Multidisciplinary, Collaborative Effort Ensures One Family’s Safety in Maine

Caring Unlimited is the domestic violence program serving York County, Maine. In November, Mary, a social worker at a health clinic in a New Hampshire border town, made a phone call to the hotline operated by Caring Unlimited. Mary told the advocate who answered her call that the clinic had a patient, Michelle,* who lived in York County and who was trapped in an extremely abusive marriage.  Mary said that she and her colleagues were at a loss as to how to help Michelle be safe.

Mary was put in touch with Bonnie, an experienced Caring Unlimited Outreach Advocate. During their meeting, Mary explained that Michelle is the mother of five children ranging in age from one to sixteen.  Michelle first became involved with the clinic when one of the clinic’s doctors delivered her youngest child about a year earlier.  During labor and delivery, the hospital staff and the doctor became very concerned about Michelle and her children; they observed that Earl was extremely controlling and intimidating towards Michelle and that she appeared to be afraid of him.  Earl also displayed thinly veiled hostility toward hospital staff.  He insisted, against medical advice, that Michelle and the baby leave the hospital with him a couple of hours after the birth. At the time, Michelle was slightly anemic and the doctor convinced Earl that Michelle had a blood condition that needed close monitoring and that she would need to see Michelle at the clinic the following week.  Earl agreed to bring Michelle to the appointment. 

When Michelle and Earl appeared at the clinic, staff there successfully convinced Earl to remain in the waiting room during the appointment and told him that the doctor would fill him in afterward.  During her appointment, Michelle was introduced to Mary, who asked if Michelle was safe in her home and whether Earl was hurting her. Michelle was visibly frightened, trembling, and spoke very softly without making eye contact.  She told Mary that her husband had a very bad temper but that she could handle it; she said she didn’t need or want help.  Michelle was told that it was important for the doctor to keep an eye on her blood condition and that she would like her to come in every two weeks for blood tests.  Michelle’s physician gave her the option to meet with Mary during the follow-up appointments. Michelle agreed. The doctor met with Earl to impress upon him the potential danger to Michelle if her blood condition was left untreated.  Earl agreed to bring his wife to the follow-up appointments.

Over the next few months, Earl drove Michelle to her appointments and waited in his truck with the baby while Michelle was inside the clinic.  Michelle continued to meet with Mary at each visit.  Over time, Michelle began to tell Mary about the years of isolation and abuse by Earl.  Earl, who received disability payments and did not work, almost never left her alone at home and took the phone with him when he occasionally went out. The children were not allowed to attend school, have friends, or leave the home without Earl.  Mary told Michelle that there were people who could help her and her children be safe. Mary offered to arrange for a Caring Unlimited advocate to be at the clinic during one of her appointments; she said that the advocate could help her develop a strategy. Michelle was visibly shaken by this idea and told Mary that no one could help her.  She said that if Earl found out she had told anyone about the abuse he would certainly kill them all.

After hearing Michelle’s story from Mary, Bonnie consulted with other CU staff and told them about the extreme danger that would exist for the family should Earl learn that the family’s secrets were known to others.  Bonnie and the other staff members concluded that any effective plan for this family would have to include assurances, before any action was taken, that Earl would be arrested and held without bail. This would allow Michelle and the children enough time to leave the home and go to a place where they would be safe from Earl after his release. A meeting was convened that included Mary from the clinic, CU staff, the York County Sheriff’s Office, and the York County District Attorney’s Office.  The situation was laid out for law enforcement and the assistant district attorney (without yet identifying Michelle). By the end of the meeting, everyone was clear about Earl’s potential to commit lethal violence.  All parties understood that their plan would have to go off without a hitch.  Law enforcement and the assistant district attorney would have to find a way to keep Earl in custody for a relatively extended period of time after he was arrested.

In early January, Michelle agreed to meet with Bonnie.  After a few meetings with Bonnie, Michelle agreed to meet with a woman police detective and allowed her identity to be disclosed to the team. Michelle began to believe that her life could be different and agreed to a plan in which Earl would be arrested.

After investigation, it was determined that the safest way for this to happen would be to surprise Earl in the clinic parking lot after Michelle was safely inside. The arrest took place in March after careful coordination by Caring Unlimited; clinic staff; three police departments including that of the New Hampshire town in which the clinic was located; the York County, Maine, and Strafford County, New Hampshire District Attorney’s offices; and Michelle’s mother.  Due to the cooperation, coordination, planning, and execution of the plan among all the individuals and organizations involved, the plan did indeed go off without a hitch.

News travels fast in small Maine towns and after Earl’s arrest, CU learned that Michelle’s neighbors were aware of the abuse and had tried numerous times to get help for her.  They were relieved that Michelle and her children were finally safe and she received an incredible outpouring of community support – both emotional and material.

Today, Michelle and her children are living in safe housing, the children attend school, her divorce is final, she has learned to drive and obtained her driver’s license, has a reliable vehicle donated to her through Caring Unlimited’s Freedom Wheels Program, and regularly attends Caring Unlimited support groups.  She and her children are strong and growing stronger every day.  Earl remains incarcerated.

The following currently or formerly STOP-grant funded programs and organizations made this outcome possible:

5. Caring Unlimited’s Outreach Services Program convened the multi-agency team and coordinated post-arrest support and logistics with the family;
5. Caring Unlimited’s Shelter Services Program provided temporary safe haven for the family after the arrest;
5. Caring Unlimited’s Legal Services Program represented Michelle in her divorce, which resulted in the court awarding sole parental rights to her along with sole title to acreage (formerly in Earl’s name only), on which she plans to someday build a new home;
5. The York County Sheriff’s Office Domestic Violence Response Team (in which Caring Unlimited is a project partner) took the lead in coordinating the law enforcement response;
6. The York County District Attorney’s Office Domestic Violence Unit (in which Caring Unlimited is a project partner) aggressively prosecuted the case against Earl, which resulted in the court holding him accountable for the violence that he perpetrated.

The availability of STOP grants coupled with OVW’s strong requirement for true collaboration between applicants and their local domestic violence/sexual assault program has successfully fostered productive collaborations between Caring Unlimited and the local criminal justice system that would not have existed twelve years ago.  This has resulted in moving the community closer to realizing an effective, coordinated response in York County that, as Michelle’s story powerfully demonstrates, is increasing safety for survivors.