Knights in
Dirty Armour II
Chapter
IV
“ When a Pregnant
Woman Goes to Prison ”
Whenever a pregnant woman
enters the prison system, God help her if she does not have a
faithful husband standing by when their baby is due.
She is taken to the
hospital and there gives birth. It may be placed on her
chest momentarily. A
prison guard is standing by to watch everything that goes on and
prevent the mother from escaping…though she is shackled to the
bed.
A nurse picks up the
newborn and takes it out of the room and the new mother will most
likely never see her child again nor know where she has gone. DHS and prison officials
take care of that. As
efficiently as was done in Hitler’s Baby Farms. There, however, the mother
was given a special silver Maltese Cross as a reward for providing
the Fatherland with fresh meat.
As soon as the prisoner is
transportable she is taken back to her prison cell to serve out her
sentence; be it two years or twenty. It does not matter; unless
she has a faithful husband who is qualified to care for her infant
she will never see her child again. End of story…for the mother
of the child.
Just the beginning for the
motherless child.
I worked with DHS for ten
years. I met a lot of
foster parents. Some
good, some not so good.
DHS does not usually pay what it costs to keep a child. But there are foster parents
who “take on” the kids…just for the money.
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“You don’t need a new coat;
we’ll patch that one.”
DHS will not pay for a
musical instrument so a child can play in the orchestra. Do you know what a new
clarinet costs? For me
to watch my Joseph play “first clarinet” in 6th grade was
worth it. I had built
near sound-proof walls in our 3,100 square foot four bedroom
home…but that clarinet pierced them with ease…I could not very well
enjoy Berlioz when Joseph practiced but his practice was music
enough. I had the privilege of listening to the birth of another
Benny Goodman. Though
Itzhak Perlman/Brahms
is more my style.
DHS would not pay for a lot
of things kids need. I
should rephrase that.
DHS pays for everything a child needs. A child in DHS care is just
determined to need
somewhat less than the neighbor kid next door who is living a normal
life.
Buy the cheap diapers to
save money. Change them
less often…only when absolutely necessary to make them last
longer. Buy powdered
milk…or, know a lactose intolerant old couple getting state
commodities and get it
free.
Does the child want the
responsibility of a pet?
Forget it!
Does the child like to
fish? Forget it. That is not necessary. However, there was a trout
stream running through my sixteen acres in Idaho. I bought three sets of
fishing gear on my own and I don’t fish.
I didn’t make any money
raising foster kids in Idaho. Some foster parents
did. I must have been
doing something wrong.
The DHS checks did help with expenses.
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I changed diapers when the
child’s diapers were wet or dirty. Because I loved the child;
not because I had to and it was a job and I was paid to do it. There was a lot of contact
and never was the TV a “babysitter.”
I had another
advantage: Military
Disability retirement.
I did not have to go off to work and “farm out” my kids to
day care centers. My
kids were not “latch-key” kids. Whenever they had a problem
and needed to talk I was there.
Four of my kids I took on
canoe trips on the Snake River in Wyoming. DHS did not cover those
costs…not something that is deemed necessary for a child.
My first foster child I
brought to Oklahoma on a vacation
which included water skiing on Grand Lake. She was 16. Never been in a boat; much
less on water skis.
Another not so small expense DHS does not cover.
So what happens when a
destitute mother to be who is going to lose her child to the fate
DHS determines is “best for the child.”?
The following two cases are
an example. The mother
agrees to the “arrangement” and “conditions” of adoption or is
simply out of the picture and never sees her child again. The agreement includes
periodic visitation privileges that are impossible to
materialize.
Case 1, four visits a year
are allowed. Then the
“parents” relocate to an unknown locale so far in distance that
visits are…permitted by law, but impossible. The child is gone forever,
or until the child reaches an age of almost maturity and is able to
try to locate its biologic mother. Nothing prevents the child
being told its mother is dead.
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Case 2, the adopting
parents allow frequent visits with her child but the mother must not
discipline her (own) child.
