his sex-offender status, will not be able to take the child to school, to a park, to anywhere that children gather. What kind of life will that be for her?

Is this what’s in the best interest of this child? I am baffled by a system that allows this to happen. I intend to call Judge Haralson’s office and register my disdain at his appalling abuse of his judicial authority. So far, I have seen nothing about a defense fund or crowdsourcing but if I do, I will update. Until then, please hold this little girl in your thoughts and prayers.