The Death of William Reddie

TheMan13 · Aug 16, 2014

TheMan13 · Aug 16, 2014

Most recent report available - by Maggie Volpo on May 20, 2014:

MAY 20, 2014
Excessive Force in the War on Cannabis: The Death of William Reddie

William Reddie isn’t someone we should be talking about on a cannabis blog for one simple reason: he didn’t have cannabis in his system when he died (or alcohol, for that matter). Still, cannabis allegations and CPS involvement resulted in William’s death. More than two years later, the situation still doesn’t make any sense to the people who loved him.

William, like all of us, wasn’t perfect. He’d had a couple of rough years when he was younger, struggling with behavioral issues and trying to find his place in his world. According to his mother, he had changed for the better since the birth of his son, Cameron. When it was clear Cameron’s mother wasn’t in a position to care for their son, William started working toward full custody of his boy. But then a neighbor called the police over a loud telephone conversation, starting a chain of events including allegations of cannabis use that resulted in William’s being fatally shot the same day, February 3rd, 2012. According to official reports, William was shot because he pulled out a folding knife and lunged at the officers attempting to take his son away.

It’s easy for anonymous people and pundits to sit back and dismiss William’s death as his own fault. Before you decide to ignore this injustice, put yourself in his shoes for a moment. Your only son is the most important thing in your world. You’ve been harassed repeatedly by a local police officer (Alan Somero) who seems to bear a personal grudge against you for some reason. Still, you’re keeping your nose clean and are going through the court process to receive full custody.

It’s only three days until your final court date, and you’re so happy and excited. That is, until police show up at your house because you were talking on the phone (your voice is deep and loud). After the cop badgers you, you buckle under pressure from this cop and admit to a crime you hadn’t actually committed. Although he promised to leave you alone, now you know he’s coming back to take your son and place him with strangers all because of a verbal confession to cannabis use.

William did what many of us would do in this situation: he tried to run. He was packing up his truck and was planning on staying elsewhere for a few days when the police returned to his house with another officer, CPS officials, and a court order. It’s amazing how quickly the bogged-down family court was able to produce that emergency order for cannabis, which poses no direct threat to children, certainly no more than a beer in the fridge.

When the cops and CPS agents told him they were taking his son, he refused to comply. His response wasn’t rational, but how many people can honestly say they’d be calm in his position? He was literally backed into a corner while he was trying to flee, flanked by two officers with weapons pointed at him (initially tasers). What came next is heartbreaking.

After refusing to hand over his son, William allegedly pulled out a folding knife and lunged at the officers. In response, one of the officers fatally shot William, who fell to the floor facedown and died. His three-year-old son witnessed everything and was spirited away by CPS and placed into foster care. One of the CPS agents clearly noted in his official statement about the incident that the knife was in the closed or folded position when he saw it on the floor. That alone provides a reasonable doubt as to the need for deadly force in this situation.

Of course the police inquest and later the courts ruled the shooting homicide “justified,” but plenty of people aren’t convinced. There’s no two ways about it: the courts should never have tried to remove William Reddie’s son from his custody over allegations of cannabis use. William shouldn’t have been placed in that situation to begin with. According to the family’s version of the story, he was pushed to the breaking point by someone in a position of power and then murdered for his emotional reaction.

Here’s where we add insult to injury: the courts have refused to place Cameron with anyone in William’s family. It turns out that William’s mother, Michelle VanBuren, was at some point placed on the state’s secret list of 275,000 alleged child abusers.This list has been criticized by many people because plenty of the people on it, including Michelle, were never convicted of or even charged with child abuse. Like plenty of people on this very questionable list, Michelle wasn’t aware that she was on it until being on that list started causing problems with Cameron’s custody.

After pushing for the reason she was on this list, Michelle was told it had to do with the fact that William suffered minor brain damage during labor and delivery. That’s right; the fact that William’s birth was a prolonged endeavor that required machine intervention was being used as a reason why Michelle could not care for her beloved only grandchild. While William’s sister, Monica, has previously tried to gain custody of Cameron with little success, his mother Michelle is determined to not back down until her grandson is home with her.

Michelle is one of few people in the state of Michigan who has fought to have her name removed from the secret list and won. Now that she has been removed from the registry that was preventing her from legally pursuing custody of Cameron, she’s actively moving forward with bringing him back to the family that loves him.

