Posted on 09/20/2018 1:56:02 PM PDT by rickmichaels
Jodie May of Grandville, Michigan, was forced to appear before a district judge earlier this week on a larceny charge for taking away her daughter’s cellphone as punishment.
May took the iPhone 6 from her 15-year-old daughter in April after the teenager got in trouble at school, according to reports.
“I was just being a mom, a concerned parent and disciplining my daughter,” May told WOOD-TV.
What began as discipline became a criminal matter after May’s ex-husband reported it to Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office and claimed she committed a crime.
After the mom’s arrest in May, she was immediately released on $200 bond. May was facing a misdemeanor larceny charge, which carries a punishment of up to 93 days in jail, the TV station reported.
Shortly before the bench trial began on Tuesday before Ottawa County District Judge Judy Mulder, prosecutors added another charge to the case: larceny by conversion. That charge was also punishable by up to 93 days, according to the report.
But before the first witness was called, yet another twist was added.
“I’ve had an opportunity to discuss this case with the victim in this case, or at least the person we believed owned the property,” Ottawa County assistant prosecutor Sarah Matwiejczyk told the judge.
The prosecutor said she determined the phone is in fact owned by the daughter, not the ex-husband.
“The mother defendant being the mother of the minor child, I believe that changes the case significantly,” Matwiejczyk reportedly said. “Therefore, we’re requesting that the charges be dismissed.”
May called the entire situation “ridiculous.”
“I think it’s ridiculous,” May told the TV station. “I can’t believe I had to be put through it, my daughter had to be put through it, my family. I’m very surprised, but I’m very happy with the outcome.”
May’s court-appointed attorney, Jennifer Kuiper-Weise, said she was ready for a court battle.
“We knew this was parental discipline,” said Kuiper-Weise, a former assistant prosecutor in Ottawa County. “We knew that it would come across that way.”
She also questioned why the charges were ever filed.
“The case was authorized on a probable-cause basis, and unfortunately at times there are misdemeanor cases that are not thoroughly vetted, and unfortunately Miss May was a victim of that,” Kuiper-Weise told WOOD.
She could have easily given the phone back to the dad if that was the case. Wouldnt want an exwife taking a phone I pay for either, without giving it back to me.
Uncivil divorce, enabled by a really eff'ed up family court system, is the real problem here.
Divorces with custody issues are always messy.
And we're not getting his side of the story.
I have no sympathy for her. Women pull this same kind of sh1t on ex husbands all the time and the system has no compassion on the men for being set up by vindictive ex wives.
She could have easily taken away the phone BECAUSE SHE KNEW HER EX OWNED IT to mess with him, and it backfired on her.
I dont doubt this could very well have been the reason. Exwives are not known for their getting along with spouses or making their lives easier. Vindictive as hell.
“Some law enforcement and prosecutors should be fired.”
I totally agree. I think the time is coming when there’s going to be a national house cleaning of prosecutors for abuse, stupidity, and criminality.
The ex-husband/dad/jerk should be made to pay the Mom’s legal fees incurred.
Did the mom buy the phone? Did mom pay for the monthly charges?
Her ex did NOT own the phone. HE was the one being vindictive. (Oh, but I’m sure SHE started it, right?)
Believe it or not, sometimes it IS the ex-husband being a jerk -— without cause.
Child Abuse pure and simple.
The poor Girl has to get by with an iPhone6 instead of an iPhoneX. Why I’ll even bet she doesn’t have unlimited Data.
Oh the Humanity.
I have learned and I tell people, when the kid goes rogue, step back and let it.
It is not worth the time and trouble to parent a teen who does not want parenting.
The government will take away your power and will put your assets in jeopardy.
The kid is not worth it.
Detach and love from a distance.
But don’t get your ankle caught in the stirrup
If were the ex husband being a POS and not the Mother being a POS, then the mother would have given the phone back to the ex husband and law enforcement would never have had cause to have been involved now would they?
Sounds like a good idea.
Seems like a very bitter divorce.
Hope this didn’t post twice; I was distracted by someone at the door mid-post. :)
Pull the SIM card douche the phone and give it to the ex. Problem solved.
LOL! I don’t even have a cell. My husband thinks I don’t need it ( probably true).
It’s abuse I tell you ABUSE! LOL
The phone belonged to the mom-not the ex-husband-so she can take it away from the brat, or smash it with a hammer ala Hillary if she wants to. If that were my kid, she’d never have had a cellphone in the 1st place...
That is true. Men have rough now. Their wives or girlfriends can claim abuse during a difficult breakup, and there’s no way to prove a negative.
Kind of like what is happening to Brett Kavanaugh right now.
I agree the Dad should pay the legal fees. What kind of a man would try to put the mother of his young children behind bars, divorced or not!
The ex was just using this incident to get back at his ex-wife and the poor little snowflake daughter played both the parents. Divorces produce some rotten spoiled brat kids.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.