Minnesota Court Overturns Mom's Conviction, Sends Message of Hope

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Photo: Minnesotta Court of Appeals

Minnesota court overturns Mom's conviction, sends message

of hopeFriday, August 23, 2013 - Speaking of Family by Anne Stevenson washingtontimes.co

Anne Stevenson

Ask me a question.

WASHINGTON, August

23, 2013 Caroline

Rices criminal trial onthree felony counts of

deprivation of parentalrights followed several years of malicious

prosecution in the family courts before Jud

Richard C. Perkins, the same judge whopresided over her criminal trial. This week,

the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled in

Carolines favor when it overturned her convictions on the grounds that Judge Perkins andprosecutors conspired at trial to deprive Caroline of her civil rights and access to due process.

Caroline insists that staying positive and looking for the blessings in life have helped her survive

the loss of her children, being left penniless, even spending time in jail for trying to rescue her owchildren from their violent father and what many claim is a corrupt court system.

On numerous occasions, Brent Rices daughters say they were so terrified of him that they feare

for their lives. When the system failed to protect them, one daughter (A.R) repeatedly ran awayfrom home to the forbidden safety of her mother Caroline Rices care. Each time, Caroline was

forced to return her daughter to a home she says was dangerous. Eventually, they made a plan

escape across the border to Canada for safety.

In 2006, Caroline Rice was a devoted soccer mom going through a difficultdivorce with BrentRice, the Vice President of a well known investment corporation. A nurse by trade, Caroline set

her own career aside so that she could stay home and raise the couples five children while Brenbuilt his career.

Court documents show the Rice children had legitimate reasons to fear for their immediate safet

in their fathers care. The children alleged in court documents that Brent Rice was violent towardthem and had hit, punched, dragged, and smashed them on numerous occasions. Daughter L.R

testified at trial about an incident when Brent Riced dragged her sister K.R. down a flight of stairs

by her ankles while L.R. and A.R. watched.

When the children reported to authorities that their father had assaulted them, Brent Rice was no
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arrested or charged with violent crimes. Instead, Judge Perkins handled the case in family court,then awarded Brent Rice sole custody of his alleged victims. Although Caroline Rice had no

history of abusing or neglecting the children, Judge Perkins revoked all her custody rights and

ordered her to purchase her parenting time from a supervised visitation provider Jackie Cardinal

Despite overwhelming evidence that the children were telling the truth, Hennepin County social

worker Susan Olson and Carver County social worker Nicole Mercil, LSW were unwilling or unab

to substantiate the childrens claims. Guardian ad Litem Brenda Dehmer also sided against thechildren and with Brent Rice in her recommendations that the father should have sole legal and

physical control of his alleged victims.

Instead of removing the Rice children from their fathers care, the children were ordered to attendcounseling, which was paid for out of pocket and through the Rices private insurance according

Caroline Rice. Eventually, Brent Rice voluntarily placed A.R. into the States foster care system.

Vendor payment records obtained from Carver County show that:

! Family Innovations, Inc. charged Carver County more than $107,800 for counseling servicesallegedly provided to the Rice family.

! Northland Counseling Center, Inc. also billed Carver County $1,575 for marriage counseling

and life skills counseling, allegedly provided to the Rices several years after their divorce was

finalized.

! Foster parents Thomas and Carmen Huesman collectively billed Carver County

over $6,000 for, among other things, A.R.s foster care.

Caroline Rice says some of these providers may have double bill the Rices and Carver County fthe same services.

We had private insurance, says Caroline. The county also billed for L.R. in foster care-starting June 26-2009 her 18 birthday. L.R. did not spend one day in foster care ever. Billed for a

year- this is in addition to the other invoices. We did not attend counseling sessions billed for, buwhen we did attend we paid through private insurance.

According to Caroline Rice, her family was not eligible for needs based public assistance during

the billing periods alleged in the invoices submitted by the providers to Carver County due to her

ex husbands extra ordinarily high income.

When A.R. was in foster care, we used private medical insurance and we were billed for foster

care since Brent had voluntarily placed A.R., says Caroline.

Caroline says she fears retaliation if she were to bring the billing discrepancies to the attention o

the authorities.


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In January of 2012, Chief Judge Edward Lynch reviewed the Rice cases and several others whechildren were placed at risk at the request of State Senator Julianne Ortman.

In his response to Senator Ortman, Judge Lynch concluded that "I have found no evidence of

any conspiracy, collusion, or corruption related to Carver County court proceedings"If anymistakes were made in any of the matters I reviewed, I am confident that they were not the resul

of any intentional disregard of the facts of the law or any conspiracy or corruption.

This week, Minnesotas State Court of Appeals sent a strong message of support to abused

children trapped in the system when it overturned Caroline Rices convictions on three counts ofdeprivation of parental rights. In the case of State v. Rice, the Appellate Court decided that the

reason why Carolines convictions were illegitimate was that Judge Perkins and the Statesprosecutor had engaged in various forms of misconduct during trial that violated Carolines civil

rights and deprived her of a fair hearing.

The appellate court decided that Judge Perkins improperly excluded evidence of Brent Rices pr

assaults on the children at trial. In the context of domestic abuse, the authorities failure to

substantiate the childrens reports of violence occurring in the privacy of their own home was notevidence that the events did not occur. While the police may not have believed K.R. or A.R., the

jury may have.

The court failed to comment on the numerous jury members that Judge Perkins allowed to be

seated on Rices trial, despite Carolines objections that the jurors personally knew the Rice fami

for years before the case was heard.

The Rice decision represents an increasingly frequent trend where the Appeals court has refuse

to tow the line for corrupt trial court judges, social workers, police officers, and GALs who work

collaboratively to undermine the safety of children and the civil rights of the parents desperate torescue them from the profitably dangerous homes the courts order them to live in.

Does keeping Judge Perkins on the bench and the court industry professionals involved with the

Rice case employed to oversee the care of Minnesotas most vulnerable families pose a risk topublic safety?

See Part Two for a detailed discussion of solutions.

This article is the copyrighted property of the writer and Communities @ WashingtonTimes.com.

Written permission must be obtained before reprint in online or print media. REPRINTING TWTC

CONTENT WITHOUT PERMISSION AND/OR PAYMENT IS THEFT AND PUNISHABLE BY

LAW.
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Photo: Minnesotta Court of Appeals

Photo:

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programs,then helps clients create an effective advocacy strategy and materials to improve the policies

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Minnesota Court Overturns Mom's Conviction, Sends Message of Hope

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