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Advocate foes' stories unravel
Post-Tribune
February 29, 1996
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.proxy.portagelibrary.info/resources/doc/nb/news/1084D869DA1D0097?p=AWNB
When Kimberly Cole told the Porter County Council a heart-wrenching story Tuesday night about how she lost custody of her toddler to an alcoholic ex-husband because of a court-appointed guardian's recommendation, she left out a few details.
The guardian, Beatrice Lightfoot of Chesterton, actually recommended joint custody, according to court documents. But the magistrate who heard the case, James Johnson, decided to award custody to the father.
Cole also neglected to tell the council that she's facing battery charges for striking another child, a 7-year-old boy from her now-ex-husband's previous marriage. The injuries were severe enough to require hospitalization.
Cole went before the council because Lightfoot is seeking county funding for her Children/Parent Center, which she operates to provide supervised visitation for families involved in custody disputes.
The council said it is up to the courts to request funding for the center in next year's budget.
Lightfoot has served the county courts as a guardian ad litem, or court-appointed advocate for children, for the past several years.
But she has come under fire because Helen Boothe of Dune Acres recently wrote a letter to county judges complaining that Lightfoot was biased and presented false information to the court.
Boothe didn't cite specific instances, but instead wrote that she'd learned of the alleged problems through ''friends of friends.'' Still, the allegations were serious enough that the judges asked the sheriff's department to investigate.
But when Cole appeared before the council Tuesday, some began wondering if the ''friends'' aren't people embittered over coming out on the losing side of custody cases.
''She does not conduct herself in a professional manner,'' Cole said. ''Everyone should know what people are like who are asking for your money. I don't want my tax dollars going to her.''
Boothe declined Wednesday to say who her ''friends of friends'' are and what problems they had with Lightfoot. As for Cole's comments to the council, she said, ''I don't know. I guess you can read the (court) case.''
Attempts to contact Lightfoot on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
Lightfoot, although trained as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), is not an attorney. Even Lightfoot's critics say that she is well-meaning. If anything, her fault is sometimes being in ''over her head,'' they say.
Judges say that people think the guardians have more power than is actually the case. They are charged only with representing the child's interests before the court. They don't have the power to remove children from the home.
They observe the child, investigate and make recommendations. And like other advocates, such as probation officers, judges don't always follow the recommendations.
''But the guardian ad litem is often the person they perceive as making the decision,'' said Johnson, who heard Cole's divorce case, which was finalized in December.
''If (Cole) is going to be mad at anyone, she ought to be mad at me, I suppose.''
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