Everyone needs Superheros

We are so lucky that in our family we have 2!!

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.

Media Link

The media link to the newspaper article is on mlive.com. I don't know if the local new stations ran the story because as far as I know they didn't try to contact us. You can also google Lloyd Brumbaugh and find more media info.

Here is what I posted on mlive.com

I am Emily Brumbaugh. I am surprised that some seem to know the situation better than I do. However, none of that matters now because it is over. There are few things that should be known with regard to this case.

1- My husband’s only INTENT was to get our children back. Think about how you might react if your wife was screaming at you to give her the phone; they won't give me my kids! The police had not arrived at this point. We were frantic! Please, even if you know this could never happen to you, imagine a stranger having your child and your second child being removed farther away from you by another stranger.

2- If you feel the need to debate time lines I would gladly give you my cell phone records and memories of that day. They replay day and night all the time. We were gone 1 hour and 10 minutes.

3- We felt the entire situation needed to be taken into consideration. Were it not for the entire picture we would NEVER have reacted that way. This includes the fact that my husband was trying to get 2 kids, not just one. Lloyd had Jackson and his parental instinct was to get Reuben, not to come into conflict with the officer.

4-The opposing parties involved in court wanted all events leading up to the police arriving to be considered irrelevant. The focus for them was strictly the seconds from the time the Deputy arrived until Lloyd was tasered.

5- We believe the jury tried to be fair based on instructions and the law. They were informed not to take anything else into consideration. Included in that omission was the fact that Lloyd’s intention was to get his children from what we viewed as a dangerous situation.

6- He is convicted of a felony. He could face up to 2 years in prison and/or a $2,000 fine among the many other court fees. These few seconds in our lives will continue to be very expensive.

7- We feel that the law which makes this a felony should be revised. The law considers all very violent offenses against a police officer as well as unintended offenses to be a felony. It doesn't allow for your intentions to be taken into consideration. We would love for the law to be split into two parts. A felony would involve an intentional attack or harming of a police officer . A misdemeanor would include unintended or incidental contact or actions WHERE THE POLICE OFFICER IS NOT HURT ANY WAY.

8-Please learn from our situation. Based on our experience, if a police officer initiates contact, it may be considered an assault if you try to remove yourself from that contact. Basically according to current law, DO NOT TOUCH a police officer EVER! That includes if you have no intention or desire to hurt them. That may be considered an assault if they decide to press charges. Also, if your desire is to rescue your child from a dangerous situation, the police have a right to stop you from doing that. If they tell you to stop and you don't stop dead in your tracks that may be considered resisting and obstructing.

9- For those of you judging our lawyer based on the unflattering picture; he was great and represented us very well. Have you never had a bad picture taken of you?

10- If you believe in a God or any higher power. Please say prayers for all parties involved. There is a power there beyond any human strength. I know at least our family could use prayers. It is very difficult to explain this situation to our children when they think their Dad will be shot and never come home again.

Trial over..Trial just beginning

Trial ended today with a guilty verdict. Apparently it is true if a police officer tells you to jump off a bridge you must do it and do it quickly. We will know more June 24th. Thanks for the prayers.

Prayers and a bit of Honesty

Tomorrow is the big day for trial to start. I have learned to ask for help when we need it. Boy will we take it now. The best thing anyone and everyone can do for us is to pray. To help you out we really need help in the following areas:

• We need the trial to start tomorrow. We found out this week that if the prosecution comes in and says they drop the case, they could decide to come back to it in six months. Therefore, we need to have the trial go so there is an official ruling.
  
• We need the jury to be open-minded and fair and that they will know the truth when they hear it.
• We need the judge to allow the full hour of police cruiser video into the trial.
• We need our kids to be good for the week. I know it will help, more than words can say to have Carlie here on this one; still prayers for our kids would be great.
• Our lawyer is great but I think he would not turn any prayers away either.
• Lloyd will need to be able to think clearly and be able to withstand the pressures of the week. I think he will do great but again prayers never hurt.
• Finally, here comes the honesty. This is the hardest for me, but please pray that I will have the physical and mental strength. Food has been quite an enemy for a few days therefore I am lacking a bit in both those areas.

I KNOW that prayer has the power to cover all of the above and so much more! There is a power I have felt many times over the last 9 months that is stronger than any earthly power. I think I have a small understanding how mountains can be moved. I think the Lord has moved many mountains for our family. I know He can move this one too! We need your prayers to make it happen. I can't talk about anything to do with the park once trial starts, so I will probably post when it is over. I love you all. Thank-you for all the prayers you have offered for our family. I just keep thinking of the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 6:36 where is says, "Therefore, fearnot, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail." One final thought before I sign off, the founders of this country gave credit to God for the rise of this great nation, and that includes the Judicial System.

Trial is 99.9999% a GO!

We are number 1 to go on May 11th. We will be at the Ann Arbor Circuit court Judge Archie Brown. We have to be there at 8:00 a.m. Jury selection should start around 9:00 a.m. at take most of the morning. Testimony should start somewhere around 1:00 or 2:00 ish. Our lawyer is expecting the testimony to go into Tuesday and hopefully be to the jury for deliberation by Tuesday afternoon.

I can't ask anyone to come, but it is an open public court. If you choose to come our lawyer has asked us to please not have any contact with the jury or conversations with anyone regarding the trial. This even includes times when court is at break or anytime during the trial process. (The weather is always a safe subject!) Honestly, we don't want to do anything that could possibly have a mistrial declared.