FL-AMBER ALERT Haleigh Cummings 5 yrs. old - Putnam County #15

[Marina2]

Someone found the continuation of his rapsheet, it does not end in 2002. There is another drug charge in 2004, declined treatment. He is no stranger to the police.

Thanks! I will have to look that up! I still don't see it as a huge issue in this case tho. Even in 2004...still 5 years ago. Haleigh is 5. Everything dates back to while he was still with bio mom...doesn't it?

I'd like to see the 2004 charge, too. IMO, the 2002 charges are being blown out of proportion. It was ordered "Nolle Prosequi". This means:

nolle prosequi
(no-lay pro-say-kwee) n. Latin for "we shall no longer prosecute," which is a declaration made to the judge by a prosecutor in a criminal case (or by a plaintiff in a civil lawsuit) either before or during trial, meaning the case against the defendant is being dropped. The statement is an admission that the charges cannot be proved, that evidence has demonstrated either innocence or a fatal flaw in the prosecution's claim or the district attorney has become convinced the accused is innocent.

I think he's being unfairly judged. Bringing in the entire family's rap sheet is unfair as well.

 

[tehcloser]

Just meaning that people whom even live under bridges can do wonderful things with their life through working hard.
This man lived on the streets with his child, in shelters, and even slept in a bathroom with his son..Through truth and honesty though, he became one of the richest men out there.
Without truth and honesty, he would be nothing.
Even those who live in the most abnormal of circumstances can still tell the truth..

So ok....you said it better......:blowkiss:

 

[Wise Old Owl]

I don't live on another planet (unless that's where the NE is? lol) but it's very hard for me to wrap my brain around this is the norm even tho I know it's true in many other places around the country.

Now that I'm seeing it so upclose & personal it's still a real eye opener for sure.

Google "Apalachia" - check out that lifestyle. I think 20/20 just did a big segment on Apalachia and the effects of the economy on them. I spoke the other day about "stepping back" and taking a different approach with this "venue". It is a small, very rural, very generational type place. Rap sheets - well yea, there aint' THAT many people living there - iffen ya gonna do somethin' ya probably gonna get caught type deal.

I try to live by "judge not and ye shall not be judged". As long as the children are clean, fed, loved, cared for with a good roof over their heads and sent to school who am I to judge?

 

[Leila]

Hmmm... isn't the Marcus on Crystal's myspace her brother? and Johnny is the father?

Yes, Crystal's father's name is Johnny Marcus Sheffield, and her brother is Marcus. The brother obviously was given his father's middle name. I believe Marcus is quite young, having recently graduated from high school.

 

[Searchfortruth]

Criminal histories for relativly minor offenses, drug use of minor drugs (the pot is the only thing confirmed, before the kids were born), legal minor by the laws of FL living with a man she seems to genuinely care about and be cared for by, women that made a few bad choices that resulted in children, stragne behavior under extreme amoutns of stress, consdiering educaion to be a waste if they are satisfied with their lives...all are very common.
I have a record for minor offenses, a drug history from before my kids were born, and admittedly after, (although I did seek help and have been clean for three years), moved in with my 25 year old bf at 15, got a job and had my daughter 2 years later, have 4 kids with 2 fathers, got my GED (although I used to get into college). Does that make me a bad person? I hope not. I am not perfect, and neither are the people we see here. They are not the Cleaver's but that doesn't make them worthy of our scorn and disrespect. Plenty of us have skeletons in our closets that the public would love to pick apart.

I do have my doubts about the gf, but those are based on gut feeling, not her education level, family situation or economic status.

Thank you for sharing with us. I know I wouldn't feel good about having ALL of my history made public either, I am not perfect, but age has smoothed down the edges. It is hard waiting for answers, for me, while thinking of a child out in the elements or with a crazed CP. Trying to figure things out often leads to rash judgements of others, more judgement, honestly, than I would appreciate being turned in on me. Thanks for your post.

 

[karenmamo]

Ya know, I am sitting here thinking....Why did GA pick this case? There are other children missing, but he chose the one with the tv coverage. I had supported him earlier, but the more I think on it, the more I am changing my mind..
I wondered about the carnival workers as well...

George isn't down there (according to undisclosed source). Kidfinders was asked to leave this morning.