She must also remain silent concerning the harsh corporal
punishment…lest she lose her visiting privilege. There again, as in the first
case, relocation is a factor and visiting at all, though permitted
by law, becomes impossible.
The mother with a prison
record has virtually no rights.
What rights she does have I
would compare with one I have:
Fifteen and more years ago,
before my first cardiac infarction and four years of illegal
incarceration, I had a right to swim across the lake I overlook from
my front porch. I
exercised that right many times. I still have that
right. But since my
infarctions and the physical damage done me by the Oklahoma
Department of Corrections I am quite incapable of exercising that
right. I might be able to make it
twenty feet.
The maternal ex-con has a
right to look for her
child.
Sometimes.
When Sheila Miller learned
that John has helped some inmates with various issues including
transportation and clothing and even help with a residence upon
their release Sheila Miller asked Marie if John would help when she
is released. That
presented no problem; Sheila Miller has a job waiting for her in
Enid and John frequents Vance Air
Force Base just west of Enid. Also, John has a relative
living in Enid. It would be no problem for
John to help Sheila find a suitable residence in Enid. Help with rent?
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The first check John wrote
for that kind of help that was needed was November 22nd, 2004, one
week after his court ordered release, for $500. No payback was asked or
expected…and it was refused when offered. That ex incarcerated person
now has a decent job and is making her own house payments with her
new husband.
John has written letters to
the Parole Board and family of one Doyle Dobson (ODOC # 114109 DOB
10/05/30) supporting his release and providing
transportation and whatever is necessary for his return to the
outside world.
Doyle had served 25 calendar years of a 25-75 year sentence,
though DOC considers only the maximum 75 years applicable, taking it
upon themselves to “play God” which is why such “indeterminate
sentences” have been ruled illegal by the Supreme Court. Doyle has served the legal
part of his sentence and beyond with no misconducts of any
kind. Recidivism
is an impossibility.
This effort failed as Doyle
Dobson’s family did not want him out; Doyle has since became quite
senile, incontinent and is now in a DOC infirmary for his remaining
few days of life.
John has written letters to
the Parole Board and Judge Buxton in Cleveland County concerning
another inmate’s release advising them of providing transportation,
establishment in residence and whatever else is necessary that the
person needs to smoothly assimilate as a productive member of
society…whatever state this inmate chooses to reside in the vicinity
of Virginia I’m told and nothing is expected in return.
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John knows what it would
have been like when he
was ordered released…without even the $50. owed by DOC…they welched
on that…as well as no issued “street clothes” (He stopped at a tag
office to have his driver’s license renewed, at no cost due to his
age, and drove the rest of the way ‘home’ in his rented car, in prison clothes). Without a rental car waiting
until he could get his truck out of storage, without a residence
waiting, without an income, the impossibility of getting a job and
Social Security usually takes six months or longer after
filing.
Without all that, where is
a released inmate going to get help? There are missionaries that
provide a cot in a dormitory and a soup line but such a struggle for
many is successful as pushing a chain up hill.
Is that a good place to
raise a child?
Sheila Miller is expecting
her child in August. If
it lives, she deserves good care from someone who will care for that
infant out of love; not because they are a paid nanny by the
State. When Sheila
Miller wants her child back she certainly cannot properly care for
it in a church dormitory; she will need a home. But if DHS takes her child,
getting her back or even knowing where she is; her chances are slim
to none.
Would John take care of
that infant, no strings
attached, for an indefinite period of time? Sheila asked that of
Marie. Out of love for
a child, John’s affirmative answer was in a heartbeat! John never turned away a
foster child. That
child would be far less difficult to properly care for than Rockland
Barney, a two-year old mute quadriplegic with less communicative
skills than a new-born infant!
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Rockland could not cry (I’m hungry,
I pooped, I’m wet, I’m uncomfortable, I’m lonely or scared) nor even
had the capacity to chew and swallow food!).
John would take care,
proper loving care, medical inclusive, of Sheila’s child, no strings
attached, for an indefinite period of time…in a heartbeat.
