No Crime Found Against Schiavo, Police Say

Tampa Tribune ^ | 3/31/4 | DAVID SOMMER

[cyn]

CLEARWATER - There is no evidence a crime was committed against Terri Schiavo this week, police said Tuesday, but authorities will continue to investigate a complaint from her husband that someone repeatedly stuck a needle into the brain-damaged woman.

``The medical experts found nothing that gave them any pause,'' Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor said. ``Our position right now is information gathering. We have a complaint, but at this point we have no evidence of a crime.''

Michael Schiavo ``considers it a criminal assault on her person,'' attorney George Felos said of multiple needle marks on Terri Schiavo's arms, reportedly found Monday by a nurse.

The discovery came after Bob and Mary Schindler spent 45 minutes visiting their daughter, Felos said.

Terri Schiavo was hospitalized Monday night while her blood was tested for unauthorized substances, Felos said. The toxicology tests found nothing abnormal, and the 40- year-old woman, in a comalike state since 1990, was returned to her room Tuesday at Park Place of Clearwater, an assisted-living facility.

Michael Schiavo and the Schindlers are locked in a 5 3/4- year dispute over Terri Schiavo's fate. Her husband contends her brain was destroyed when her heart failed in 1990 at age 26. He has convinced a series of judges that, prior to her illness, Terri Schiavo made statements indicating she would not want to be kept alive in such condition.

The Schindlers contend their daughter expressed no such wishes. They say she responds to them during visits and could improve with therapy. The St. Petersburg couple have blocked repeated attempts by their son-in-law to have Terri Schiavo's feeding tube removed so she can die.

Michael Schiavo's complaint to police this week is the latest in a series of cruelties inflicted on the Schindlers, their new criminal defense attorney, George Tragos, said Tuesday.

``It's an excuse for him to cut off the family's access. Once again he has cut off the flow of information,'' said Tragos, a former federal and state prosecutor who volunteered to represent the Schindlers.

Not only wouldn't the Schindlers do anything to hurt their daughter, it would have been virtually impossible for them to draw blood or inject medicine without being caught, he said.

An off-duty police officer guards Terri Schiavo around the clock. ``Her door is open during the entire visit, and medical people are in and out during the entire visit,'' Tragos said.

Felos said Terri Schiavo was found in a disheveled state with her feeding tube wrapped around her back and an allergy alert wristband pulled up her arm ``tight, like a tourniquet.''

What appeared to be a purple needle cap was found in the folds of her hospital gown, Felos said.

Terri Schiavo's physician, Stanton Tripodis, identified what he termed ``needle puncture marks'' on both her arms, a scratch on her abdomen near where the feeding tube is inserted, and a second scratch over the needle marks on her right forearm, Felos said.

Gov. Jeb Bush, who intervened in the case in October and ordered Terri Schiavo's feeding tube reinserted after she went six days without nourishment, on Tuesday asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to keep him abreast of the Clearwater police investigation, spokesman Jacob DiPietre said.

Reporter David Sommer can be reached at (727) 799-7413 / dsommer@tampatrib.com

Write a letter to the editor about this story -- http://tampatrib.com/opinion/lettertotheeditor.htm

     

[iowamomforfreedom]

Re: Terri's lawyers...

This is something I had saved from Terrisfight.org some months ago. I can't seem to find it on the website now though.

Summary of legal expenses through September 2001

Attorneys	Fee Amount	Fee Period
Attorney Gwyneth Stanley(1) Attorney Deborah Bushnell(1) Attorney Steve Nilson(1) Attorney Pacarek(2) Attorney Richard Pearse(2) Attorney George Felos(1) (1)Michael Schiavo's attorneys (2)court appointed attorneys	$10,668.05 $49,958.15 $7,404.95 $1,500.00 $4,511.95 $307,188.35	(6/93-3/97) (9/93-9/01) (10/93-7/94) (3/94) (6/98-12/98) (3/98-9/01)
Total:	$381,231.45

[cyn]

Give ear to my words, O LORD, Consider my groaning.

Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, For to You I pray.

In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order {my} prayer to You and eagerly watch.

For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You.

The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity.

You destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.

But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house, At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.

