Toddler returns home after alleged abuse
Published Saturday, May 10, 2008
A toddler who suffered internal injuries, including a fractured liver, last week and was taken to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage returned to Fairbanks on Friday. The 20-month-old boy was found by his mother at their home on Fort Wainwright after the boy was left alone with his stepfather, a private with the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
Family members say doctors told them it appears as if the boy was abused. The Fort Wainwright Criminal Investigation Command confirmed it is investigating the boy’s stepfather, but no charges have yet been filed. Family members say they are frustrated with the pace of the investigation.
“It seems like they want to keep it all closed in the military and not give us any information,” said Kim Stewart, the boy’s grandmother.
Fort Wainwright spokeswoman Linda Douglass said more information will be released when the investigation is finished.
Community Discussion
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What do you expect it's always hush hush in with the military. And I don't care who they are, there is no excuse for child abuse. They need to be brought to justice and charged to the full extent. That's pathetic to harm a innocent 20 month old who can't defend against a grown adult. I feel sorry for the child and the family for having to go threw this nightmare.
I had similar dealings with the military 8 years ago when one of their soldiers shook my grand-daughter and almost killed her. He got nothing but kicked out of the military that's all. My grand daughter to this day has developmental delays. I agree, something needs do be done and they need to be held accountable for their actions.
the military covers for their people, even when there's problems with officers fooling around with lower ranking members while they're married.
this toddler needs to be safe.
What the heck are they doing sending this baby back home after an event(s) that caused it to have "internal injuries, including a fractured liver"?! That boy should not be allowed home until and unless the suspected abuser is completely gone from the household and not able to access the child again! That is the bottom line. The military can cover up whatever they want, but the civilian system, which is mandated to protect innocent children, should ensure this child is safe.
What's being done, what can be done to address this problem? You hear one or two stories like this every year... and yes, origininating from Ft. WW. Does anybody have ideas why this kind of stuff seems to happen? And again, what we (as the community of Fairbanks) can do about it?
Through the Freedom of Information Act you can gain access to Military court records. I thought I would throw that out there just in case people didn't know. I found that out through our attorney after our grand daughter was shaken. Also, have you heard of the Violent Crime Compensation Board (VCCB) look them up online, they have really helped us out alot.
The baby is safe. He is with my son, the baby's father. He is recovering rapidly, which is a miracle and a blessing. To answer the previous comment about why this keeps happening, one reason may be the army's response to this kind of attack. We were told by the military that they didn't believe the attack was severe enough to warrant any charges, What does this tell other abusers?
The military better take care of it, because if they don't there are plenty of other people that will. Thank goodness the babys father is a good guy and will give him a safe home until the stepfather can be dealt with.
There are not words in the dictionary to describe someone who hurts a toddler like that.
I gather from the article that this is a male soldier married to a civilian and both were residing in post family housing. Furthermore, it appears the information in the article was provided by the boy's relatives and not by medical, civilian, or military authorities.
Is the soldier still living in family housing with the boy and the boy's mother? Or, has he been ordered into the barracks pending completion of the investigation and resolution of the case?
What is the rest of the story? The only information in the story came from family members with an obvious bias. Unfortunately, confidentiality laws prevent the authorities from sharing information at this time, for the mother and boy's sake as well as the soldier's sake.
akjak - The military HAS a system for protecting children, one that was, for many years, better than Alaska's DFYS. The military is also required to abide by civilian laws, as well as the UCMJ and Congressional mandates.
buddy - It's likely your information is incomplete. Senator Stevens, Senator Murkowski, or Representative Young should be able to help you get the rest of the information.
To Kim Stewart: Go get your daughter and grandson and move them out of military family housing. Make your daughter get a divorce from the soldier. File suit against the soldier on the boy's behalf.
Imusuallyright - You almost always take a balanced approach to difficult problems so I saved the best (your comment) for last.
Things like this happen in the civilian community also. There was a report two days ago (DNM May 8th) of a Shungnak man "sentenced to 10 years in prison and 15 years probation for sexually abusing a toddler." I'm sure, if I look, I can find similar cases right here in Fairbanks.
I'm not sure if there is more cases per capita in the military compared to the civilian community. Unfortunately, I think there may be, due to stresses related to military duty -- especially combat related PTSD and depression.
Keep in mind you're only hearing part of the story. For some reason, cases involving military members tend to be better publicized than cases involving civilians. I'm not sure why this is but I suspect the people making the reports have ulterior motives. (I am not blaming the DNM -- this is news and has been presented in a balanced manner, given a limited amount of information.)
I sincerely appreciate your offer to help. I would suggest the best avenue is to express your concerns and suggestions to Senator Stevens, Senator Murkowski, and Representative Young, as well as the candidates for Congress. (In my opinion, Senator Murkowski would be the best person to go to.)
Finally, I am NOT defending this soldier in any way, shape. or form, assuming he did, in fact, abuse this child. If he did do it, I want to see him brought to justice. However, I reserve my personal judgement until all facts are known and he is tried in a court of law.
buddy - Contacting your Senators and Congressional Representatives is often a more direct and more effective route than the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The FOIA has a lot of loopholes and the request must be worded very precisely to get the information you're looking for. People in Congress, on the other hand, have a lot more power than the FOIA and are free to operate as they see fit.
I've been involved in responding both to FOIA requests and Congressional Inquiries. I would prefer to deal with ten FOIA requests than have to respond to a single Congressional Inquiry.
Griff: It is not my daughter who is married to the soldier, but my son who is the baby's father. He shares custody with the baby's mother who is married to the soldier. I do appreciate your comments and advice with dealing with the military. I know that there are agencies in place on Ft. W.W., but CID has stated there are "foreseeable charges" against the guy." We have gone the route of contacting the governor and other state legislators. You are right that we may be biased, but so would anyone after having seen an innocent baby in the ICU, covered in bruises and hooked to machines and morphine.
kimaragon - I stand corrected. (I'm sorry, I assumed you were the mother's mother.) In that case, a civilian judge should award temporary custody to the boy's father and limit the mother to supervised visits pending final disposition. ACS (formerly DFYS) should be involved, especially if the boy and the boy's father are civilians currently living off-post.
I've worked with the military justice system, AFOSI, and CID extensively. Yes, things do seem to move slowly but the same applies to civilian courts and investigative agencies. If anything, cases seem to be resolved quicker in the military system compared to civilian courts, where a case can drag on for years and years.
Do NOT contact the governor or state legislators! They do NOT have any real power over the military. They may have back-channel contact with military officials but your concern will not have a very high priority with them because there's little they can actually do. (This article and the accompanying discussion is probably more effective than anything the governor or state legislators could accomplish.)
DO contact your federal legislators. They hold real power over the military and can actually assist you. (This is basically all state officials can do so you might as well "cut out the middle man" and go straight to your Senators and Congressional Representative.)
Also, consider filing a civil suit against the soldier. If you win a judgement, the military will help you collect from the soldier's pay. (And, if the military balks, your federal legislators can make it happen.)
I am a retired USAF Master Sergeant. Professionalism requires me, whether on active duty or retired, to treat the accuser and accused equally, without bias towards either. (The particular service doesn't matter ... a Master Sergeant is equal to a Sergeant First Class which is equal to a Chief Petty Officer.)
However, I share your rage. Professionalism is the only thing that keeps me from tracking down this pathetic example of a soldier and stomping his sorry ### into the ground! I don't need to see the child in the hospital -- all I need is to know this did, in fact, happen.
Griff, your insightful, coherent, and clear comments here never fail to astound me. If I knew who you were IRL, your drinks would be on me.
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