This bodhisattva (Samaritan)
act is why eighty pound Gilda Marie Schoonover
was shackled by Captain Roman and cast into the SHU dungeon of Mabel
Basset Prison 1300 hours June 14th 2005.
There was no criminal act
or even any improper act or what is called “bad acts” to warrant
abusing Marie as DOC has done.
So why did they?
There is alleged to have
been passed to one of the staff a note from an anonymous inmate
stating that Marie and her husband (his name was not known) bought
or attempted to “buy a baby” from an inmate, assumed to be Sheila
Miller, for the purchase price of $10,000.
When John FIRST went to the
prison to find out “why” and expeditiously solve the riddle why
Marie was cast into their dungeon the truth was not
wanted.
28
First, the anonymous
accusation is no less than a gross insult to the Schoonovers’
intelligence. Although
John is three years older than Clint Eastwood when he had his last
child John is somewhat younger than Isaac when he sired Jacob. Isaac hadn’t been illegally
imprisoned in Oklahoma and experience several
cardiac infarctions, either.
The fact is, anyone with any common sense knows that it has
been illegal to “purchase babies” in the North since 1864 and in
Oklahoma since at least 1906.
Why would anyone even
want to “purchase” a
baby?
Why is Mabel Basset so
eager to punish on such a flimsy note? I don’t believe it is that
at all! I believe it is
what John wrote to attorney Shera Shirley of Enid about the
abuse of the high risk pregnancy of Sheila Miller by Officer
Garrett.
The chronological chain of
events bears this out.
The letter to attorney
Shera Shirley was written June 2nd.
John Visited Marie on the
5th of June.
This was the last date John would take with him his 7 month
old 85lb Akita; leaving him in the front of the truck. Summer was coming on and
“Tiny,” as John has named him, had gotten too hot in the truck even
with the windows half down.
There was nothing out of the ordinary during the visit; the
officer in charge of their drug dog was in the visiting room. He did not speak to John
though he and John exchanged “nods” in passing. John does not care for him
as John does not approve of the abusing of animals and John has seen
how the drug dogs are kicked and jerked about and neglected and
knows how they are artificially addicted to certain drugs so they
can “sniff them out.”
This shortens their miserable life existence
considerably.
29
Having raised cattle for
twenty years John is no stranger to the necessity of shooting a
predator attacking livestock.
John has never shot any predator, be it stray
dog, bob cat, wolf, coyote, fox or even a skunk, “just for
fun.” John has
seen wandering dogs
just walking across the field being shot with DOC M16 machine guns
for no purpose other than “just because they can.”
June 6th This
same drug dog officer, who had ample opportunity to talk to John the
day before, told Marie that if John brought his dog to the prison
again his dog would be destroyed.
That evening Marie told
John this and John related what he had seen with DOC owned M-16s
used on wandering dogs and stated that it was a cowardly act for the
officer to tell Marie as he did rather than simply stop at the
visiting table and ask John not to bring Tiny to the prison
again…for whatever reason he could make up or even none. John stated that it was a
cowardly threat by the officer and John would never commit such a
cowardly act of shooting harmless and helpless dogs with an
M-16. John further
reminded that he couldn’t even if he wanted to as John has never
owned or had in his possession an M-16 or any other similar
weapon. They (M-16s)
are as worthless as their counter parts except in combat situations
such as Viet Nam
and Iraq. It is also illegal to own one. Just having one in one’s
possession is a ticket to the Fort Leavenworth vacation facility in
Kansas for a minimum of 3,650
days.
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Nothing more was said; the
conversation ended; Marie called John 5 more evenings and John
visited Marie the 12th; he did not take Tiny with him but
left him in his air-conditioned house; there were no “accidents” in
the home; John’s dog is extremely well educated. Just like John’s kids, John
does not have to yell at his four-legged friend, beat him, kick him
or drag him around on a choking chain like are the DOC drug
dogs. John’s Akita is his
only companion. It was
certainly not necessary to cowardly go through Marie to threaten to
destroy John’s only companion.
