PARENT'S RIGHTS NOW!

Monday, July 26, 2010

BONNEAU POLICE CHIEF IS DETAINED, BUT NEITHER JAILED NOR BOOKED

The Post and Courier reported in "Bonneau chief is detained over cash:"

Officers detained the Bonneau police chief Wednesday at Berkeley County Family Court until he paid money that he owed.
Franco F. Fuda, chief of the small Berkeley County town's three-person police department, was never actually arrested or taken to jail, said Dan Moon, public information officer for the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office.
Moon said he knew few details about the case, but he said either Berkeley County sheriff's deputies or Bonneau police officers detained Fuda and held him at Family Court until about 3:30 p.m. "He was never technically in our jail at all; he came up with the money he needed," Moon said.
The Berkeley County Detention Center has no record of Fuda being held there, and Berkeley County Family Court was unable to deny or confirm over the phone Fuda's having been in court.
Moon said he did not know what specific type or amounts of payments were due.

The action of the Berkeley County Family Court is unprecedented. Normally, a person who is held in Contempt is booked immediately after being found in Civil Contempt. We are not arguing that that is the appropriate way to handle these cases. However, it is the standard way for the Court to handle civil contempt cases. Ask Greg Forman if you doubt us.

Those wishing to learn more about the issue of Civil Contempt in Family Court may want to read "DAVID BARDES DESCRIBES SC'S 'INHUMANE TREATMENT OF INDIGENT FATHERS THAT HAVE NO MONEY TO PAY CHILD SUPPOR'T" and "Supreme Court rejects claim that indigent is entitled to court appointed attorney to defend civil contempt." "'DEADBEAT' DAD NO MORE" may also be of interest.

Labels: Civil Contempt, Family Court Reform