Couple indicted for allegedly harming children for charity money

[Steel]

https://www.rrstar.com/news/20181213/winnebago-county-couple-indicted-for-allegedly-harming-children

I was hoping this story would catch up, but only local news for now. I think all the pages are restricted to the US, so just in case:
Christopher J. Williams, 47, and Kathryn A. Williams, 49, are being held on a $1 million bond after their arrests Wednesday evening. Each faces two dozen charges for allegedly harming their daughter and son, Winnebago County State’s Attorney Marilyn Hite Ross said during a news conference Thursday afternoon.

The couple were indicted Wednesday on charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery to a child, aggravated domestic battery, reckless conduct, causing a child to be injured and theft by deception between $500 and $10,000. The abuse occurred between 2007 and August of this year, according to the indictments.

The couple’s daughter, according to the indictments, was confined to a bed or wheelchair when such constraints weren’t medically necessary, permanently damaging the girl’s tendons and her ability to walk. Both children now require colostomy bags...

The alleged abuse came to light when the Williamses “were demanding hospice care for one of the children,” Hite Ross said. Illinois Department of Children & Family Services reported the suspected abuse on Aug. 20 to the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department, which conducted the investigation.

“The children are doing well,” Hite Ross said, noting that neither the 13-year-old girl nor the 11-year-old son requires hospice care after being removed from their parents’ custody on Aug. 31. They now are in the custody of DCFS, Sheriff Gary Caruana said.

In a joint statement, the Williamses’ attorneys, Ryan Swift and John Palmer, said: “Mr. and Mrs. Williams love their children and would never do anything to place them at risk of harm. It is important that this case is tried through the court system, where evidence and facts matter, and not through the media or the court of public opinion.”

Swift, who is representing Kathryn Williams, and Palmer, who is representing Christopher Williams, also said: “We look forward to fighting this case in a court of law, where we expect the evidence will show that Mr. and Mrs. Williams are innocent.”

The couple’s daughter and son were nominated last year for the Steven R. Stiles Courage Award, presented by the nonprofit Healing Dreams Foundation, according to the organization’s Facebook page. The organization, which focuses on families dealing with cancer and other debilitating illnesses, detailed multiple diagnoses affecting each child, including gastrointestinal, respiratory, heart, brain and urinary tract conditions, some of which were reported to be congenital.

According to the indictments, the Make-A-Wish Foundation gave the family received a dog valued at between $500 and $10,000 from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and an all-expenses-paid Disney vacation was valued at between $10,000 and $100,000.

[Zonesylvania]

In a joint statement, the Williamses’ attorneys, Ryan Swift and John Palmer, said: “Mr. and Mrs. Williams love their children and would never do anything to place them at risk of harm. It is important that this case is tried through the court system, where evidence and facts matter, and not through the media or the court of public opinion.”

Swift, who is representing Kathryn Williams, and Palmer, who is representing Christopher Williams, also said: “We look forward to fighting this case in a court of law, where we expect the evidence will show that Mr. and Mrs. Williams are innocent.”
wonderful that even when people are as rotten as last year's fish lawyers can insist on their supposed innocence. Lock them away in a dark hole and forget they ever existed.