Posted on 06/14/2022 7:30:17 PM PDT by algore
A Louisiana mother who was raped at 16 by a 30 year-old-man has been ordered to give up custody of their daughter - and pay him child support.
Crysta Abelseth's life forever changed in 2005 after she accepted a ride home from John Barnes, now 46, when her friend decided to leave dinner early, Hammond local news station WBRZ's investigative team first reported.
'Instead of bringing me home, he brought me to his house. Once inside, he raped me on his leaving room couch,' Abelseth, 32, told the outlet.
Overcome by trauma and unsure of what to do, Abelseth let friends and relatives believe that the pregnancy - a byproduct of the rape - was instead the result of a relationship she had at the time.
Abelseth welcomed a baby girl and moved on with her life - until her alleged abuser found out about their then-five-year-old daughter in 2010.
Barnes, the owner of a digital branding site, then began a legal battle against Abelseth to obtain custody rights.
But despite filing a sexual assault report against Barnes in 2015 and fiercely fighting to have her child in her care,
Abelseth's custody rights over the 16-year-old were revoked last month over an allegation by Barnes that she bought a cellphone for their daughter, WBRZ reported.
The ruling by Judge Jeffrey Cashe also forced Abelseth to pay child support to his alleged rapist, in what her advocates have branded an outrageous miscarriage of justice.
Barnes, whose company's client list includes law enforcement agencies, has not yet been charged with any crimes in relation to the allegations filed by Abelseth seven years ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Cause I really want to know
"The Rest of the Story"
With such a poorly written article, so do many of us want to know ‘the rest of the story’.
Pronouns???
‘Forced to pay her rapist child support and legal fees and give up custody of the child that’s a product of the rape. It makes no sense.’
well, maybe if the reporter told us why she had to pay, it might make more sense...
Assuming that was the rest of the story, she was judged as not being raped it appears or the statute of limitations expired.
Very unfortunate.
Assuming that was the rest of the story, she was judged as not being raped it appears or the statute of limitations expired.
There are people who are sociopathic that it’s an act of amusement to force those they caused suffering upon to stay in their lives.
Very unfortunate.
So the daughter would now be 15 or 16.. Surely she is old enough to be allowed to live with the parent she chooses to.
If he was 30 and she was 16, wouldn’t it still be illegal due to age even if she had consented?
Apparently that little factoid was overlooked by the judge for some reason.
Would depend on the ag of consent at the time.
But, let’s assume a 22 year old female teacher is impregnated by a 16 year old boy. Court decides it is in the best interest f the child to stay in the custody of the mother. Should the court order the 16 year old boy to pay child support ?
Eye sea know knead fur editurz.
Beat me to it. 😉
"I thought if I didn't do it the next day, there was nothing I could do about it," Abelseth said. "I went to a trauma counselor, and he said, 'No, you have 30 years after you turn 18.'"
From 2015 until now, nothing has happened with the report. The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office says an investigation is still open.
"It was never assigned to a detective, and nothing was ever investigated," according to Abelseth.
"It seems pretty straight forward that not only did a crime take place, but as a result of the crime, this person should not have custody of the child," Attorney Sean Cassidy with LFASA said.
Abelseth said for years she's tried to go about this the right way through the courts. But having her daughter taken away weeks ago over allegations she gave her a cell phone left her with a lack of confidence that she'll ever get a fair shake with justice impossible to find for the past 16 years.
"He's well connected," Abelseth said. "He's threatened me multiple times, saying he has connections in the justice system, so I better be careful and he can take her away anytime he wants to. I didn't believe him until it happened."
Abelseth said a hearing is scheduled next month to revoke Barnes' parental rights.
Barnes admitted over the phone Abelseth's daughter is his, but referred all questions to his lawyer, who never got back to the WBRZ Investigative Unit.
The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office continues to say the case is still open.
Hopefully the daughter understands the situation.
Certainly I can understand there is no way a 16 year old should be allowed a smartphone.
But realistically there are very few 4g lte dumb phones.
My order is already in for one of these
BTTT!!!
She was 16. He was in his 40’s what more of the rest of the story is there?
The story says statute of limitations is 30 yrs.
“But despite filing a sexual assault report against Barnes in 2015 and fiercely fighting to have her child in her care, Abelseth’s custody rights over the 16-year-old were revoked last month over an allegation by Barnes that she bought a cellphone for their daughter, WBRZ reported.”
Assuming it was a smart phone, this CLEARLY shows that she doesn’t know how to be a parent. Good call by the judge.
He was never charged with rape.
She’s clearly lying to get advantage in a custody case.
For any judge to side with the man in a custody case, she has to be a real prize.
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