Michelle will be going back to court at the end of June to fight for Cameron, and she’ll hopefully have a very skilled attorney at her back. The only issue is that the family needs to raise $10,000 for the attorney. There’s little question that self-representation would not be in the best interests of the family (or little Cameron, who has been separated from his family for years now). If you live in Michigan, you can help by attending local fundraisers and court dates for this custody case. If you’re elsewhere, you can always help by making a donation on their fundraising site.

http://www.ladybud.com/2014/05/20/excessive-force-in-the-war-on-cannabis-the-death-of-william-reddie/

TheMan13 · Aug 16, 2014

There was a change.org petition with 33 signatures in reference to Will's family's struggle to regain visitation and/or custody of his son Cameron from CPS.

http://www.change.org/petitions/director-crawford-county-child-protective-services-return-will-reddie-s-3-year-old-son-to-his-family

Does anyone know how the June 2014 date went :confused:

NurseNancy420 · Aug 16, 2014

No sir I do not.

In contrast to show how well our CPS system works?
Google baby Peyton.
Beaten,burned,abused , teeth knocked out. He finally was killed by an infection and pneumonia.
14 months old. Almost all of his life and open CPS case. Grandparents who begged and pleaded for help where ignored, insulted and threatened...
No CPS worker was so much asreprimanded. Prosecutor Donnelly never even charged the other two adults living there with a crime. Sounded like cause just at the sentencing of mom and her bf. 60 years total.
Now in Missaukee county it looks like they have hand picked his secsesor.. A lawyer who failed my boy and has family all thru CPS/DHS oh yeah and a felon..

William Reddie and his son are very much a part of why seedpac was formed.
33 people?? May not do much on change . Org but it can sure as hell effect a local election,..
6 votes put Tony in position to fuck Wexfords patients over

TheMan13 · Aug 16, 2014

"Grayling City Police Officer Alan Somero

Somero accompanied Klepadlo on the final visit to Reddie’s apartment. The following is from a Michigan State Police interview with Somero.

“When we met him (Reddie) outside, he was fine. He invited us in. We all went upstairs. We met the kid in the hallway. I had my Taser on at the ready (because) I know him from past contacts that he has a short wick and we were in there talking and I heard them explaining that we have a court order to remove the child and he immediately started into the — ‘you’re not taking my son. You’re not taking my son.’ (He was) just saying that over and over and reached his hand and at that point, I was kind of focused half on the kid and half on the hand. When I (saw) the hand come out and see the knife, I kind of withdrew. I put my Taser on his chest and then I heard a shot.”"

This first person statement is not consistent with the facts of the matter provided publicly to back the determination of a "justified killing". Somero doesn't mention Reddie lunging at Klepadlo :confused:

Somero never holstered nor deployed his taser, but rather had just readied his tasers red dot upon Reddie's chest, as Klepadlo shot and killed him to his surprise. The officers clearly did not holster their tasers and draw their service weapons together (in concert) as portrayed in attempt to justify this incident.

I was questioning how both officers would holster their tasers without ever deploying them in this situation, but rather grab their guns. Now I know it simply never occurred as portrayed.

Does it matter if the "pocket knife" was ever in an open position, not even when found beside his dead body?

Why 30 months later is it I reveling these facts of the matter to you :confused:

TheMan13 · Aug 16, 2014

As they hide behind a child removal court order to justify their presents and actions that resulted in Reddie's death, acknowledge it was based upon these same individuals (LEO & CPS) accusations of Reddie's marijuana use and simply refuse to comment on the fact of the matter that autopsy reports prove those accusations simply cannot be true ...

This seems pretty important because if what they told that court to obtain that child removal order were true; Reddie would have been arrested on site based on that exact same probable cause, providing him a defense by law he would never be provided and CPS could/should have moved forward with taking custody based on those facts of the matter, policy and procedure. That's what I would reasonably classify as "justified" and/or "justice".

Have we as a society provided William Reddie or his family with adequate defense in the face this "justice system", as over two years later they are still wrestling in civil court with CPS for custody of a child so wrongfully seized and completely reliant upon whatever (lawyer) representation they can afford, forget about holding any of these parties responsible :confused:

TheMan13 · Aug 16, 2014

2013 Police Officer of the Year Awards

John Klepadlo III – Crawford County DSA
Crawford County Deputy John Klepadlo responded to a domestic disturbance call on Feb. 3, 2013 that wasn’t a typical call. Deputy Klepadlo was forced to take custody of a son from an enraged man who did not want to give up his son to a court order. Please take a few minutes to listen to Deputy Klepadlo’s brave story and how he saved a young boy from a dangerous situation.

Read Officer Klepadlo’s story here

- See more at: http://www.poam.net/convention/2013/2013-poam-business-meeting-awards-presentation/#sthash.UOiVEgiZ.dpuf

TheMan13 · Aug 17, 2014

CRAWFORD COUNTY DEPUTY JOHN KLEPADLO III

Domestic disturbances routinely show up on police department daily activity
logs, but experienced officers know that some of them turn out to be anything but
routine. Family conflicts are unpredictable and can become extremely violent
before police even have a chance to intervene.

