A few days ago a dear, dear friend of mine called me with news that broke my heart. I felt compelled to share her story with the rest of the world. This is her story.
On June 21, 2007 I was called to come down to the Sheriff’s Department and that I was to bring my husband with me. I was not told the reason for needing to come down there. After arriving there I was told that my husband had been accused of molesting our two granddaughters.
My initial reaction was shock and disbelief. I could never believe that my dear, sweet husband of so many years could be capable of such a heinous crime. But I was told by the interrogating officer that he did it and that he was lying when he said he didn’t.
With our world falling down around us, I accompanied my husband to the State Police Office so that he could take a polygraph test, a test for which he volunteered. Again I was told by the interrogating officer that he was lying and would continue to lie to the bitter end because that was the type of man he was. I was confused how after thirty or so minutes with my husband, that he knew what “type" of man he was. I was torn between supporting my husband and giving in to the idea that he could hurt us all so terribly. For the next four days neither of us was able to eat or sleep—our time was spent crying and praying. I couldn’t believe that my granddaughters would lie about something so horrific that it would send their Papa to prison to die, but I still wasn’t ready to believe that I knew my husband so little that he could commit this atrocity and I never suspected.
Even with our prayers that the truths come out, I felt our lives had ended. We put our house up for sale and ran an ad in the paper to sell all his tools to cover attorney’s fees. We refused to see or talk to any of our friends and family. I didn’t even have the strength to face or talk to my granddaughters. Their mother, however, continued to press me to not sell the house and to take my oldest granddaughter out and talk with her. At first I couldn’t, I was just too sick at heart; but finally I gave in and took her to lunch. I had already discussed it with my husband and we decided it best not to talk about the allegations against him with my granddaughter. But during our lunch, she asked me if her grandfather had said anything about her and I said only that he loved her and missed her. Then she began to cry and tell me that she didn’t remember him ever touching her and that her stepfather was the one that kept saying that he had. She said that her stepfather came into her bedroom and when she got up to go out of the room, he said no, come back; I want to talk to you. She said that he said ______, you act like a girl that is being touched. ______ said no, but he continued to say yes you have and you need to tell me you have, but she continued to say no. He said you have been touched by your grandfather. She said no and kept saying no even though he kept saying she had. He told her it happened before she started school so she just probably didn’t remember it. Then he said I hope your grandpa goes to prison and dies there! _______ said after her stepfather was through questioning her, he called ______ (my seven year old granddaughter) into the bedroom and told her to sit down on the bed too so that he could talk to her and he started asking her if their grandfather was touching her, but that she kept saying no. ________ still said she didn’t remember it happening. But her stepfather told her she didn’t remember because it was before she started to school, but that it did happen. So he convinced her that it was true.
The stepfather took all this and filed false charges against my husband just to put him in prison over a silly vendetta that he has been building up over the years.
My niece then came over and told us that the girl’s stepfather had been to her house a week or so before he did all this and frightened her because he kept talking about sex and she was home alone (She is in her late twenties or early thirties). She said he told her that the girl’s grandfather had accused her father of stealing a dolly from him. (Actually, the grandfather had never had a dolly—they all belonged to her father). She said he talked about the grandfather in a very threatening manner and that he was going to “fix" his (their grandfather’s) wagon very soon.
Our son-in-law has made it known to us (myself and my husband) that he has never liked it because our will is leaving everything to our oldest granddaughter and nothing to his kids—our will was made out before we ever knew he existed—and no we didn’t have plans of changing it. He also got angry with us for giving his wife (our daughter) some land and not putting his name on it. Then he got angry with my husband over a remark that my husband made to our oldest granddaughter. ______ had told us one day that her stepfather had said he was going get her a lap top computer. My husband said Honey, don’t hold your breath because your step dad can’t afford a computer. He still owes me money for that truck he bought from me over two years ago. When her stepfather heard that remark, he came down and started shouting angrily at my husband and talked to him very abusively.
Then, my son-in-law started taking my husband’s tools from our shop and saying they were his. I told my husband not to worry about a few tools and that I would replace them for him—if he can live with them, we can live without them.
But my husband changed the locks on our shop doors. That was the last straw for our son-in-law and then is when he started planning a way to get revenge against my husband.
The bottom line in all this is that if he would go so far as to illegally use the law with utter disregard to the hurt he was causing two innocent little girls and several families to try to destroy my husband and failed, what might he try next? We are not sure we are safe as long as he roams the roads with a gun and, being a constable, has the authority to stop people at will.
As this drama unfolded, my husband and I had prayed continuously for God to make the truth known to all involved. At times our faith slipped but we quickly turned it around, realizing that God would do what was best and even though the test of our faith in Him may include sending an innocent man to prison and the loss of all our worldly goods, we maintained our belief that He would do right by us in the end. And now that it is all over and he was proven innocent we can emphatically state, “The Truth Shall set you Free."
As I realize how easily lives can be ruined and hearts broken, I thank my Savior every day for His hand in making this a true and glorious “Independence Day"!
End
Sandra E Graham, author, Amos Jakey, thru American Book Publishing. Visit my website for more info on my books: http//www.sandragraham-articles-books.com
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