Help mom rescue son Holsten from abusive dad!

Hi, my name is Liz. Shannon is my best friend from childhood. Her son Holsten is 13 years old. For 11 years both Holsten and Shannon have endured multiple types of verbal, physical, psychological and sexual abuse at the hands of Holsten’s father (Andy). She has been desperately trying to help Holsten get out of the situation. Holsten wants more than anything to be with his mom. We thought the absolute “final straw” was October 29th, 2022 when Holsten's father choked him + physically ripped his jacket off of his body. Holsten immediately left the house on his bike that night to the police station to get help. There is bodycam footage of Holsten arriving at the police department saying help me! My dad just choked me! Holsten told Shannon that he will kill himself if he has to go back to dads.

*If you listen to the recording; I want to preface that Holsten never talks to his mom like this and is incredibly respectful. Holsten says the "f" word and also GD which he has never said. He is in a state of trauma and highly emotional and has PTSD.

*THIS SITUATION HAS CHANGED AND IS DIRE*

Shannon is in the process of trying to acquire funds to retain a different attorney who has been highly recommended by 3 people whom she knows and trusts. He has extensive experience in highly contentious child custody battles dealing with children who are being abused. Shannon's current attorney has neglected to present evidence and present any of the abuse Holsten has endured during the emergency hearings or any of Andy's criminal background or concrete evidence of Andy's abuse to Holsten.

Although we thought Andy choking Holsten was the “final straw” last night Shannon received a phone call from Marine Military Academy in Harligen, TX and Holsten was on the other end of the line and said to Shannon that his father had picked him up yesterday morning (Saturday, January 7th) and sent him on a flight alone and he said, “Mom, I'm in a military school and I'm bald.” Holsten is currently court-ordered to Dallas County. Andy picked Holsten up yesterday morning and sent him to military school while Shannon's attorney is on a 2-week vacation in Italy. Holsten is scheduled to talk with the judge on the January 24th, 2023 court date. Andy has removed Holsten from Dallas knowing that Holsten is supposed to confer with the judge on the January 24th, 2023 court date. Shannon spoke with the sergeant and he told her that the students normally are not allowed to have any phone contact with their parents for the first 30 days, but he was making an exception because he could see the fear on Holsten's face. Once again Holsten has been uprooted and had no idea he was going to be taken and flown to a military school by Andy whom he has not seen or spoken to since the choking incident on October, 29th 2022.

She has been in an off-and-on child custody battle since February 2014 when the father of her son (Holsten) took him and hid out for almost a week. Holsten had just turned 5 at the time.

This was the 3rd time the father (Andy) had done this to Holsten. I flew to Dallas for the week to be with Shannon for this incredibly difficult and scary situation.

Holsten's father tested positive for Meth also benzodiazepines, (that were not prescribed) in the court hearing in March 2014 and court-ordered supervised visits.

Andy has been verbally, mentally, sexually and physically abusive to Holsten since he was 3. Holsten was removed from Andy's house by the judge for sexual abuse and neglect on November 13th, 2020.

Andy has been investigated by CPS six times including the incident that took place on the night of Saturday, October 29th, 2022.

During the almost 9 years that this has been going on an enormous amount of money has been spent on attorney's fees. Shannon has sold her car and everything of value to pay her attorney.

Shannon is at the point of being financially drained and can no longer afford attorney's fees. This has taken a huge toll on Holsten, Shannon's family and Shannon.

Andy has 3 attorneys at his disposal: a family practice attorney, a criminal attorney and an attorney that fights on his behalf for his numerous CPS investigations.

Andy is a professional gambler and owns part of the most prestigious dry cleaning chain in Dallas (Bibbentuckers).

Andy lives in Highland Park in Dallas, owns a 2nd home, belongs to Dallas Country Club, takes private jets when traveling for leisure and only stays in 5-star hotels, has a new Mercedes, a personal driver etc. But, Andy claims to the court that he is unemployed and can't pay child support.

Andy (who is a felon) has a long criminal history of assaults on men and women, terroristic threats, possession of cocaine and other crimes including raping a girl in Iceland in 2009 where he was put in solitary confinement in prison and then detained in Iceland awaiting trial. Andy had a criminal attorney in Iceland and flew his criminal attorney from Dallas to Iceland multiple times.

He ultimately fled the country using his brother's passport and was put on the Icelandic Interpol list.

After Holsten was removed from Andy's house in November 2020; Andy and his attorney continued to have numerous hearings scheduled starting with a De novo hearing with multiple false allegations and modifications against Shannon at every hearing from November 2020-April 2021.

When the last hearing was held on behalf of this case in April of 2021 the judge granted Holsten's father unsupervised visits. Shannon's attorney requested that Andy be drug tested. The judge agreed. Then, Andy's attorney requested that Shannon be drug tested. The judge agreed despite her testing negative for the preceding drug tests. Then, the judge ordered Shannon to pay for ½ of Holsten's court-mandated therapy sessions, ½ of Holsten's medical, dental and surgical bills and ½ of any expenses needed for Holsten. Above this, she was paying for all of their living expenses and she still needed to pay her attorney for future hearings.