Marie called John Sunday
night following the June 12th visit as she usually does and Monday
evening as she usually does.
Nothing was amiss.
Come Tuesday June
14th Marie is cast into their dungeon without
explanation. She is
“under investigation” and that is all that is known.
John writes the letters you
have read in the first part of this chapter and receives a call June
23rd from Jerry Chrisman; deputy warden who assured John
that Marie was getting her mail.
Whether Jerry Chrisman is a
liar or just uninformed is not known and the accusation will not be
made. What IS known is
that Marie has not been
allowed any mail from John or even her own Mother as of July
5th, the date this is written! This fact is not
reflected in the letter from Millicent Newton-Embry, Warden, who
writes John, postmark June 28th, after Marie had been in
their dungeon 14 days without explanation:
“On Thursday, June 23,
2005, Deputy Warden Chrisman called you to discuss the
correspondence you sent to me dated June 21, 2005. You advised him that, after
sending the correspondence to me, you had indeed received
correspondence from your wife and that this was no longer an
issue.”
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A “half truth.” John received ONE letter
from Marie but she has still not been allowed any correspondence
from him or anyone else for twenty one
days! Thus it IS still
a concern for John. She
knows we are writing.
“Additionally, if you wish
to hire an attorney for your wife, the attorney would be authorized
to visit under the procedures for attorney visits with
inmates.”
It had been nine days in
their dungeon at this time and Marie had still been denied her right
to a visit with her attorney.
Nine days without any legal
representation.
“With regard to your
perception of security procedures related to pregnant inmates, these
practices are handled within the guidelines of the Department of
Corrections policies and procedures.”
That is credible assurance
there is not the 10% of rotten apples in their system that Jerry
Chrisman told John about.
The “policies and
procedures” also stipulate level 1 inmates are allowed two 15 minute
phone calls per week; Wednesday and Saturday, OP-060107. Officer Captain Roman
has apparently dictated
this rule to be invalid; superceding it with his own: Marie has NOT been allowed to
call her husband or anyone else in over three
weeks.
This crisis was created by
an anonymous unsubstantiated note from an inmate and the desire to
punish, punish, punish.
Quite contrary to their Ops concerning education,
rehabilitation and goal of re-entry. Like Russia’s
Constitution. Well
written for display; ignored in reality.
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Millicent Newton-Embry has
obviously studied the works of Dr. Che Guevara, the right hand man
of Fidel Castro in the overthrow of Cuba: “When you make an
inappropriate action,
create a crisis to justify it.” In such a manner many good
people lost their lives to that tyrant. Her following letter is a
work of art Dr. Che would be proud of:
Postmarked June
28th, same as the first letter,
“This notice is to advise
you that effective immediately, your visiting privileges with inmate
Gilda Marie Schoonover DOC #404171 have been suspended
indefinitely.
This decision was made
based on your telephone conversation with Inmate Schoonover on June
6, 2005, threatening to bring an M-16 weapon into this
facility. You are also
a principle suspect in a criminal investigation being conducted by
the Department of Corrections Security and Investigation Division,
which involves you and Inmate Schoonover.
Should you have any
questions concerning my decision you may address them to my
office.”
Signed, Millicent
Newton-Embry
A crisis created in the
manner taught by Dr. Che Guevara. A little late, perhaps, as
this allegation pertains to June 6, John receives calls and visits
past June 12, there is no crisis yet, must make one up three weeks
later, June 28. Dr. Che would be proud. Though he would probably not
have waited so long to create the “crisis” to cover his
mistakes. A complete
transcript of the entire conversation would reveal that there was
never any M-16 at any time but for those owned by DOC for shooting
prisoners and harmless dogs.
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Some people just plain like
to kill. I do not know
why.
It was a phantom weapon
that was used to justify the shooting in the back of the head of
Randy Weaver’s wife at Ruby Ridge in Idaho in 1992 while she was
carrying her infant son in her arms. “If you don’t have a crisis
to justify your actions, create one.”
