My wife Joanna's middle son, Philip was 3½ when we married. Philip has always displayed extreme behavior problems, which increased in seriousness as he grew older. Philip began stealing from his brothers and sisters and moved on to stealing from stores. We did all the usual things to try to stem the stealing, including showing him the old jail in the Wallowa County Courthouse.

In 1996, it was recommended that I no longer try to handle the stealing and just let him go into the "system" if he stole again. Within days, he stole an item from Tom's Automotive, where I had already left instructions to call the Sheriff's Department rather than me.

Philip entered the Wallowa County Juvenile system where he faced a "Jury of Peers". He snickered and smart-mouthed through the trial. His peers threw the book at him. He ended up pulling a few weeds around the Courthouse and was otherwise treated with "kid gloves".

In the spring of 1997, he became so rebellious in school that Wallowa School Principal John Nesemann became the most frequent caller to my business. I often had to go pick Philip up from the detention room because he was "dismissed from school" for the day. Several times, I found him lying on the floor of the detention room kicking the wall. I then had to take Philip around with me "on the job" because there was no place for him to be left.

In the summer of 1997, his behavior was clearly "Out of Control". He had attempted to strangle or suffocate the dogs, cats, and a couple of the younger children in addition to his otherwise radical behavior. We went to the Oregon SCF for help. The SCF placed Philip in 2 different "foster homes" in a week, after which an apologetic Stephanie Williams called me asking me to take Philip back home because "The foster parents can't handle him". (Stephanie Williams protests complete amnesia of this statement and possibly the whole event).

During the spring of 1998, Philip told his teacher Terry Wilson that he was "going to bring a gun to school and shoot her". If a kid wants attention now days, THAT statement works!

We counseled with Karen McConaughey of Wallowa County Mental Health throughout this time, beginning in 1995. New-Age Diagnoses were proffered of "Attention Deficit Disorder", "Oppositional Defiant Syndrome", and this year's (1999) trendy favorite: "Attachment Disorder". Karen's significant observation was "Philip is a very sick little boy". Philip was tried on such medications as Ritalin, which seemed to do nothing at all. Karen contacted several treatment programs trying to find an "open bed". As you may imagine, these kind of facilities are "over booked" in the current state of our society.

In the summer of 1998, Philip was admitted to an "Evaluation Home" in Nyssa, Oregon. Their recommendation was that Philip goes to a "Treatment Center". Philip returned home in August 1998. Sometime in September or October 1998, Philip's behavior became so extreme that we took him to Dr. Scott Siebe. Here, he was prescribed Lithium and the anti-psychotic drug Zyprexa. The Zyprexa produced a miraculous transformation and Philip became a gentle young man who was obedient, compliant, considerate and all-around wonderful (without any symptoms of drowsiness or "drugged" sluggishness). John Nesemann commented and THANKED US for finally finding a solution that allowed Philip to function NORMALLY.

BUT- Philip's statement about shooting the teacher had accelerated him up the ladder and in November 1998, a "bed" became available at the Eastern Oregon Adolescent Multi-Treatment Center (EOAMTC) in Pendleton. Philip was taken out of school and began his "treatment". They immediately took him off the Zyprexia to "see what happens". EOAMTC's Doug Smith said something about a hole knocked through a wall. Doug did say, Philip "went nuts".

The center's psychiatrist played with several diagnostic theories and medications throughout the 9-month stay. Apparently in late June or early July, Dr. Conant-Norville diagnosed Philip with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (an oldie but goodie from 'Nam) and decided he was DEPRESSED. He prescribed Zoloft, an anti-depressant.

In late June 1999, Stephanie Williams "strongly recommended" that Joanna and I and "our entire family" have counseling to "learn how to get along with Philip". We questioned why we needed counseling, and especially why the babies needed to learn how to get along with Philip.

Due to "saber-rattling", Joanna and I did comply with the "request" that we take "Parenting Counseling" from childless Paul Spriggs-Flanders and Jane Sabin-Davis. The ONLY "Parenting Style" they could identify was Time Out, Chair Sitting, and/or Grounding. I pointed out that this tired idea hardly works on a 5-year-old let alone a 15-year-old ACTING like a 5-year-old. I did ask them what I was supposed to do if Philip threw a chair through the $500 window. They thought I could call the Sheriff's office and swear out a complaint. It seemed that the "classes" were "ad-libbed", with points "made up" to suit the moment.