 

[MeoW333]

MeoW, Patty posted the links to interviews in the media sticky thread for this case, I saw them this morning.

Thank you, Kat

 

[Silk]

snipped & bolded by me

This is exactly why I thought of the REWARD $$$ theory..H's is not nearly (yet?) close to what Caylee's was ($225,000) but I can see someone desperate enough for $$$ & dumb enough to think they'd get away with it giving it a shot..There's one family member in particular that points to being the possible perp to me & it's not the dad.

It's possible but this child is certainly old enough to tell someone after the fact where she was, who took her and where she stayed, etc. I think it would be blown wide open if this is what they tried to extort money by doing. JMO

 

[Tonia]

Tonia I watched it last night too. I remembered a caller suggesting that the GF might have held a party while father was at work but not that the child actually woke up during a party so I went and looked for the transcript for you.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0902/13/ng.01.html

"Sybil from Florida, thank you for joining us.

SYBIL, FROM FLORIDA: Yes, I watch your show every night and you know, no one has said anything about the fact that this girl is 17 living with the older man and knowing how teenagers like to party?

BROOKS: Well, you know, Sybil, there are a lot of theories out there right now, but.

SYBIL: Yes. You know, the teenagers like to party, especially when they get a house to themselves. Some other teenagers around there and left that door open, you know.

BROOKS: Yes.

SYBIL: . or did something with this little girl because she woke up and found the party going on but we enjoy your show and watch it every night.

BROOKS: Well, thank you, Sybil, and thanks again for calling in. You know, we heard from Crystal Cummings who said that Misty was a very responsible 17-year-old girl so there`s a lot of theories out there but we don`t want -- rush to judgment on Sybil, the father -- I mean on Misty, the father or anyone else. So, as the facts evolve, I`m we`ll hear more."


The only other party mentioned was during an introduction of Mark Klass by stating that his daughter was abducted during a slumber party.

Thank you Kat! I got a little mixed up on that one.

 

[mydailyopinions]

I'm a yankee transplant in the south. I don't think it matters where you go-there is always a socio-economic group that is less educated with its own "sub-culture". Public education in the south typically is not up to par with the rest of the country. So in some respects certain groups are even farther behind. There are also certain cultural differences in the south that have lent certain groups to not be as progressive.
They call it the "dirty south" for a reason. The public school system is awful. In my opinion it is because they continue to segregate. Not just by race but by class.

I 100% disagree! My son whom is 15 years old ranks in the top 300 in the United States as a 10th grader with classes being taken right now that will be credited in college before he even gets there. He was born in the south and goes to a southern public school. It is not the system, it is what a child makes of their education and the support they receive from home.
Not just by race but by class? What is that supposed to mean?

 

[Never4GetCaylee]

I didn't watch Greta but they were not on NG, just old clips.

No, not on Greta. She didn't even cover it. Her whole show was about the plane crash in Buffalo and the stimulus bill.

I wish Greta would decide what kind of show she is. Crime? Political? General News? I liked her better when she was covering cases like Nancy Grace.

 

[not_my_kids]

Will Geraldo have the case tonight? Is Geraldo even on tonight?
Sorry, my guide listing has been stuck for hours, I have no idea what's on when tonight.

 

[RR0004]

I don't live on another planet (unless that's where the NE is? lol) but it's very hard for me to wrap my brain around this is the norm even tho I know it's true in many other places around the country.

Now that I'm seeing it so upclose & personal it's still a real eye opener for sure.

It's sure been an education...and I mean that in a positive way.

 

[Nana46]

:furious:Unless you have had dealings with these sad folks it is hard to imagine their lifestyle....I work with a woman who just got legal custody of her 5 year old gd....the things that child went thru would make your head blow off....the lifestyle was at least a step up from this poor family though....when you ask about what about meal time that day for Haleigh,lesson doing,etc., those are probably not "normal" daily events...they eat but when? no regular schedule at all....if you look around the next time you are say at a Walmart you will see the different levels people live in.....not how I would want to live and it totally breaks my heart when I see these small kids but it does not tell me they aren't loved....they repeat what they learn...if they are not exposed to anything better it usually just gets repeated as they grow up.....and living where I do, the cokk (sp) fighting is done here if people can get away with it far out in the country....not as much as it used to be though...this whole dang mess just tears me up.....I want this madness to end for these kids!!!!!!!!

