We need you help here in Crawford County, Iowa (possibly other counties too).  
My husband, Fred, had no other option but to plea guilty to a crime he didn’t commit.  We need your signature to get our story heard! I need my daughter and husband home. Sadie is in a shelter NOT doing well! DHS is destroying her!

THE FACTS ON OUR CASE (have documentation

GOALS:

1.  Get our daughter Sadie Olson out of state care & back home where she wants to be  (reinstate parental rights)

2.  Exonerate my husband Frederick Olson of his aggravated misdemeanor, free him from the Correctional Facility & remove his name from the Sex Offender Registry

-Denied to move case out of Crawford Co.(conflict of interest)

-just finished court Custody Battle in May 2018 over Rianne (we won-Rianne BEGGED to say with us)

- Sadie(14) wants to come home…she verified this didn’t happen…DHS removed her saying we were a flight risk (no evidence)…she’s been in 8 foster homes, 8 school districts, 2 children’s shelters & mental hospitals

-terminated parental rights on Sadie (who says nothing happened to either kid) but not Rianne (making the allegations)

-Sadie wasn’t allowed to testify and wanted too but Rianne was

-state isn’t caring for youngest…she has been on the news as missing, run away, had arrests, suicidal threats, run away numerous times, destroyed property, mental hospital admissions, been forced on medications and threatened to hurt others

-youngest wrote letter to judge and judge thought we wrote it instead of checking 

-daughter was hanging with juvenile delinquents and we set boundaries she didn’t like (all sexual abuse relate juvenile delinquents)

-Mercy Child Advocacy Center told Jenn they wouldn’t put much belief into Rianne’s allegations 

-Jenn requested outside DHS interview with a professional 

-cops at our house several times due to Jenn’s ex-husband calling-Rianne was questioned many times no reports to them of sexual abuse (paid for all reports)

-Rianne had been in counseling since age of 2-no reports ever of sexual abuse- Rianne had several diagnosed mental issues from absent father

-Crawford County Attorney is married to my ex-husband’s attorney…he is now a judge

-Co. Refused to file a request of violation of amendment right to effective counsel 

-Our court appointed attorneys filed no paperwork on our behalf 

-4+years of court COVID…had to testify via internet 

-DHS says VA can’t do trauma counseling 

-Child removed due to not being in home for 2 years-Covid

-did everything DHS & Boystown asked, missed no visits, attended counseling, bought all clothes, school supplies, etc. 

-Both have no criminal records 

-Both college graduates 

-Fred has an honorable Navy discharge 

-Fred has service-connected 100% unemployable disability 

-Both were licensed adoptive/foster parents 

-Both volunteers in our church, community and school

-Jennifer was a Federal and state employee

-Both mandatory reporters

-Jenn in PEO, International Order of Rainbow for Girls(State Grand Executive Officer), Grand Cross of Color, Who’s Who Among Americans Member, Honor Student

-one on Fred’s attorneys went to work in the Crawford Co. attorney’s office while on our case

-one of our Boystown workers went to work for DHS in the office handling our case-negative remarks when she was applying about us all good reports before hand

-Had over 12 attorneys who have worked on our case

-No financial means to fight this 

-fixed income military family

-have several witnesses that testify on our behalf 

*These are just a few of the things that come to mind right now. I can send you more as I compile. PLEASE help us get to the right people. Crawford Co. courts are bought and corrupt. They look for that state money to put sex offenders away. I will be starting a petition for our side to be heard! Anything else you may need, please let me know! Look forward to meeting with Gov. Reynolds! Thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it!

