Smith Blythe, PC are experienced in defending those that are accused of criminal sexual conduct, or with sexual abuse within a family unit. These cases can be sensitive in nature, but they are serious matters that need to be handled by an experienced defense team. It is important to have an experienced defense team in the area of criminal sexual conduct to provide the best defense for the allegations brought against you.

Sexual Abuse of a Child with a Disability

In 2007, a 14-year-old autistic girl, from West Bloomfield, Michigan, accused her father, Julian Wendrow, of sexually abusing her while her mother, Thal Wendrow, watched. The girl, who was unable to communicate on her own, used what is referred to as facilitated communication. Facilitated communication is a form of communication that uses another person to guide a hand, or arm, to assist the individual in using a keyboard to communicate and is seen as highly controversial because it is not known who is really performing the communication. The 14-year-old Wendrow used this type of communication to bring the allegations against her father and mother.

Further into the investigation, holes began to form in the allegations made by the 14-year-old. It was found that she could hardly communicate by using the keyboard without her facilitated communication guide present. Further, there were no signs of sexual abuse present after a physical exam was conducted on the girl. The case against the parents began to unravel because it was unknown who was making the actual allegations – the alleged victim or the facilitated communicator, with the latter being the most probable for making the allegations.

Despite the inconsistencies in the allegations brought, the Wendrows were separated from their children for a total of 106 days and Mr. Wendrow was held in jailed for most of that time. In the end, the accusations were false and the Wendrows took the appropriate steps to bring suit against the county and other parties involved for the hardships they endured during the prosecution of the case.

In a case like the one involving the Wendrows, it is crucial to bring every fact in the case to light through an experienced defense team. If an alleged victim is disabled, or is mentally impaired, it is important for a defense attorney to be well versed in the area of criminal sexual conduct and knowledgeable in the tactics that the prosecution uses in these types of cases. Smith Blythe, PC is an experienced defense team that will take the appropriate measures in finding the best defense argument for the facts involved in your specific criminal sexual conduct case. A well-planned defense argument can make all the difference in the outcome of a case.