 

[LCoastMom]

With all these rap sheets flying around WHO can you believe?

Exactly, that's my problem. But It's not fair to the people involved for my problem to reflect badly on them.

I'm trying to separate out behaviors by family members and behaviors by the actual principles.

Ron
Crystal
Misty

These are the three the children actual answered to, these are the "acting parental units". I would like to know what is going on with them personally as opposed to their other family members.

Next if Crystals fiance' Chad resides in the same home as the children when they visit.

Then the Gparents and aunts, uncles, various cousins and friends.

We know Ron is working full time, Misty said (somewhere here) that she hadn't gone to school in quite sometime, she had scheduled an appt for GED classes but she didn't show up.

Crystal has a new baby, she bought a home? according to a sworn statement by her dad. She lost her minimum wage job as a server. Has she found new employment? Is she current in her child support?

The lifestyles here are so foreign to most of us it's almost impossible to be fair and open minded about these children's living arrangements. Most of the immediate female friends and relatives are early 20's with 2-3 small children each. Most of the guys are a few years older than the "women" they are associated with, in marriage, children or just cohabitating. Which basically boils down to 16-17 y o females hooking up with 20-21 y o males and very quickly starting a family together.

 

[Searchfortruth]

George isn't down there (according to undisclosed source). Kidfinders was asked to leave this morning.

Kid Finders ASKED to leave ? This is wonderful, wonderful news ! Is this on the news ?

 

[Nana46]

Finally, something positive in this mess.

Wonder who asked kidfinders to leave???
Bravo whoever it was.

 

[sega-sleuth]

Criminal histories for relativly minor offenses, drug use of minor drugs (the pot is the only thing confirmed, before the kids were born), legal minor by the laws of FL living with a man she seems to genuinely care about and be cared for by, women that made a few bad choices that resulted in children, stragne behavior under extreme amoutns of stress, consdiering educaion to be a waste if they are satisfied with their lives...all are very common.
I have a record for minor offenses, a drug history from before my kids were born, and admittedly after, (although I did seek help and have been clean for three years), moved in with my 25 year old bf at 15, got a job and had my daughter 2 years later, have 4 kids with 2 fathers, got my GED (although I used to get into college). Does that make me a bad person? I hope not. I am not perfect, and neither are the people we see here. They are not the Cleaver's but that doesn't make them worthy of our scorn and disrespect. Plenty of us have skeletons in our closets that the public would love to pick apart.

I do have my doubts about the gf, but those are based on gut feeling, not her education level, family situation or economic status.

Bolded by me........Why is everyone hung up on the arrest records? Do we have any records of any wrong doing since Haleigh has been born and living with her dad? ( I have not seen them, please post a link )
People have drug problems and people can overcome those and be clean as seen above. I have a son who is currently clean from drugs and I do not have a rap sheet at all..........neither does anyone else in our family. Things today are different than they were when most of us were growing up. Babies are born to parents that are not married.......does not make it wrong, it is what it is.
Regarding the lifestyles of this family!! All they know is what they know. If they were raised in this atmosphere, that is most likely how they will raise their children the same way. Their lifestyles may not be like any of yours and that is hard to understand, because all you know is what you know.
Today an innocent baby that is 5 years old is missing, I pray she is found safe!!

 

[LCoastMom]

George isn't down there (according to undisclosed source). Kidfinders was asked to leave this morning.

By who? Interesting development. Thank God for small favors. :clap: :clap:

 

[FightTheOstrich]

I 100% disagree! My son whom is 15 years old ranks in the top 300 in the United States as a 10th grader with classes being taken right now that will be credited in college before he even gets there. He was born in the south and goes to a southern public school. It is not the system, it is what a child makes of their education and the support they receive from home.
Not just by race but by class? What is that supposed to mean?

The public schools in the south are not funded well. My H.S. in the Midwest was ranked above all the private schools. Down here, the opposite is true. I'm not saying that all public school systems here are rotten but a lot of them are. Your son comes from a home where a value is placed on education and he receives support from you. That is not true for every student. I don't have any friends in TN or GA that send their children to public schools. My mother is a retired teacher in the Midwest, she tests my daughter yearly to make sure she is up to par b/c the standards here are just not as good.