O LORD, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes; Make Your way straight before me.

There is nothing reliable in what they say; Their inward part is destruction {itself.} Their throat is an open grave; They flatter with their tongue.

Hold them guilty, O God; By their own devices let them fall! In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out, For they are rebellious against You.

But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You.

For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O LORD, You surround him with favor as with a shield.

Psalm 5 : 1 - 12

[cyn]

Hi, i, Yes, that's what I was thinking of the other day when tutstar asked -- so glad you found it and posted it!

[cyn]

prayer bump for Terri

[cyn]

bump this to you, pc93 -- I saw Nilson's name on the depos you posted on the previous thread.

[pc93]

Please indicate that Park Place is withholding medical information from Terri's parents contrary to an order from Michael in writing dated February 26, 2004 (in a last ditch effort to short-circuit a contempt of court motion) pursuant to Order Requiring Service of Copy of Annual Reports of Person On Parents of the Ward dated June, 18, 1996 "that he has no objections to the nursing home discussing Teresa Schiavo's medical condition with Robert of Mary Schindler." Park Place has been denying the Schindler's this information.

[cyn]

Hi -- You're on the list, and thanks. It took a little longer to get all together w/everything else going on, but it's all ready to go out tomorrow. My best to all of you at Terri'sfight -- you all are very special people to keep up with all this. Rest well tonight, Terri and all.

[floriduh voter]

Did you start a new ping list? If so, thanks for taking the time. I just pinged you back to the Daily Thread re: THE POPE.

[Future Useless Eater]

Thanks for the court transcripts!

We should all try to read every word so we can refute the mindbenders
of the world who say we just keep repeating hyperbole...



For starters, I wish the papers would stop tap dancing
around whether Michael has a FIANCEE or not.

Michael already testified under oath on January 24, 2000
that Jodi Centonze IS his fiancee

That makes him unfit as a guardian for Terri (even if there
was no financial incentive to murder her)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1107794/posts?page=493#493

7 Q Would you consider her your fiancee?

8 A I would consider her -- yes. Yes.

9 Q Has she ever been so noticed as anything

10 in writing in the newspaper as your fiancee?

11 A Yes.

12 Q You and she own a house together; is

13 that correct?

14 A Yes.


.....................Oh, and lets not forget he testified UNDER
OATH that he and Jodi OWN THE HOUSE TOGETHER. He can't hide
those assets under Jodi's name anymore. It on record. Court transcripts!

[Future Useless Eater]

>> Park Place is withholding medical information from Terri's parents contrary to an order from Michael in writing dated February 26, 2004 (in a last ditch effort to short-circuit a contempt of court motion) pursuant to Order Requiring Service of Copy of Annual Reports of Person On Parents of the Ward dated June, 18, 1996 "that he has no objections to the nursing home discussing Teresa Schiavo's medical condition with Robert of Mary Schindler." Park Place has been denying the Schindler's this information.


WOW! So so let me rephrase to see if I understand...

Michael GAVE Park Place written permission to share Terri's
medical records with the Schindlers, to satisfy the court order.

But UNOFFICIALLY he must have forbidden any release of medical records?

So what reason does Park Place give for their REFUSAL to share those records?

Why isn't Park Place being sued?

[supercat]

Michael GAVE Park Place written permission to share Terri's medical records with the Schindlers, to satisfy the court order.

Perhaps someone can help me out, but I know of no evidence that Michael ever gave any such orders. I believe Felos probably claimed that Michael did, but I don't think Michael's ever been called to the stand to testify to that under oath.

I would think that Judge Greer should have (if he were a fair judge) asked Michael to testify to the fact that he had in fact carried out court orders. Unfortunately, Judge Greer won't allow a Motion to Show Cause unless the Schindlers can testify to first-hand knowledge that Michael never gave any such orders. That they have been denied access to the record and told that Michael did not allow them access is considered "hearsay". Of course, by that standard it's unclear how anybody could move to show cause of much of anything.

