Support a Mother's Fight for Legal Representation

I am currently in desperate need of legal representation so I can continue on with my role as a mother, rebuild my life, and establish a firm footing in the career world.

Just a few short months ago, I was a stay-at-home mother of three wonderful but high-needs children. I was also a full-time student enrolled in the junior year of my Bachelor's of Science degree in Psychology. I was about 75% completed with my degree, just another year or so. (I started and finished my AA, during which I was pregnant twice and responsible for 95% of childcare, with high honors too.)

Then, on our 4-year wedding anniversary, my soon-to-be-ex-husband initiated a separation. I was in the middle of a term and needed to withdraw due to the radical upheaval in my life.

Shortly thereafter, I lost my last remaining grandparent. The tensions in the home didn't lessen at all in light of that fact. In fact, he seemed to double down on the passive-aggressive behaviors and remarks towards me.

This resulted in some emotional dysregulation on my part. I tried to rationalize how he could flip the script like this. I began to suspect infidelity, then later I suspected drug use. Whether or not those suspicions are true is not something I'm interested in pursuing at this time.

Needless to say, we had a domestic incident where he was the aggressor. I took a defensive stance. I immediately called the police. He claimed I hit him; I did not. We both ended up arrested and charged identically. The felony charges of risk of injury to a minor were overkill. While they should not have been present during such an incident, they were not physically near us throughout the entire altercation.

However, we ended up taking partial protective orders against each other.

Weeks go by, we establish a family relations rehabilitation plan, and I was assigned a support group for women leaving DV.

After court, I stupidly told him my plans to petition to have the charges modified to make it easier for me to find work. A few short days later, I'm arrested again.

Charged with violation of a protective order.

The incident arose when I requested him to take a drug test. This made him irate and hostile. An altercation took place where I requested he leave my bedroom, which he broke into, in search of the drug test I was allegedly going to tamper with. He allowed the children to follow him, with little regard for their safety. I repeatedly asked him to stop, remove the children from the room, I did not consent to being recorded, I used my safe word, nothing deterred him. I began to remove the children myself, he shoved his phone in my face recording me, I responded by removing the phone from his hand and putting it behind my back. He was seated and jumped up so fast I was knocked down due to lack of balance (nerve damage in right leg due to back injury). After he retrieved his phone, he shortly left the home with no word.

Three hours pass and the police are at my door. I am with the kids about to start making lunch.

I was arrested and charged. The partial order of protection was changed to a residential stay-away order. This prevents me from returning to my home and left me homeless, living in hotels that are beyond my means to avoid being sick on the streets. Ironically, the day of court I came down with the worst ear infection of my life. Two weeks of treatment and still not 100%, I was served with divorce papers shortly after being removed from my home.

So this is where I need the help. I desperately need to hire a lawyer, and I found her. She is absolutely perfect for the job. She has a degree in Psychology, works as an attorney for criminal and family matters, and I've been told she is ruthless in the courthouse.

I am scrambling to find employment and a stable income. Trying to flip thrift store finds, applying for Uber Eats and DoorDash. Also applying to a multitude of jobs, from landscaping, non-emergency medical transport, direct care, retail, delivery, warehouse, housekeeping, and more.

So far, nothing. I need to move fast to get my case sorted out so I can get these charges dropped sooner.

Until then, my days of stable housing (hotel) are quickly coming to an end.

Please help me get legal aid to fight these charges and fight for my right to be in my children's life!

They need their mother in their lives!

Anything you can contribute directly helps me secure my place in my children's lives, and for that, I am deeply indebted and eternally grateful