Jennifer Olson

From our social media feed:

Some of you may be wondering what’s going on. We’ve been pretty quiet, but it is about to be REAL public due to my fight. We want you to hear it from us first (rumors have been flying).  Back in 2018, Rianne made allegations that Fred sexually abused her.  She never said anything to counselors, school, police or me…NO ONE. She only made these allegations AFTER she was trying to hang/date juvenile delinquents (sex crimes), lying, not doing schoolwork, dating girls, wanting to become a boy & we, as parents, had her boundaries tightened at home!  Rianne moved to G & G Ziegmann’s then to her dad’s & Sadie went into foster care(she is currently in another shelter).  My parents wouldn’t take her because she is Fred’s! DHS/Judge Timko terminated rights to Sadie but not Rianne. None of our evidence was admitted into court. We had 15+ lawyers throughout this case. Sadie wasn’t allowed to testify. My ex-husband’s attorney is married to the county attorney prosecuting this case & is now a judge! We were denied moving the case outside the county (due to conflict of interest). We were denied filing a petition to “the amendment right to effective council”. We had lawyers & support workers going to work in the offices for those going after us (state and DHS). This has been complete chaos for 4 YEARS. We have lost most all family over this. Since we had NO FIGHTING chance at this, Fred took a plea deal in April to Indecent Contact with a child for touching Rianne’s butt, an aggravated misdemeanor. The judge gave him a 10-year special sentence with 2 years in prison. His current release date is May 2023. All our appeals have been denied in Crawford County! NEITHER of us have EVER been in trouble, we’ve been licensed foster/adoptive parents, Fred served in the US NAVY and we volunteer in everything. We’d like to say we’re “good” people! How does this happen??!! After the abuse & RAPE I endured from my ex, Luke, I am very aware & protective! I’ve been using my resources & am going higher to seek exoneration and clear our names. Please pray for us in this continued battle for TRUTH!

 rudall30/AdobeStock
 COMMENTARY, FORENSIC PRACTICE

All allegations of sexual abuse by children must be taken seriously. Data suggest that the overwhelming majority of children’s allegations are legitimate and true.1 But, in certain situations and circumstances, a child may lie and make up false allegations of abuse. This phenomenon is seen most commonly in child custody cases and in criminal cases.

 

Reasons for Lies

As a clinical and forensic psychologist, I am often enlisted to help a parent prove his or her innocence in a sexual abuse case. My task, in these instances, is to try to understand why a child would fabricate a story of sexual abuse against his or her close family member. Based on my experience, here are some of the reasons children lie:

1. Children sometimes make up allegations of sexual abuse because they are looking for attention. When children feel neglected by their parents, they may be inclined to fabricate a story of sexual abuse because they know it will bring them attention. With some kids, negative attention is better than no attention at all. Young children and even teens will make up a story of sexual abuse without understanding the serious custody or criminal implications for the parent in question.

2. A child who is angry with a parent may decide to accuse that parent of sexual abuse. For example, a child might be mad at a parent for seeking a divorce, or for real or perceived favoritism of a sibling.

3. Children, particularly those embroiled in dysfunctional family situations, sometimes falsely report sexual abuse to have the accused parent removed from the child’s life. For example, a girl who has a rocky relationship with her father or stepfather may accuse him of sexual abuse to remove him from the family because of his verbal hostilities, drug abuse, or overly harsh discipline.

4. In contentious child custody cases, a child may fabricate a story of sexual abuse against one parent at the encouragement of the other parent who wishes to gain leverage in the legal proceeding. Children and teens are especially susceptible to suggestions, manipulation, brainwashing, and coaching by a parent.2

5. Some children make up a story of sexual abuse against a parent to “explain away” their own sexual misbehavior or other inappropriate actions. For example, a child might accuse a parent of sexual abuse who has recently discovered that the child has been sneaking out of the house to have sex. Or a child might lie about parental sexual abuse after being arrested for shoplifting.

 

Red Flags for Detecting Children’s False Claims

In every case of alleged sexual abuse, the mental health expert must approach it with an open mind.3 All possible hypotheses should be explored; tunnel vision must be avoided. It is imperative to consider all available evidence to either corroborate or refute the claim of sexual abuse. While most claims of sexual abuse are true from a statistical standpoint, some are lodged falsely and must be exposed. In a child custody case, a parent’s custodial time can be lost if the allegation is not debunked. In a criminal case, a parent’s very freedom is at stake since incarceration is a probable penalty.

