EBD Blog

It’s one of those stories I wish hadn’t transpired. On the basis of evidence gained via facilitated communication, police mistakenly charged a man with abusing his daughter and, to compound the problem, they based their case in part on inappropriate interrogation of the man’s son, a boy who has Asperger Syndrome. Oakland County (M, US) prosecutor David Gorcyca dropped the case when he was unable to substantiate the FC-based allegations.

In an editorial 20 March 2008, the Detroit Free Press summarized the case and the terrible consequences to which the family was subjected because of it:

As detailed [in early April] by Free Press columnist Brian Dickerson, the 13-year-old, who has been treated for a form of autism called Asperger Syndrome, was questioned last Dec. 4 as authorities tried to make charges stick against his father, jailed for allegedly abusing his 14-year-old daughter, who also has autism. The father was released last month after 80 days. The children’s mother spent that time wearing an electronic tether, and the children were in separate foster homes.

Police had videotaped the interrogation and those recordings prompted the editorial outrage about the boy’s experience. Mr. Dickerson described the interrogation:

Legal experts say the video record of the boy’s interrogation reveals numerous violations of rules that are supposed to protect minors who may have witnessed sexual abuse and to minimize false allegations of abuse. One called Brousseau’s tactics, which included deception, threats and repeated insinuations that the boy was lying, “reprehensible.” A therapist who treated the boy for Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism, said the detective may have misinterpreted symptoms of the boy’s condition as evidence of evasion or guilt.A spokesman for the West Bloomfield police said: “The bottom line here is that the detective wanted to get the truth. I don’t know whether he went over the line or not.”

During the two-hour interview, Brousseau repeatedly tells the boy that police have uncovered new evidence supporting his autistic sister’s allegations against their father. As the interrogation progresses, the detective stuns the boy by suggesting that videotapes recovered from the boy’s home depict him in sexually compromising situations.

After steadfastly denying any knowledge of sexual abuse, the boy ultimately concedes that the unseen evidence may prove his involvement, although he can’t recall any sexual contact with his father or sister. Weeping, he tells Brousseau that the detective’s revelations have shattered his confidence in his father.

We have compound problems in this story: (1) FC and (2) police who do not treat individuals with disabilities appropriately. Because sexual misconduct is mixed into the story, it’s dang near a perfect storm, no?

Links to

• Mr. Dickerson’s coverage, including
  • “Police video of 13-year-old boy’s interrogation” (16 March 2008)
  • “Part one: How to wreck a boy’s life” (16 March 2008);
  • “Part two: Sex abuse case against Oakland couple was legal horror show” (17 March 2008);
  • “Interrogation abuses justice, and a child,” the story from which I quoted here (which includes links to video of the inappropriate interrogation (20 March 2008);
  • “Teenager’s ordeal backs up case for taping interviews” (23 March 2008);
• The Free Press editorial
• A Google search on topics related to the story.
• Check Kristina Chew’s coverage beginning in December 2007 over at AutismVox.