Thursday, December 4, 2008

And Now My Own Update

As most of you know by now (thank you again to my lovely April for updating the blog for me; you know I love you, right?), Hannah did not have to testify yesterday-thank you to whomever was Up There watching out for that sweet girl! It was very, very bizarre, I tell you that, the whole thing. It was like some kind of auction, with bidding and negotiations and a lot of back-and forth until a reasonable agreement was reached by all.

So this is where it stands now: In exchange for reduced bail (so he will most likely be getting out today or tomorrow), he agreed to waive the preliminary hearing, as well as agreed that when he is bound over to District Court, there will be a third felony charge as well (we were originally told there would be three charges, but for some reason they only charged him with the two; after talking with Hannah the prosecutor said there should, in fact, be three). He is on house arrest, only able to go to work and home, but as an added layer of protection there will be a No Contact Order in place that applies to all five of us. I was quite impressed with the fact that even though he is supposed to be only at work or home, the judge specified that the Monday and Friday AA meetings were "mine," as well as addressed his supporters in the courtroom by saying, very sternly, "I would not expect to hear of any kind of retaliation against the victim's mother, nor of any kind of third-party contact. There will be no messages relayed to her through the plaintiff via any of you." I thought his gesture was very kind, and there was one person in particular there whom could really cause problems-with any luck, this isn't going to happen now. (As an aside, I would hope that after having gone to the particular meeting for 6+ years, those people know me well enough to know that once I am not duty-bound to be on my best behavior, they had probably best keep their mouths shut. Just sayin').

He will go to his plea hearing in District Court on the 15th, at which he will likely plead Not Guilty. They will then set a trial date, but even HIS attorney is not anticipating it going to trial. Basically, for him to waive the hearing is a good thing for us for many reasons, not the least of which is that he is basically agreeing that there is probably enough evidence to bind him over to District, which is in effect an admission of guilt. There are whole lot of other steps that will need to be taken between the arraignment and the trial, even if a plea agreement is reached, and though I know the basics, I don't have the energy right this minute to go into it all. Instead, as things occur, I will update you all then.

The best part of this all was that Hannah didn't have to testify; we weren't thrilled about the whole getting out of jail issue, but in the long run, I think it was the best decision. Steve, Janet, Hannah, Jim and I all kind of conferred together and discussed it, and it feels like the right decision to all of us, as well as to the Prosecutor. With hope and just a little bit more luck, my girl will not have to testify at all, and wouldn't that be a blessing?

I did not go back to work yesterday afternoon, I was just-done. Even though I can ill afford it, it felt like the right decision for Hannah and I to just hang together and kind of process things. We went to have a snack, and by then the boys were home from school, and then we gathered up and went to Jacquie and Jim's house for pizza and cake for Hannah's birthday. It was lovely; they are so much like part of our family that it felt like a cozy warm blanket for us to be there. We ate too much and laughed a lot and had this oh-so-great chocolate ice cream cake that Jacquie had baked for Hannah, and it was a really good ending to the day. I think that even though the hearing was on her birthday, the good memories from the day are going to overshadow the bad ones, and what more could I ask for?

More, more, there is SO much more-feelings and perceptions and all sorts of different things, but I am just not up to it. I don't know if it is simply that now we really DO have a lull, the next worst thing is over with, whatever, but I am dragging. Physically, emotionally, mentally, financially, I am broke for the moment. I know that each one of you deserve a public thank you, and a huge smack on the lips, but please accept right now that all I have to offer is a simple, heartfelt thank you.

13 comments:

April said...

I'm with Mr Lady. Any laughs in your life are like big embraces.

Martin said...

Good news.

Forwards now.

Unknown said...

Thank you for the update and I am so glad that your baby didn't have to testify. I hope that you are doing alright and still hanging in there. Just know that there are many of us in the blogsphere who love you.
Take care
G~*

FreedomFirst said...

A thankyou is plenty. Too bad I can't share some of the free chocolates I got today with you, lol. I bought gifts for Andy's teachers at the chocolate shop, and found out I spent enough to pick out 25 free truffles! :O That is like the deal of a lifetime, but now I have to find people to eat them. I think I'm going to give most of them to my Mom and Dad since I rarely manage to get them anything.

Anyway, get some rest. I hope everything gets easier for a while.

Anonymous said...

fan-fucking-tastic. I'm so relieved that she didn't have to testify today and that the good parts of the day outweighed the bad.

Huge hugs and support to you both.

Anonymous said...

Not going back to work? Definitely the best choice. As much as I, myself, am loathe to take time off from work, there are definitely things in the world more important.

Rachael said...

I'm glad everything went as well as possible for you all, and that Hannah got to spend her b-day with her awesome mom.

Jennifer said...

Belated Happy Birthday to Hannah! I'm sorry she had to go through that on her bday--but glad she didn't have to testify. And it sounds like you had a very nice party later! So sorry you guys are going through all this--hang in there!!

Hockeyman said...

Instead of my own comment, just re-read what Mr Lady said. She said it all I think.

Fingers crossed for not ever having to be in the same room as that man again for your daughter.

Anonymous said...

YAY :) Glad you made it through the day. Court is hell, but it sounds like it went pretty well for you and Hannah. I was thinking about you.

Anonymous said...

Sorry it's taken me this long to say. . .glad you made it through that day and so glad Hannah did not have to testify. There is a God. Happy belated birthday to her.

Mama Smurf said...

I'm so happy your day ended well....or as well as it could have possibly ended.

I'm really hoping things will start to turn around for your family.

You're always on my mind...

Isn't that like a title to a really bad song or something?....

Briya said...

Thank you was plenty, and really even more than I require. I'm here to listen and quite possibly provide questionable advice, so THANK YOU for trusting us enough to let us in.