Crawford County Deputy John Klepadlo, a 5-year veteran, was well aware of
this reality last February 3 when he was dispatched just after 2 p.m. to a reported
domestic dispute in progress at an apartment in the city of Grayling. However, the
circumstances he found at the scene were not typical of an explosive situation.

Deputy Klepadlo, accompanied by a Grayling officer who also was assigned
to the case, discovered that the 23-year-old tenant whose loud, angry behavior
spurred the disturbance complaint was actually not face-to-face with the object of
his rage. He was arguing with his girlfriend over the phone. There was no
immediate possibility of violence between the two at this location.

In addition, the subject – although still highly agitated – was cooperative. He
stated that the only other person at home was his 2-year-old son, and he gave the
officers permission to search the apartment in order to see for themselves. His claim
proved to be true.

Deputy Klepadlo then addressed the issue of a strong odor of marijuana that
permeated the apartment. He questioned the subject’s use of the drug in the
presence of his little boy. The subject admitted he had been smoking marijuana and
that he did not have a medical card authorizing him to use it.

As a result of this conversation, when the officers left the apartment complex
a complaint was filed with Child Protective Services. That agency, based on what
was described as “a history of similar complaints” involving the father, assigned
two case workers to investigate the situation at the apartment.

According to the CPS investigators’ account, the subject’s attitude toward
them was highly abrasive from the moment of their arrival at the location, and he
progressively became angrier and more hostile. They said he apparently knew they
would be coming to the apartment and immediately began demanding to know
whether they were there to take his son. With his fists clenched he warned that
“you’ll see what happens” if they tried to remove the child from his custody.

Feeling seriously threatened the case workers left the scene and reported back
to their office. They prepared and filed a petition which convinced a Probate Court
Judge to promptly order exactly the official action the subject had warned against.

A little more than two hours after he responded to the original domestic
disturbance complaint, Deputy Klepadlo returned to the apartment to assist
Child Protective Services workers in serving the court order. He was joined by
Grayling Patrolman Al Somero.

There were major differences in this subsequent assignment, factors which
combined to make it far more dangerous.

This time, the target of the subject’s rage wasn’t at the other end of a
telephone connection. The CPS workers and police officers were in direct
confrontation with him.

This time, the primary goal of the official intervention wasn’t to calm down a
tense and potentially abusive family situation. It was to carry out an action -- taking
custody of his young son – that was certain to enrage the subject and spike the
likelihood for a violent reaction to the very top of his emotional gauge.

These risk-intense elements made the circumstances volatile from the outset.
When the officers and case workers reached the apartment complex they found the
subject outside with his son. He was loading his truck, evidently rushing to get
away before the authorities could engage him. His failure to avoid them set the
stage for a tragic progression of events
.
When Deputy Klepadlo and the others advised him of the court order to
remove the boy he at once became furiously adamant, repeatedly insisting “You are
not taking him!” and “That’s not going to happen!” He then lifted the child and
carried him up a flight of stairs to his apartment. The officers and CPS workers
followed him.

Inside the apartment the risk of violence rapidly escalated as the subject’s
emotions approached the breaking point. While the case workers attempted to
explain the court order through the pounding noise of a blasting stereo, his
anguished rage intensified. Despite the obvious realities he faced, he desperately
insisted again and again, “You’re not taking my son!”

Deputy Klepadlo and Patrolman Somero drew their Tasers and aimed them at
the subject. This unmistakable warning had no noticeable effect and the situation
continued to worsen. The subject set the boy down at his side, then placed his hands
in his pockets. The officers readied their Tasers and shouted commands for him to
show his hands. When the man finally complied, he did so in a way that set the
stage for the kind of ending to the incident that no one wanted.

As the subject withdrew his hands one of the CPS workers yelled one chilling
word – “Knife!” Deputy Klepadlo holstered his Taser and drew his Glock service
pistol. Patrolman Somero, shouting orders to drop the weapon, backed farther out of
reach of a stabbing or slashing attempt. The subject, who had been holding the knife
behind his back as he continued screaming, “You’re not taking my son!” suddenly
shifted his stance and lunged directly toward Deputy Klepadlo with the knife
extended in front of him.

Having ignored numerous warnings and all opportunities to desist before he
spiraled completely out of control, despite the auto-pistol now pointed at him from
just a few feet away, he continued past the point of no return. Deputy Klepadlo was
forced to act in self-defense, and for the protection of the others at the scene. There
was no way to know how much damage might be done by the enraged man if he
wasn’t stopped immediately. Deputy Klepadlo fired a single round into the
subject’s chest.

