Return-Path: <[log in to unmask]> Received: from mx04.mrf.mail.rcn.net ([207.172.4.53]) by mta03.mrf.mail.rcn.net (InterMail vM.4.01.02.27 201-229-119-110) with ESMTP id <[log in to unmask]> for <[log in to unmask]>; Fri, 3 Mar 2000 10:50:59 -0500 Received: from maelstrom.stjohns.edu ([149.68.1.24]) by mx04.mrf.mail.rcn.net with esmtp (Exim 2.12 #3) id 12QuM3-00041S-00 for [log in to unmask]; Fri, 3 Mar 2000 10:51:04 -0500 Received: from maelstrom.stjohns.edu (149.68.1.24) by maelstrom.stjohns.edu (LSMTP for OpenVMS v1.1a) with SMTP id <[log in to unmask]>; Fri, 3 Mar 2000 10:51:05 -0500 Received: from MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU by MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU (LISTSERV-TCP/IP release 1.8d) with spool id 161881 for [log in to unmask]; Fri, 3 Mar 2000 10:51:01 -0500 Received: from smtp02.mrf.mail.rcn.net (207.172.4.61) by maelstrom.stjohns.edu (LSMTP for OpenVMS v1.1a) with SMTP id <[log in to unmask]>; Fri, 3 Mar 2000 10:51:01 -0500 Received: from 207-172-233-119.s56.as2.wmn.md.dialup.rcn.com ([207.172.233.119] helo=user) by smtp02.mrf.mail.rcn.net with smtp (Exim 2.12 #3) id 12QuLj-00063i-00 for [log in to unmask]; Fri, 3 Mar 2000 10:50:43 -0500 References: <[log in to unmask]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2919.6600 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2919.6600 Message-ID: <01bf01bf8528$5f2353c0$77e9accf@user> Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2000 10:51:39 -0500 Reply-To: SJU Advocacy List <[log in to unmask]> Sender: SJU Advocacy List <[log in to unmask]> From: Howard Gorrell <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Dropped Charges against Kelsos. To: [log in to unmask] Thought you might be interested to read the below: Howard L. Gorrell [log in to unmask] ============================================== >From http://www.delawareonline.com/news/2000/mar/story103032000.html State strikes a deal with Kelsos Couple will get probation for abandoning disabled son News Journal file/BOB HERBERT Richard and Dawn Kelso eventually may be allowed to take their son home under supervision. By MARY ALLEN Staff reporter 03/03/2000 Delaware on Thursday dropped charges that had been brought against a couple who abandoned their 10-year-old son in a case that drew national attention to the needs of parents with medically dependent children. Richard and Dawn Kelso agreed to one year of probation under the deal, one that eventually could allow them to regain custody of their only child. The Exton, Pa., couple admitted in court papers that they had committed misdemeanor child abandonment, although they did not plead guilty, said Todd Hallidy, spokesman for the Delaware Attorney General's Office. The agreement with prosecutors was struck five days before the Kelsos were to be tried in Family Court on child abandonment and conspiracy counts. They took their son into the Alfred I. du Pont Hospital for Children in Rockland the day after Christmas and left him in his wheelchair with a bundle of toys, medical supplies and a note saying they could no longer care for him. The couple later said they had been left without medical care over the holidays and were exhausted by the constant medical needs of the child, who has cerebral palsy. Richard Kelso, 62, is chief executive officer of PQ Corp., a privately held chemical company that posts $500 million in sales. Dawn Kelso, 46, has been an advocate for families with medically dependent children. She testified in 1994 before the National Council on Disabilities, an independent federal agency that recommends policy to the president and Congress. The Kelsos could not be reached Thursday, but they issued a statement calling the abandonment an unfortunate situation. "We have agreed to... probation in order to provide closure for our family, but most importantly because this is in [our son's] best interest," they said. Hallidy said the agreement was not unusual for first-time offenders charged with misdemeanor crimes. It was a fair outcome to a difficult, emotional case, he said. Prosecutors can bring back the charges if the Kelsos violate the terms of their probation or commit new crimes. The Attorney General's Office will supervise their probation. The Kelsos must comply with conditions set by the Chester County, Pa., Department of Children Youth & Families, according to court papers. That agency has custody of their son, even though he was still a patient Thursday night at the Children's Hospital. Dawn Kelso's uncle, Glover Crouch, said Thursday his niece is anxious to have her son home. "She's feeling much better in many respects," he said. "There seems to be a strong chance they'll bring (the boy) home, with certain provisions that it will be a trial period of three months and there would be monitoring and inspections." Hallidy said the Kelsos' court agreement assumes the family will reunite and be monitored by agents from the Attorney General's Office. The Kelsos have traveled regularly to Delaware since January for hospital visits with their son. Officials in Chester County would not comment directly on the Kelsos' case. But Deputy Director Carla London said department regulations generally encourage parents to be reunited with their children, even when criminal charges have been filed. In cases of serious abuse, or when parents say they do not want their children back, the department would try to withhold custody. When parents feel they cannot continue caring for a child because of intense stress, the department can take temporary custody for a weekend, London said. The Kelsos said in their statement that a shortage of nurses left them without medical care for their son. "... [W]e felt that the only option we had was to take (our son) to the ... hospital, a place where he was well cared for and received the round-the-clock skilled medical attention which he requires," the parents said. The Kelsos' arrests drew national attention, with some parents of disabled children coming to their defense. "They put him in a place that was safe," said Beth MacDonald, Delaware coordinator for Family Voices, an advocacy group for children with special health care needs. "They didn't abandon him on a street corner." The agreement made Thursday was unexpected. The Delaware deputy attorney general assigned to the case still had been planning Thursday afternoon for the Kelsos' scheduled criminal trial next week. Another prosecutor had prepared the documents that dropped the charges. The paperwork was filed in Family Court in the afternoon, without an appearance by the Kelsos. State Attorney General M. Jane Brady was on vacation and could not be reached for comment. After his arrest, Richard Kelso took a three-month leave of absence from his post at the PQ Corp. His leave expires in early April. "We've always considered this a private matter of the Kelso family," PQ spokesman Bob Gladwish said Thursday. "It doesn't really involve the company."