When did a woman’s shelter fail you?
The Legal Tightrope
The sirens get so loud they hurt my ears. And then suddenly two police cars swing into the parking lot with their lights spinning red and blue across everything. A female officer knocks hard on the glass door, and Hank moves fast to unlock it and let her in. Her badge says, “Officer Vega,” and she has dark hair pulled back so tight it must hurt.
She takes one look at my bruised jaw and then down at the girls clinging to my legs, and her whole expression changes and goes hard. She turns to Hank and asks what he saw, and he tells her everything in clear, factual terms without any drama or emotion. When he mentions the rifle, her pen stops moving for just a second and then she writes faster.
Officer Vega turns to me and asks directly if there are weapons in the vehicle and I tell her about the hunting rifle he always keeps in the back seat behind the driver’s side. Patricia moves forward and tries to insert herself into the conversation. Her voice is getting louder as she tells Officer Vega that I showed up without an appointment and refused to follow proper intake procedures.
Officer Vega turns to her and the look on her face could freeze fire. She says in a calm but firm voice that she’ll get Patricia’s statement in a moment, but right now she needs to focus on the immediate safety threat.
Through the window, I watch the officers make David do a field sobriety test right there in the parking lot. He’s clearly still drunk from passing out on our couch earlier, and the officers can see it. I see him pull out the rifle and my stomach drops even though I knew it was there. Then he pulls out handcuffs and tells David to turn around and put his hands behind his back.
Officer Vega asks if I’m willing to give a statement and I nod even though my voice feels stuck in my throat. Patricia interrupts again and her voice is rising as she tells Officer Vega that I stole her family 8 years ago and this is all just manipulation to get attention. Officer Vega’s expression doesn’t change at all, but she writes something in her notepad.
Officer Vega puts her notepad away and looks at me with a serious expression. She says she needs to call child protective services because the girls witnessed violence and were harmed and it’s mandatory by law. She explains that CPS’s goal is keeping families together safely, not separation.
Officer Vega comes back after a few minutes and explains that we need to go to the hospital for medical documentation of my injuries. She says the photos and medical records will be crucial for getting a protective order tomorrow morning.
A woman with a warm smile arrives while the nurse is finishing up. She introduces herself as Clara Hammond from Child Protective Services. While Clara is writing up her notes, another woman arrives. She introduces herself as FA Coleman, a domestic violence advocate. She hands me a burner phone still in its plastic package and a folder full of papers and pamphlets.
Officer Vega comes back to check on us, and she has an update. She explains that David is being held on DUI charges, domestic violence, and child endangerment. The combination of charges means his bond will be higher than usual, but she warns me that he’ll likely bond out within 24 hours.
Fay says she can arrange a motel voucher through the advocacy program. I sit on the closed toilet lid and start filling out the forms. I force myself to write down every incident I can remember. The burner phone buzzes and I nearly drop it. I open the message and it’s just a photo of our house with no words.
I forward it to Fay like she told me to do with any contact attempts. She responds within 2 minutes saying she’s documenting everything and I should try to get some sleep.
At the courthouse, we go through the metal detector, and I’m terrified David will somehow be there, even though Fay keeps assuring me he’s still in custody. I tell her about the closet where he locks the girls when I try to call for help. The judge asks to see the hospital photos and I watch her face get hard as she flips through them.
The judge looks at her papers for what feels like forever, but is probably only a minute. Then she starts reading from a form on her desk. She grants a temporary emergency protective order effective immediately. David cannot contact me or the girls in any way. He has to stay at least 500 feet away from us at all times.
Fay leans over and whispers that this is a really strong order and David will face serious problems if he breaks any part of it.
