IN - Couple charged with abandonment of adopted child after legally changing her age, Sept 2019

[Meloni88]

Well that's the reason the state is arguing that the statute of limitations doesn't apply. They took steps to conceal their crime by 1. changing her age in the first place 2. coaching her to tell people she was older and just looked young for her age and 3. dumping her in a place where she had "no contacts" and no one who knew her true age. I guess they are saying the state couldn't or was significantly prevented from intervening because of their efforts to hide what was going on.

 

[Meloni88]

But yeah.. that original judge is surely liable for all this nonsense. I wondered if that was why it maybe took so long to arrest the parents. This whole case makes the state look incompetent so it was in their interests not to pursue it. But it was a different county so maybe they don't care about that, I'm not sure. (Gitana?)

 

[Ksprincess2]

In the general public though they’re causing damage to this poor young girl with their slander.

Oh I completely agree but they've been slandering her to the general public for over a month now with no attempt to stop them and I'm sure they had been saying all the same things to their friends and family about her for years before this.

 

[squareandrabbet]

Could the state be open to a lawsuit for allowing an age change that was for negligent "parents"? Up rooting her life now with this case has caused her and her family (the Manns) a lot of stress I imagine. Where was everyone when she was in an apartment alone with the Barnetts using her money to pay bills? Now Natalia's menstrual cycle and pubic hair are being used to defend her abusers, wtf?

Don't forget the teeth.

Because of course, the appearance of "adult teeth" clearly means that you are "an adult", lol.

The Mayo Clinic, for example, says the loss of milk teeth can start at age 6 and rarely starts later than age 7; and the overwhelming majority of people have all their adult teeth (sans wisdoms) before they even enter high school; but yeah, sure, whatever.

 

[Meloni88]

Don't forget the teeth.

Because of course, the appearance of "adult teeth" clearly means that you are "an adult", lol.

The Mayo Clinic, for example, says the loss of milk teeth can start at age 6 and rarely starts later than age 7; but yeah, sure, whatever.

I am SO puzzled about the teeth thing. Obviously having adult teeth doesn't indicate adulthood anyway but we see from photographic evidence she still had mostly milk teeth around 2010 and that they fell out during the time she was with the Mans but Michael requested release of dental records for his case... so presumably he fully believes those records show she had all her adult teeth and maybe wisdom teeth when they adopted her. Why does he think this? Did he never see her mouth? He can't tell the difference between adult and baby teeth? Kristine told him the dentist said she had all her permanent teeth and he believed her? They bribed the dentist to record that she had a full set of adult teeth? What is going on?

 

[cherrymeg]

But yeah.. that original judge is surely liable for all this nonsense. I wondered if that was why it maybe took so long to arrest the parents. This whole case makes the state look incompetent so it was in their interests not to pursue it. But it was a different county so maybe they don't care about that, I'm not sure. (Gitana?)

Is the State motivated to prosecute them? When the Mans where trying to get custody of her as a child, but were deterred by the Barnetts and the possibly legal difficulties and expenses of changing her age back, that shows how the court dropped the ball. If you are a teenager or a preteen obviously you should just go to that judge when you want to be 21. You get a real legal age that lets you buy booze, drop out of school, apply for a drivers licence even if you are 11. That can't be normal.

 

[felineblue]

All this talk about bone scans to determine age made me think about dwarfism. People dealing with it end up with ‘old age’ problems like arthritis, and osteoporosis at a young age. My sibling has a related disorder and had arthritis at age 8. There are often atypical tooth developments as well. Would a bone scan even be reliable to determine age in this scenario? I wonder.

 

[Dawn Day]

I’d like to draw everyone’s attention to something that was in the Barnett’s petition to change her age. They wrote, under #9, listing reasons they believed she was older. One reason was her “statements of detailed, alleged abuse.” WHEN was she abused? WHO abused her? What could this mean? Because they left out of their petition the answer to the “when” & “who”, it’s possible that she was alleging that the Barnett’s abused her. IF they were the subjects of the “detailed, alleged abuse” it would explain a lot.
I know we don’t go making things up here, and that’s not what I’m trying to start, but I feel this statement in the age change petition is worthy of examination and renders this line of inquiry acceptable.

 

[cherrymeg]

I’d like to draw everyone’s attention to something that was in the Barnett’s petition to change her age. They wrote, under #9, listing reasons they believed she was older. One reason was her “statements of detailed, alleged abuse.” WHEN was she abused? WHO abused her? What could this mean? Because they left out of their petition the answer to the “when” & “who”, it’s possible that she was alleging that the Barnett’s abused her. IF they were the subjects of the “detailed, alleged abuse” it would explain a lot.
I know we don’t go making things up here, and that’s not what I’m trying to start, but I feel this statement in the age change petition is worthy of examination and renders this line of inquiry acceptable.
View attachment 210835

Thanks for posting this. That's interesting.