After adding up all of their living expenses, attorney's fees, future attorney fees and court-ordered expenses (aprrox $20,000 a month) she realized that there was no way that she could afford everything and keep a roof over her and Holten's heads. Since Holsten is court-ordered to reside in Dallas county; they did not have the option of staying with family. She also consulted a retired and trusted family practice attorney who told her that if she was one of his best friends he would say “you've been outgunned-get out of the war.” She then came to the heartbreaking conclusion that she had no other choice than to non-suit Andy.

Over the last 11 years, Holsten's father has been terribly verbally and mentally abusive to Holsten to the extent that Holsten expressed SI on January 1st, 2022. Holsten recorded his dad going on an hour-long rage and cornering him in the kitchen and Holsten saying he felt like pulling a knife out of the butcher block and killing himself after enduring countless long fits of rage from his father.

Shannon is facing a big hearing on January 24th, 2023 on behalf of Holsten.

Shannon filed an emergency order after Holsten's father choked him. There have already been 4 hearings and they keep getting reset for another date. During the court date, Andy's attorney requested that Holsten be placed in Foster Care or sent to Military School. Holsten's father has only shown up to one of the court dates. The last hearing was January 4th, 2023 and opposing counsel requested it to be reset.

Most people have been informed that once a child is Holsten's age they get to decide who they permanently live with and it's a done deal. That is not how it works in TX, especially with an opposing counsel and a father who continually files modifications with lies, frivolous lawsuits, and files false affidavits. Shannon has to continue to pay for an attorney and show up in court.

During Spring Break this year, I was on the phone with Shannon. Holsten was with Shannon per court orders. Holsten's father began texting Holsten insisting that Shannon drive Holsten out to his lakehouse. Shannon refused. While Shannon and I were on the phone Andy drove to Shannon's house and was banging on all of the windows and doors in the front and back yard. He was running around her house and yelling give me my f*****g son as he was banging on the windows and doors. I could hear it all. Holsten was terrified. The police were called and Andy drove away before they arrived. The police said there was nothing they could do about it since he left before they arrived. A police report was made but nothing came of it.

During this same timeframe of spring and summer 2022 Andy mailed multiple lascivious letters to a prison inmate in Texas pretending to be Shannon and telling him that “Shannon” wanted him to come to her house when he was released from prison and that “she” wanted to have conjugal visits with him. He forged Shannon's signature, gave the prisoner Shannon's address and phone number in every letter and wrote the return address as Shannon's address. The original letters were mailed to Shannon and the prisoner received copies of the letters.

The prisoner was released during the summer of 2022 and began driving by Shannon's house. There is proof of this.

After enduring ongoing stalking and harassment of a violent nature from Andy for years and Andy calling her from his burner phones night and day (since Shannon has his phone # blocked) and leaving deranged messages...also, calling police welfare checks without any cause and the stalking from the released prisoner Shannon decided to move to Durant, OK the 1st week of November where her immediate family resides and Holsten could stay with Shannon during her possession period since Durant is less than 100 miles from Dallas.

Holsten was court-ordered to remain in Dallas while the emergency modification hearings took place was placed with his paternal aunt and uncle, however, Andy (without Holsten or Shannon's knowledge) or Holsten being informed by his aunt and uncle was flown to Marine Military Academy yesterday-January 7th, 2022.

This has already been a difficult and stressful situation for Holsten since he had never spent the night with his aunt and uncle and only saw them a couple of times a year. It has also been a difficult and stressful time for Shannon since she is separated from Holsten and had to proceed with her move to Durant in November 2022.

Holsten shockingly being shipped off to Military School has taken the stress, fear and anxiety of this situation to a whole new level for everyone.

Shannon and her attorney are doing everything they can do for Holsten to be able to move to Durant, OK permanently and for Shannon to have full custody of Holsten.

We're praying that this nightmare will come to an end soon and that Holsten's wish be honored and that he be able to move in with his mom full time in a stable environment surrounded by family that love and adore him, and living a life of peace and tranquility.

When Holsten stayed with Shannon in Durant, OK during Christmas he said if he could have 3 wishes they would be #1-live with his mom, #2-be a trillionaire and help homeless people, #3-be the best basketball player in the world.

Shannon is in desperate need of financial assistance for the exorbitant costs to continue to pay her attorney and Holsten's Amicus attorney.

Please help Holsten by helping Shannon. Any amount that you can contribute will be greatly appreciated!

I sincerely appreciate and thank you for whatever you can give in advance, and even if you can’t donate, please share with #HelpHolsten so others can have the opportunity to help and send well wishes-messages of encouragement.

In addition, I will share updates of your donations going directly to help benefit this worthy cause.

#HelpHolsten