Emergency medical assistance was called to the scene, but none of the
implemented first-aid measures succeeded. The subject, with the knife lying on the
floor next to his hand, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Deputy John Klepadlo, thanks to your professional and personal discipline,
you made every effort to prevent the subject from bringing tragic consequences to
himself and his 2-year-old son. Thanks to your expertise, critical judgment and
commitment to duty, you succeeded in defending your own life and, by doing so,
protecting the others who were with you, performing their respective duties.

You have truly earned POAM’s highest honor, and it is a privilege to present
you with our Police Officer of the Year Award.

gladstoned · Aug 17, 2014

God help us.

a senile fungus · Aug 17, 2014

How could you accept such an award knowing what really happened?

FatMarty · Aug 17, 2014

gladstoned said:
God help us.

DelusionalBastards said:
Thanks to your expertise, critical judgment and
commitment to duty, you succeeded in defending your own life and, by doing so,
protecting the others who were with you, performing their respective duties.

That shit is damning man - they only care about their own safety - I guess they couldn't find a cop who saved a citizen...

TheMan13 · Aug 17, 2014

Personally I see a violation of civil rights, or harassment, intimidation and retaliation, as it relates to obtaining and executing the court order. If a crime was committed through malicious purgery, the killing of Reddie must be a felony murder as no self defense claims or "justified killing" could be given while committing a felony. This is the story line being hidden by our "justice system" that has never been reported and likely never even considered by those responsible as a result.

With the "mistaken" civil disturbance complaint proven inaccurate these officers move onto accusations of marijuana use later proven false by the autopsy report. There was no probable cause for such accusations or Reddie would have been arrested at that time, that is how our criminal justice system works, especially as it relates to these law enforcement officer's authority and jurisdiction within the criminal justice system (99/1).

Without probable cause to arrest Reddie for these false accusations before a criminal court, and aware of his concerns (agitation) over the custody of his son, they choose to solicit CPS for a removal order from the civil family court system (51/49) :confused:

Harassment > Retaliation > Felony > Murder

I'd hate to make the argument for "justified agitation", but you get my point.

There was a reason POAM did not reference the fact Reddie's dead body had absolutely NO marijuana in it, as the rest of the story wouldn't make sense given such an experienced, pragmatic and critically thinking audience ...

TheMan13 · Aug 18, 2014

Excessive force used by a State against it's People is a Federal civil rights crime in this country. I sure hope the US Department of Justice has already completed oversight in this matter, as they have had the past 30 months to reasonably do so.

As disturbing as the February 2012 killing of Reddie is, it was the first such incident in Crawford County, a small northern Michigan county with a population of about 14,000, in decades. Although, within the year following Crawford County Sheriff's would "justifiably" kill two additional people. One does not need to understand statistics or be a mathematician here to acknowledge these clear warning flags and threat to citizens.

It's time for us to reach out to our Federal Representatives and Officials to ensure their job has been completed and hold them accountable.

[email protected]

st0wandgrow · Aug 18, 2014

Thanks for posting this info TM13. This story is messed up beyond belief.

TheMan13 · Aug 22, 2014

“Toute nation a le gouvernement qu’elle merite.” Joseph de Maistre

Limosnero · Aug 23, 2014

This makes me sick. I can't think of a better way to go out...protecting your own child.

Does anyone know or have contact with the child's remaining family?

No doubt this child will be fed lies about his father when really he made the ultimate sacrifice for his son.

At least, that's how I see it.

TheMan13 · Aug 23, 2014

I've spent the last couple of weeks corresponding with many without any real answers as of yet, but will keep you posted here. As of June 2014 Will's son was still being held by the state as the family (Sister & Mother) struggled to afford adequate legal council in the matter.

Currently my objective is to obtain and read Detective Sgt. Rick Sekely's (Michigan State Police) 250 page report on the matter that Roscommon County Prosecutor Mark Jernigan used to determine what he had. I hope to resolve the fact of false accusations of marijuana usage that no one has yet addressed nor reported on ...

Stompromper · Aug 26, 2014

So fucked up... The police knew he was going to be confrontational when they came for his kid.. they should've backed off and did it different. What a shame..

TheMan13 · Aug 27, 2014

Stompromper said:
So fucked up... The police knew he was going to be confrontational when they came for his kid.. they should've backed off and did it different. What a shame..

Yes I have to agree, the demeanor of these officers is sketchy at best. Sadly the only witness to those facts of the matter as it relates to the first and second visit can no longer speak. It is this premeditation based on false accusations between the first and second visit that does not add up to the "lawful removal order" executed ...

NurseNancy420 · Aug 27, 2014

Last I had heard Mr Reddie's son was still in the clutches of CPS,and his fraternal grandparents where not allowed contact.
It's for the child best... Don't ya know.
What's the word for a parasite that can kill you legally??

The Death of William Reddie

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member