 

[cherrymeg]

I’d like to draw everyone’s attention to something that was in the Barnett’s petition to change her age. They wrote, under #9, listing reasons they believed she was older. One reason was her “statements of detailed, alleged abuse.” WHEN was she abused? WHO abused her? What could this mean? Because they left out of their petition the answer to the “when” & “who”, it’s possible that she was alleging that the Barnett’s abused her. IF they were the subjects of the “detailed, alleged abuse” it would explain a lot.
I know we don’t go making things up here, and that’s not what I’m trying to start, but I feel this statement in the age change petition is worthy of examination and renders this line of inquiry acceptable.
View attachment 210835

Wasn't she with thembefore they legally adopted her? Allegations of abuse aren't reasons to change someone's age. Someone should have investigated or had CYS look at the family situation.

 

[gitana1]

Well that's the reason the state is arguing that the statute of limitations doesn't apply. They took steps to conceal their crime by 1. changing her age in the first place 2. coaching her to tell people she was older and just looked young for her age and 3. dumping her in a place where she had "no contacts" and no one who knew her true age. I guess they are saying the state couldn't or was significantly prevented from intervening because of their efforts to hide what was going on.

The statute of limitations applies. It may be paused if and when the criminal is out of state. Further, it starts when the crime is completed. But it’s not completed in this case. They continue to neglect her.

 

[gitana1]

But yeah.. that original judge is surely liable for all this nonsense. I wondered if that was why it maybe took so long to arrest the parents. This whole case makes the state look incompetent so it was in their interests not to pursue it. But it was a different county so maybe they don't care about that, I'm not sure. (Gitana?)

Yeah I think the issue is they had two court rulings that were compelling so they had to make sure.

 

[Amonet]

I’d like to draw everyone’s attention to something that was in the Barnett’s petition to change her age. They wrote, under #9, listing reasons they believed she was older. One reason was her “statements of detailed, alleged abuse.” WHEN was she abused? WHO abused her? What could this mean? Because they left out of their petition the answer to the “when” & “who”, it’s possible that she was alleging that the Barnett’s abused her. IF they were the subjects of the “detailed, alleged abuse” it would explain a lot.
I know we don’t go making things up here, and that’s not what I’m trying to start, but I feel this statement in the age change petition is worthy of examination and renders this line of inquiry acceptable.
View attachment 210835

Point 8 should surely read that the physical maturity was more than they expected for her age, presumably due to not really being aware of how young these changes *can* happen in a young girl.

I think point 9 was claiming that N was abusing the Barnett family, and therefore she must be older than the adoption agency paperwork had said.

 

[Meloni88]

The statute of limitations applies. It may be paused if and when the criminal is out of state. Further, it starts when the crime is completed. But it’s not completed in this case. They continue to neglect her.

Well that makes perfect sense. Why haven't they said that? They just keep saying "you were concealing evidence" and they keeping responding "the court changed her age, it wasn't concealed."

 

[gitana1]

Well that makes perfect sense. Why haven't they said that? They just keep saying "you were concealing evidence" and they keeping responding "the court changed her age, it wasn't concealed."

What are you referring to? Is there a concealing evidence charge?

 

[gitana1]

Point 8 should surely read that the physical maturity was more than they expected for her age, presumably due to not really being aware of how young these changes *can* happen in a young girl.

I think point 9 was claiming that N was abusing the Barnett family, and therefore she must be older than the adoption agency paperwork had said.

To me it indicated she was older because she could relay such detailed allegations.

 

[Meloni88]

What are you referring to? Is there a concealing evidence charge?

I was talking about the arguments for why Michael's charge should or should not be dismissed under SOL.

The arguments began during Michael Barnett’s motion to dismiss count one of two neglect of a dependent charges.

The state alleged concealment of evidence occurred, saying Kristine Barnett telling the daughter to lie about her age was an active attempt to conceal. The state also said re-aging the girl and dropping her off in a community where she had no contacts was a further act of concealing neglect. Therefore, the state said it was a continuing offense, within the statute of limitations.

Barnett’s attorney said nothing was concealed because a Marion County judge ruled in 2012, and another later in 2017, the girl was an adult. The girl legally would be about 30-years-old right now. Kinnard also said Tippecanoe County law enforcement officers were present for that hearing and made testimony. Therefore, he said nothing was kept from the state.

So you're right the state did use the term "continuing offense". I missed that before. But the "concealment of evidence" seems to be the important thing and the defense responds by saying there was no concealment.

 

[Linda7NJ]

Doesn’t it seem strange to anyone else that an 11 year old child with her initial language barriers, cultural displacement, multiple placement disruptions, The Barnett's FAILURE to provide education as they're charged...somehow she tested into an ADULT EDUCATION CLASS & fooled everyone there?

 

[Dawn Day]

To me it indicated she was older because she could relay such detailed allegations.

That was how I interpreted it, also. That they are saying a child of her stated age could not make such a detailed statement/allegations.
I’m still left to wonder Who allegedly abused her? Were the allegations ever investigated?Could the allegations been against one of the Barnetts, another Barnett family member or friend? Could it have been against the first adoptive family? Further , what was the nature of the abuse?

 

[Linda7NJ]

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