 

There are several red flags that point to a false allegation of sexual abuse by a child. These include:

1. In a forensic interview, a sexually abused child is typically anxious, scared, worried, conflicted, ambivalent, and prone to recantations. In contrast, a child who is calm, cool, collected, and smooth may be fabricating the allegation of abuse.4 While this rule of thumb holds true, there are of course exceptions.

2. A timeline of events and actions will often reveal a fabricated allegation. An allegation of sexual abuse that occurs within days or a few weeks of a major event can reflect a fabricated story. For example, I had a case where an allegation of sexual abuse occurred within 72 hours of a husband asking for a divorce. The wife was shocked and scared of losing custody of their 3 children. The allegation of abuse was lodged to gain leverage in the child custody battle that was imminent.
 

 

3. If the first allegation of sexual abuse occurs during a divorce and/or child custody proceeding, a fabricated story should be considered. If multiple allegations are made during the proceeding, that is a huge red flag for fabrication.5

4. If it is well-established that a child is being manipulated or coached by a parent, that child’s allegation of sexual abuse against the other parent must be scrutinized. As mentioned earlier, children and teens are easily manipulated by a parent and can be unwitting participants in a false allegation claim.

5. If the parent in question does not have a prior history of inappropriate sexual activity, criminal behavior, or serious substance abuse, it is more likely that the current allegation of sexual abuse is false.

6. If the child or a member of the family has a history of making previous similar allegations of abuse against others, it is more likely that the current allegation claim is false.

7. Some children, especially younger ones, will believe sexual abuse happened to them if they are repeatedly asked leading questions by a parent, investigator, or evaluator. Children want to please authority figures and will take their cues from them. In such circumstances, very young children have a difficult time distinguishing fact from fantasy.6

8. Sometimes a parent will misconstrue or misinterpret what a child says and then magnify it into an act of sexual abuse. This happens with younger children most often. For example, if a father touches a young child’s “private parts” while giving a bath.7

 

Concluding Thoughts

As I have encountered first-hand in cases, most adults find it implausible that a child would make up a false allegation of sexual abuse against a close or extended family member. Attorneys, mediators, district attorneys, judges, and even mental health practitioners make the mistake of taking a child’s word at face value without careful determination of its truthfulness.

 

False allegations of abuse by children do happen in both custody and criminal cases. Children lie for a variety of reasons and those reasons must be exposed. That is the task of the mental health professional in such a case.

 

Finally, it is also important to note that the number of false allegations of child sexual abuse is lower than the number of children who do not disclose such abuse or who lie by saying it did not occur.1To be clear, sexual abuse of children continues to be a major problem and we must not turn a blind eye to the enormity of the psychological damage to our youth.

 

Dr Blotcky is a clinical and forensic psychologist in private practice in Birmingham, Alabama. He is also clinical associate professor in the department of psychology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr Blotcky can be reached at alanblotcky@att.net.

 

The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Psychiatric Times™.

 

References

1. Cyr M, Bruneau G. False allegations of child sexual abuse. In: St-Yves M, Tanguay M, eds. The Psychology of Criminal Investigations: The Search for the Truth; 2008:199-228.

2. Ceci SJ, Bruck M. Children’s suggestibility: characteristics and mechanisms. Adv Child Dev Behavior. 2006;34:247-281.

3. London K, Bruck M, Ceci SJ, Shuman DW. Disclosure of child sexual abuse. What does the research tell us about the ways that children lie?Psychology, Public Policy, and Law.2005;11(1):194-226.

4. O’Donohue WT, Fanetti M. Forensic Interviews Regarding Child Sexual Abuse: A Guide to Evidence-Based Practice. Springer International Publishing; 2016.

5. Blotcky AD. Child abuse allegations: sorting out lies versus truths. Psychiatric Times. August 25, 2021. https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/child-abuse-allegations-lies-versus-truths

6. Hughes-Scholes C, Powell MB. An examination of the types of leading questions used by investigative interviewers of children. Policing An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management. 2008;31(2):210-225.

7. Bernet W. False statements and the differential diagnosis of abuse allegations. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1993;32(5):903-910.