More than six weeks after having their 11 special-needs children removed from their home, Michael and Sharen Gravelle came out of hiding to tell the world their side of the story.
"We took kids that nobody else wanted," Michael said while giving a tour of their rural home near Wakeman to a Plain Dealer reporter and photographer on Sunday. "We're trying to help children. That's where our heart is."
David Sherman, the Gravelles' Westlake lawyer, was not aware of Sunday's tour. The Gravelles have not been charged with any crime, but custody hearings are scheduled for Thursday and Dec. 6. The children are in four foster homes.
This was the first time that the parents have spoken to the media about the children they adopted, who suffer from behavioral disorders ranging from defiant rages to a craving to eat nonfood items.
The Gravelles pointed out holes the children had kicked in the walls and gouges in the drywall from their fingernails. Urine stains can be seen on the baseboards, and the walls still show marks where the children had smeared their feces.
"We live with this smell," Sharen said. "We love these children."
Michael said he could no longer remain quiet while people label his wife as the "world's most evil mother." Prosecutor Russ Leffler said Friday that the couple was adopting children for a financial windfall.
"You could not pay me enough to do the things we had to do," a tearful Michael said. "There is nothing easy about raising these children. We did not abuse them. That's the truth."
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