Is this America? (Son kidnapped to Cheshire County Jail)

[Russell Kanning]

Is this America? (Son kidnapped to Cheshire County Jail).

http://www.keenefreepress.com/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=470&Itemid=36

[error]

This is not America.

Well, actually, it is.

Love it or we'll throw you in prison!

[Russell Kanning]

We will stop by the jail today and drop off papers.

I will ask about visiting Brian Severance. They say that the media can also tour the jail. Maybe we could set up one or both of these things soon.

Would anyone else want to tour the jail with me sometime? I will find out when it is best to tour.

We are communicating with this woman by mail only so it is slow getting info from that direction.

[Russell Kanning]

Keene District Court
3 Washington Street
P.O. Box 364
Keene, NH 03431-0364

Justice: Hon. Edward J. Burke 
Special Justice: Hon. Howard B. Lane
Senior Justice: Hon. Richard J. Talbot
Clerk : Patrick Ryan, Esq.
Phone : (603) 352-2559
Hours : Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:00pm

I left a message with the jail superintendent. The front desk doesn't deal with media.
The jail said that we would have to talk to the superior court to find out why he is being held.
The superior court sent me to the district court.
Patrick Ryan at the district court said that this matter was confidential and so he could not discuss anything concerning Brian Severance Sr.

So ... as of this moment ... we do not know why this man is in jail.

[Russell Kanning]

They do not use inmate numbers at the Cheshire County Jail.

[error]

Patrick Ryan at the district court said that this matter was confidential and so he could not discuss anything concerning Brian Severance Sr.

Oh, sure, he's a criminal, but we aren't going to tell anybody what he did or why he's in jail.

Habeas corpus, anyone?

[Kat Kanning]

We went over to the jail to figure out when we could talk to this guy.  They said that we could go in.  Russell didn't have ID to get in, so I did the interview.  Basically he said that he had his son in Winchester Elementary and his son got thrown down on the floor a couple of times by teacher, even sat on and his son got locked in a closet by a teacher named Jacklyn Rounds.  When he went to report the abuse, they turned on him and accused him of abusing his son - he thought this was to protect the school.  Basically now he's being held in contempt of court until he tells them where his wife and son are.  It was a 30 day sentence, but he's been in there 6 months.

When he was arrested, they broke some bones in his hand.  He said wasn't given medical treatment for this until months later.

At some point DCYF had custody of his son.  He said when they'd occasionally let him see the boy, he'd be all bruised up from abuse in the foster care.

We've told him we'll send him our address so he can write down the full story for us.

[Dreepa]

WOW....

this is a crazy story...
KFP breaking the story out.

[Kat Kanning]

Yeah, I'd like to help the guy.

[Tom Sawyer]

I know some folks whose young child was taken and put into "foster-care" because they smoked pot.

He was raped by older children in the "foster home".  

[Rosie the Riveter]

I did read the Winchester school board minutes from here http://www.wnhsd.org/district.htm to try to find information about his story -- I found a non public session on  Feb 16 2006 to discuss a student issue and resignation and then a request from a board member, during the April 13 2006 meeting, for a copy of RSA 625:11 under the Criminal Code. 

I expected to find more info. if something like this happened in Manch. the school board, who am I happy to report are not so professional at times, would be nuts about it and non-public or not word would get out and the school board would be fighting about it.

It was worth a shot.

[Kat Kanning]

I talked to Dawn's husband, who's on the school board in Winchester.  He knows the guy, went to school with him, worked with him, but knew nothing about any of this.

[Spencer]

Keene District Court
3 Washington Street
P.O. Box 364
Keene, NH 03431-0364

Justice: Hon. Edward J. Burke 
Special Justice: Hon. Howard B. Lane
Senior Justice: Hon. Richard J. Talbot
Clerk : Patrick Ryan, Esq.
Phone : (603) 352-2559
Hours : Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:00pm

I left a message with the jail superintendent. The front desk doesn't deal with media.
The jail said that we would have to talk to the superior court to find out why he is being held.
The superior court sent me to the district court.
Patrick Ryan at the district court said that this matter was confidential and so he could not discuss anything concerning Brian Severance Sr.

So ... as of this moment ... we do not know why this man is in jail.

Ask to inspect the court file.  It is a public record.  Then make a copy of the whole thing, scan it, and post it here.  Sunlight is a natural disinfectant and it sounds like they don't want their screw-up to come to light.  Also, have the mother write a letter to Gerry Spence -- he's selective in his cases (Randy Weaver is a former client of his) -- but has an innate sense of justice and the media savvy to get things done.

[Rosie the Riveter]

Sunlight is a natural disinfectant and it sounds like they don't want their screw-up to come to light. 

+1 for that line Spencer 

[Kat Kanning]

Hmm...the mother isn't very coherent.  Maybe we could send her a suggested letter or some such thing.