Hearsay and affidavits are not admissible as evidence in most court proceedings, and for good reason--the person to whom such evidence would be harmful if admitted has the right to cross-examine anyone making any accusations against him. The purpose of a Motion to Show Cause, FWIU, isn't to find someone guilty of something but rather to provide a means by which people can be subpoenaed to provide real evidence. As such, affidavits and ever certain types of hearsay would seem quite applicable, since the goal is not to decide immediately the truth of what someone supposedly said, but rather to decide if there's a basis for the court calling the person to the stand and asking directly.

[pc93]

It's part of an exhibit. PDF upon request. 2-26-04

[supercat]

It's part of an exhibit. PDF upon request. 2-26-04

Hmm... interesting. Has Michael certified under oath that he in fact gave a copy to that facility? Have the Schindlers shown the facility the letter in question and used it to seek access to the records?

[TOUGH STOUGH]

Interesting point. I think the Schiavo case is one of the reasons the pope publicly remarked about feeding tubes. It is something good to come out of the publicity surrounding this case.

[cyn]

I'm concerned about the decubitus ulcer Terri is reported as having.

General information on decubitus ulcers from a malpractice website.

Those charged with the care of patients know to try to prevent these in the first place by paying attention to the patient -- turning and moving them regularly, padding, keeping the area clean, and back rubs. Michael Schiavo took pride early on that Terri had never had one because it indicated that she had been receiving excellent care.

If a pressure ulcer does begin to form (as is shown by early on by red, raw, perhaps blistered skin), then there must be more diligent care to ensure that it does not progress beyond the earliest stage, for a life threatening infection can easily and quickly result:

It is possible for a wound to “go from a stage I wound to a stage III or IV” without the intermittent stage[s] being observed. All wound stages were present just not obvious, hence the need to treat all wounds as serious with the potential of rapidly worsening.

There are indications that Terri's ordinary care is being neglected at this point -- her parents have complained that she has gone unbathed and that her hair has been dirty. This at a time when she needs even more TLC.

She's missing 2 (TWO) teeth -- and as fv has noted, teeth don't just walk out of a mouth. She was attacked in her bed -- whether they were puncture wounds or scratches -- by person(s) unknown. Her parents and other loving interested parties (including her priest during Easter week) are barred from visiting her.

GOOGLE search of decubitus ulcers:

grading decubitus ulcers -- family practice medicine site

This is what one can look like -- more information

I remain very concerned for Terri, and am at a loss to know what to do for her. I would love to rub her back, turn her, get her outside in her chair, talk to her, see if she can be fed by mouth. What is being done to her is quite offensive and an affront to decency and humane treatment of others.

[cyn]

Did I mention I'm very, very ANGRY??

[cyn]

h'mmm.

[cyn]

'``It's an excuse for him to cut off the family's access. Once again he has cut off the flow of information,'' said Tragos, a former federal and state prosecutor who volunteered to represent the Schindlers.' -- joining you in those prayers for Terri. It's good to have you here.

[phenn]

Will the Pope's statement help save Terri Schiavo?
Are people in "vegetative" states really hopeless?
Listen Wednesday night, 4/7/04 at 10 PM EST and hear about the recent international meeting in Rome to discuss developments in the treatment and ethics of the "vegetative" state. See link below for the official English translation of the Pope's March 20 statement which has been called a "stunner" by ethicists! - Nancy Valko, RN.

Listen on http://www.highway2health.net
Wednesday - April 5, 2004 10.00 ET (GMT-5)

About the Host
Nancy Valko has been a Registered Nurse for 35 years, working mainly in oncology, home health/hospice, hemodialysis and several kinds of ICUs, including trauma and is currently a full-time nurse in an ICU. Ms. Valko has covered the Terri Schiavo case for Wisconsin NPR, written for publications both religious and secular, produced medical news analysis articles for the National Catholic Register and is a Spokesperson for the National Association of Pro-life Nurses (http://www.nursesforlife.org, is president of Missouri Nurses for Life and a contributing editor for Voices, the magazine of Women for Faith and Family (http://www.wf-f.org)

Full Text of Pope's Address in English
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/2004/march/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20040320_congress-fiamc_en.html

[TaxRelief]

An article in USAToday is a must read for all Terri supporters. (A better glimpse into the agenda of the "death culture".)

USA Today: There's money in the business of body parts
Freerepublic Discussion Thread