Topeka Capital Jounal online Jonathan Schumm, Topeka city councilman, appears in court with handcuffs, notes children’s removal from home
A City of Topeka spokesperson issued a statement at the time of the arrests stating that arrest warrants had been issued for the couple following an investigation that began earlier this month, WIBW reported.
The statement said the Kansas Department for Children and Families had asked the Topeka Police Department to help in its investigation of reports of physical abuse against children.
After detectives and social workers conducted an investigation into the allegations, they then notified the Shawnee Co. District Attorney’s Office which obtained the arrest warrant.
The couple has four biological children and 10 adopted children, including two sibling groups of five, according to Homeschooling’s Invisible Children.
They were also reportedly fostering two additional children at the time of their arrest last Thursday.
Earlier this month, the councilman, who advocated for adoption, publicly said the family was in the process of adopting a 12th child during a city council meeting on November 3.
‘One of the things I’ve been criticized for is adopting too many children. I don’t think that,’ Jonathan Schumm said.
The couple, who married in May 2004, were awarded an Angels in Adoption Award in 2013, which honors individuals who help children in need of homes.
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The Topeka City Council is a nonpartisan office, but of course Schumm is a Republican (if that matters) of the special Born Again kind. The very Christian Councilman Schumm has previously made news only with his proposal to ban poor people from asking citizens for money.
Add this to the AR state rep Justin Harris (R) Rehoming (aka dumping adopted daughters into the home of a pedophile) for more on “Christian” parenting.
But they sure do love the fetuses that they don’t have to lift a finger to feed, clothe, and care for.
I’d like to hear the details of the “cruelly beating”. It may be true, but I distrust the police. I was once warned that merely holding a teenage boy by the arms, preventing him from running away was child abuse and I would be arrested on the next complaint. I’m skeptical of anything that doesn’t show bruises.
The Kansas authorities didn’t act on a single incident. The situation was investigated over a number of weeks, and protection of children in abusive situations is hardly ever over-responded to by authorities. Some might consider sixteen children under one small roof and home-schooled to be child abuse, but that apparently isn’t what triggered the investigation.
Child sexual (in most cases) and verbal abuse doesn’t leave visible bruises. But it leaves lifelong scars and many of those scars run very deep. Gabor Mate has reported that in his work with drug addicts, he’s never met on that hadn’t been subjected to abuse, usually including sexual abuse.
Absent all the details of your situation, can’t comment on whether the warning from the police was appropriate or not. However, have to respect the police in this instance for telling a person not to use physical force with a child that isn’t otherwise in eminent danger.
Thoroughly agree about sexual abuse. But the linked article was not specific. Yes, I agree, the situation does rather scream out at one.
Child abuse, by white “Christian” parents in KS that have been arrested, is all that’s required for this commentary. Not releasing the specific details at this stage of the case is probably a good thing — reduces the possibility of public witch hunts and strident defenders clashes. For better or worse, usually worse, we do have to rely on existing law enforcement to handle matters like this.