In my own words..

I can finally tell this story as I see it. The following is a combination of my memories and the police cruiser video and talking with Lloyd.

September 20, 2008 was a beautiful sunny day. Shortly after 10:00 that morning Lloyd told me our friend needed her daughter’s soccer cleats. I called my friend at 10:15 a.m. to see if she wanted us to meet her at the park on our way out to run some errands. She told me she already stopped by and got the cleats asked if I wanted to drop some kids off to play at the park. I told her I would talk with Lloyd and if we decided to drop kids off I would meet her at the park. We decided to give the kids a choice of 1-going to the park or 2-coming on errands with Mom, Dad and Nora (then 2 months old.) The boys Jackson and Reuben (5 and 3 ½) wanted to go to the park. Allie and Emma wanted to run errands. When we arrived at the park I found my friend had a very short conversation and put the boy’s hands in her hands. I looked at each of them and told them they were with here while we ran errands. Just as we left the park, I called Heidi at 10:40 a.m. I knew she had a busy day so I wanted to see if she needed anything from the stores. I asked her if she saw the boys yet, and she spotted them walking over with my friend. She asked if she was watching them, I told her no. Then Lloyd the girls and I went to Sam’s Club, Meijer, and Target. The entire time we were gone I felt a great sense of urgency to hurry. We arrived back at the park right about 11:50 a.m. I saw Jackson on the play-structure (which is by the parking lot and soccer fields wrap around it.) I got out of the Expedition and grabbed his hand. I said something like let’s go. Then a woman who I didn’t know pulled Jackson away from me and said “Oh no, you are not taking this child you left him here over an hour.” I said I left him with babysitter a friend was watching him. Then a group formed and a lot of yelling of why I was such a horrible mom ensued. A man said, “Look at all these people who care about your kids. Why don’t you care about them?” I continued to tell them I had a friend watching the boys when I realized they weren’t going to believe me I said I would go get my friend. At this point the yelling changed to “There is no babysitter, she is making it up, you go find the babysitter and when you don’t you can explain it to the police!” I knew my friend had two soccer games and wasn’t sure which field she would be at. I ran up a little rise yelling at Lloyd, “Give me my cell phone, they won’t give me my kids.” Lloyd was very upset he gave me my cell phone and I heard him yell, “Give me my kids!” Then I heard someone yell, “You left them here for over an hour!” Lloyd yelled, “We left them here with a friend!” I was trying to call my friend it was 11:52 a.m. and it went to her voice mail. At this time Deputy Katrina Burdeau arrived grabbed Lloyd’s arm and told him to release the child. Lloyd freed himself from her grasp by pulling his arm away. Deputy Burdeau calls this the first assault. She continues to yell for Lloyd to put down his child. Lloyd was so focused on Reuben he didn’t comprehend what she was trying to do. He thought he had a right to get his children back from strangers. I turned and Deputy Katrina Burdeau was standing about 10 feet away from Lloyd with her taser drawn. Lloyd was holding Jackson in front. I thought she was going to shoot even with Jackson there. I ran in-between Deputy Burdeau and Lloyd facing Lloyd I yelled, “Calm down!” Deputy Burdeau told me to step back. I was terrified. I was yelling for my friend. The next thing I knew Lloyd was kneeling with Jackson in his arms. I pleaded with Deputy Burdeau to at least let me have Jackson. Again I was told to step back. It was about 20 seconds from the first command to release Jackson until he was not in Lloyd’s possession. While I was turned around yelling Deputy Burdeau stood over Lloyd and when he stood up she said he shoved her backwards. If there was contact it was because she wanted him to stand-up and was standing over him. I felt sick. I was screaming for my friend. I walked about 10 feet back toward the rise and turned to see Lloyd falling from being tasered. I was screaming and crying “Oh my God! Oh my God!” Then I called my friends cell phone again at 11:53 a.m. screaming and crying “Get to the park! Come to the park! They tasered Lloyd!” as she answered. I then threw myself to the ground screaming and crying. On the cruiser video you here Deputy Burdeau yelling at Allie just after Lloyd was tasered to go to her mom. Then moments later she said “I need to go arrest the Mom.” Another police officer asked her why she was doing that. When she got to me she aggressively said, “Do you have and guns, knives, weapons anything that will hurt me!” I said, “I have my cell phone.” She frisked me said she wasn’t going to cuff “for now” and put me in the back of the police car. I called Lloyd’s parents cell phone at 12:03 p.m. I left a message, “Pray for us, please please pray for us now!” Then I called my mom’s cell phone at 12:05 she answered and I said the same thing in addition I said I couldn’t talk and hung up. My mom called back at 12:06 I said they tasered Lloyd please start praying. I realized that Nora and Emma were still in the Expedition. I knocked on the police cruiser window and was waved off. It makes me sick to think that my baby could have died that day in a hot car if Emma didn’t get her out. Deputy Burdeau came to the cruiser after Emma got Nora out wanting to know how many kids I had. I was so terrified and frustrated. It felt like everyone else had the right to my kids except for Lloyd and I. I sat in the police car crying for what seemed like eternity. On the cruiser video you here another deputy ask Deputy Burdeau if she is going to release Lloyd from the hospital or hold him in jail. (He ended up being held in jail for 48 hours without bond.) When Deputy Burdeau came back she said it didn’t have to be this way then proceeded to asked me a bunch of questions. I was told I had to keep my phone on me because Child Protective services would be coming by that day to interview kids. The only hint of compassion came at the very in of her questioning when she looked at me. I had huge eyes, and I am sure I looked scared to death. She asked me if I was okay. I said I would have lots of help. She told me I could stay in her cruiser as long as I needed to. I said I needed to get to my kids. Then my friend drove my home with the kids.