That threat would shut John
up from writing what he has seen in DOC if there was any validity to
it. It was a “Crisis
created” with phantom M-16s that caused the wanton burning to death
of more than eighty men, women and Children at their religious
retreat in Waco
Texas in 1993. No M-16s were found in the
ashes.
Marie was released from the
Mabel Basset Dungeon Friday, July 1. Having been deprived of her
vitamins and food supplements she weighed out at 80 lbs. She was not taken to see a
physician and given any medical examination though it would later be
confirmed that she has suffered a stroke due to the inflicted stress
creating dangerously high blood pressure that was not properly
attended to.
Maries allowed hour-long
visit through glass July 3rd was permitted to last less
than twenty minutes.
Her eyes are hollow and the look of total despair has
reshaped her facial features.
She talks like one in a trance redundantly begging John to
get her out of there.
“Why doesn’t John Write me?” The cruelty DOC has done to
this innocent woman is no less than, except for the furnaces,
Auschwitz. Dr. Dvorkian would treat her
more humanely
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This crisis DOC has created
to gloss over the abuse exposed by John inflicted in a high risk
pregnancy has led to torture and neglect of an innocent woman in
prison: Marie.
Reminiscent of a strategy by Charles Ramsey: “If can’t get John directly,
get him through his wife.”
No one can read Knights in Dirty Armour
without knowing Marie
is totally innocent.
John was there.
John knows. If
Marie was guilty of ANYTHING contributing to his son’s death he
would have dropped her like a hot potato.
Marie was removed from
solitary confinement and put in a Snake Pit environment as bad as if
not worse than that described in The Snake Pit by Mary J.
Ward. According to the
one cast into solitary confinement for four hundred and sixty four
days under a glaring light without any educational or religious
material, toilet facilities or fresh water, Marie was moved from bad to
worse.
Following is a an account
in Marie’s own words describing the “House of Corrections” treatment
she received for offering to help a destitute woman save her unborn
child.
“My darling
John:
“This is very hard to write
cause I really don’t know where to start. I guess just say I don’t
really know why Captain Roman had me put on P.I. So I am in SHU, the
wonderful place I never saw before now I have. It will be a little more for
you to write about in your next book. Believe me, they really
don’t want stuff out. I
really don’t know what it is about. As soon as I know I’ll let
you know. But as far as
I know it is for 14 days not counting weekends and holidays.
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“All I know is my celly
said yesterday a girl wrote Ms. Badgewell that you bought a baby
here and sent money to that girl. I know that is a lie. When I heard it and said
something to the girl with the baby she got her canteen receipt from
yesterday . She had
$3.37 after medical took her state pay.
“The rules say I can call
you on Wednesdays and Fridays.
I don’t know what time, only 1 15 minute call each day.
“SHU Rules and regulations
papers #35 says AS and PI inmates are allowed telephone calls on
Wednesday and Friday for 15 minutes in length to persons authorized
by OP-060107 but Captain Rowan told me NO.
“They took me on Tuesday
1:00 Count. Captain Roman told me you
were here Wednesday morning.
How did you find out in such a hurry?
“Major Seirson came by today and said she
would talk with me tomorrow.
I will tell her the truth on it all. She is really only one left
from old Mabel Bassett that I can talk to. Captain Roman did this to me
and he wouldn’t even talk to me. Major Seirson was on
vacation. Captain Roman
was acting Major.
“Had my shower this
morning. Only get to
shower Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Tried to nap a little this
afternoon but not much luck in that. I don’t get much sleep here
like Mayes County Jail.
All it is.
Except you don’t leave your room before you are
handcuffed. You and
your celly both have to be handcuffed before they even open the
door. You have cuffs,
wrist chains and shackles on your feet. I haven’t went out.
“I really do love you. I miss you so much. You are my husband. The one and only in my
life. I sure hope I get
some mail tonight from you.
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