OHIO ABANDONED BABY CASE SOLVED: WE KNEW IT! HOAX!

I‘ve held back on this entry waiting for some follow-up, which hasn’t happened. So, here it is…except for some additions, as I wrote it on October 30.

Back in early June, a justborn, umbilical cord still attached, was found by “passing motorist” Allison Passewitz, 24, on a patch of grass near the Meijer (discount store) parking lot in Lewis Center, just north of Columbus, To be specific, at the intersection of Owensfield and Neverland Drive. (Can I make that up?)

The discovery received much local press coverage, including the release of the 911 call made by the heroic Ms. Passsewitz (who “did the right thing” by rescuing an infant in distress when she could have just sped right by on her way to the gym) to the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department. Ms. Passewitz fortuitously had a bedsheet in the backseat of her car in which to wrap the deserted baby. Bastardette was ready to bet a Hyatt Cap South Sunday Brunch that the quick-witted Ms. Passewitz was the mother. It was a way-too-typical “coincidence” to be anything else. But, I’m not the Sheriff, so we let it play out.

(The link to the original June 9 Channel 6 video, which included Passewitz’s 911 call, where she said she was “bothered” by the incident, no longer works (typical of Channel 6), but some not-too-interesting pix from Channel 10 are here.

As Passewitz got props for saving the baby, the K-9 Korps tried to track down the mother. The Sheriff hopped-to, tracking down a “nervous” middleaged woman cum witness, caught on a security video at a nearby Goodwill store around the time the baby was found. (left). Apparently it’s a crime to fidget in Lewis Center. The poor woman, finding herself plastered all over TV and the print media, threw herself on the Sheriff’s mercy, and was quickly exonerated.

The Delaware County Department of Jobs and Family Services (DJFS) dubbed the foundling Thomas Benjamin Lewis, (an obvious reference to the discovery spot) and relocated him to foster-to-adopt. In September, DNA of a unnamed “potential” mother (several others DNAs had flopped) was sent off to the state crime lab. A few days later permanent custody; thus, adoption eligibility, was granted to DJFS.

So today (October 30) we got the news. Channel 6, teasing us between General Hospital and Judge Judy clucked breathlessly: a “shocking twist” had developed in the case. Stay tuned for News 6 at 5.

I was sure I would not be shocked.

I went over to the Channel 6 news site and found nothing. I also looked on Channel 4, which ran a short press release-type story saying that the mother–described as the person who “found the baby”– had been ID’d. Since she has not been charged with anything, the media would not reveal her name. But wait a minute! She’s was ID’d by the Columbus Dispatch, June 10 (no longer online), 11, and discussed by name in a Topix Dispatch forum. Any snoop can Google her. And certainly her name appeared on the police report–a public document.

The real clucking , though, is that Ms Passewitz probably won’t be charged with anything. In the feeble mind our our TV newsreaders and our local yokels, a baby has been abandoned and nobody cares. But the baby was NEVER abandoned. Ms. Passewitz, according to her confession and the Sheriff, gave birth in her car and shortly afterwards called 911. We hesitate to be rude here, but don’t you think the Sheriff”s Department would have taken a peek in the car and found it well…messy? Or the dogs let out to run, would have been glued to the car?

The now apprehended Ms. Passewitz, and her new best friends at DJFS, have declared the “abandonment” a safe haven, (under Ohio law it qualifies technically) even though Ms. Passeswitz did not call 911 during or shortly after birth to ask for medical assistance, or to declare her “safe haven” intent, nor did she bring up the option during questioning. She did not ask for assistance in taking the baby to Grady Memorial, Riverside or any other nearby ER. Instead, she led Delaware County authorities on a 4-month taxpayer-sponsored wild goose chase. We vibe that Ms. Passewitz and DJFS cooked up this story when they knew the heat was getting too hot, since the state never leaves a “safe haven” unpimped.

If we are to believe Ms. Passewitz and Delaware County poo-bahs, little Thomas Benjamin Lewis, was never out of the possession of his mother, never in danger, and never abandoned. Ms. Passewitz was simply trying to “safe haven” him, but we guess, forgot about it in the heat of the moment. But. that doesn’t stop our local reading impairment disorderlies, from making really stupid remarks:

• Charge her, she deserves nothing less. Lock her up and feed her nothing but bread and water twice a day.The baby sure as hell didn’t ask to be treated like that.

• Charge her!! There are safe havens everywhere. Does an innocent child have to die for these people to be punished?

• No crime committed? What about Child endangerment? Attempted Murder!!! If that little one had stayed there any lenght of time it might not have survived. The little guy deserves to know that the system acted against this worthless bit$%

and the nonsensical, if the state is going to call this a “safe haven” case:

• Why is she not being charged? Then what is the purpose of the safe haven law?

• Charge her!! There are safe havens everywhere. Does an innocent child have to die for these people to be punished?

But it gets better. According to the Channel 6 report I watched live but which NEVER appeared on its webpage, DJFS officials were in a dither over the case. According to the newsreader, a DJFS spokesperson said the agency “has to read the law” to figure out the legal status of mothers who utilize their own dump! DJFS HAS TO READ THE LAW? DJFS DOESN’T KNOW? I can tell you one thing. Safe havening after the fact is not allowable under law.

As of this writing, Delaware County Clerk of Court records indicate that Allison Passewitz has not been charged with any crime. I think filing a false report police might do. How about reimbursement? If I were paying taxes in Delaware County, I’d be pretty pissed about this hoax.

Finally, we don’t know what the cops knew and when they knew it. It doesn’t take a Philadelphia lawyer to see, though, that Ms. Passewitz fit the profile. If they can’t figure out that a person they’re questioning just gave birth in a car that’s right in front of them, I’m glad I don’t live in Delaware County.

The story has been buried. Even the Columbus Dispatch didn’t report it. Channel 6 never posted the video report that I saw live, though it did post a shorter report, now unavailable due to the station’s wanky archive. I may contact DJFS to see what it has to say about it.

Just another example of abuse of Ohio’s “safe haven” law: de facto dumping. More lies.