So much for "identifying parenting styles appropriate for Philip". Paul Spriggs-Flanders did identify my statement that I had told Philip "It is time for you to grow up and join the human race" as terribly abusive. Other professionals I have since asked did not regard this statement as abusive at all.

In a letter from Stephanie Williams Dated July 26, 1999, is first mention of "mental injury Philip has suffered over the years".

After Philip's home visit on the weekend of August 6-9, he became so disturbed upon his return to the facility that he had to be physically restrained. His entire week at the center was reportedly "bad" and on Thursday, August 12, he was "timed out" in a locked room. The door had a glass pane with embedded "chicken wire" reinforcement. Philip kicked the glass out and deeply cut his ankle, requiring 6 stitches of the 3-inch-long gash.

This same Thursday, Philip had already been scheduled for Cheryl Tucker to transport him to Enterprise SCF to be "interviewed" by Stephanie Williams regarding the "abuse" charges against me.

After that "interview", Joanna and I were scheduled for a meeting at the SCF office together with Philip and the hyphenated names before Philip went home with us for another weekend visit.

Joanna and I had heard absolutely NOTHING about the "bad week" or the gash from kicking a window out.

To say the least, Joanna and I were quite surprised to have Philip delivered to us in this condition, under these circumstances, wondering how we were supposed to react and what "politically correct" things we were supposed to say while the hyphenated names watch and listen like vultures.

Certainly, I wondered to myself-

When we returned Philip to the Pendleton center on Monday the 16th, Joanna and I spoke with Doug Smith regarding Joanna's long-term battle with Manic-Depression and Bi-Polar Disorder, and reminded them once again of the complete success of Zyprexa. We asked them to start Philip on some medication suitable to his symptoms so Philip could return home in as good condition as when they received him.

Philip was returned to us on the 20th with the Zoloft intake DOUBLED and we were warned in the sternest possible terms (Federal Crime because they say so) not to put him back on Zyprexa, not even with a Doctor's prescription.

On Thursday the 12th and Friday, the 13th, Stephanie Williams interviewed Philip, and my older children Leslie, Lyle, and Meagan regarding the alleged "long-term mental abuse". According to a phone call to Joanna on Monday the 16th, Stephanie said she "determined" that not only was I innocent, but also an extremely successful father with exemplary children. Stephanie also emailed a similar statement to our lawyer. (Note added- Stephanie REVERSED herself and on August 30, 1999 she "founded" the case based on suspicious "additional information", which we forced her to admit at the "grievance meeting" was her own internal documents that she herself created).

Stephanie had arranged a "personal meeting" between she and I for Wednesday the 18th, which I declined because I was done "talking". Spoken words disappear through the rafters and can be denied or twisted tomorrow. My lawyer instructed her to put it in writing.

In the afternoon of Friday the 20th, my older children were at my home discussing the questions Stephanie Williams had asked them and the answers they had given her, including Lyle's note that Stephanie ARGUED with him concerning some of his statements. Philip was listening and piped in: "Stephanie told me that she believed anything I had to say, but as far as she was concerned EVERY WORD Leonard says is a lie".

I emerged from the fiasco with my credibility, reputation, and finances intact. However, it is a HOLLOW victory. I am exonerated ONLY because Philip is not an only child and I had reliable external witnesses with complete, irrefutable knowledge of the history. (Hiring a lawyer had to be of great benefit, too).

Philip was delivered back to us unfixed. When I picked him up at the treatment center Friday morning the 20th there was hugging and congratulations, "We Love You", "We will miss you" and "come back for a visit". Throughout the long and exaggerated good-byes, Philip pushed, shoved, and smart-mouthed all of them. They all acted as if it was cute.

Was he "graduated", "passed on", or just "used"?

Philip now knows the system, how it works, and how to manipulate it if he wants to. He knows the system is insane, will defend a kid's right to go squarely to hell if he wants to, and will actually facilitate it for him.

Is this is a DANGEROUS, OUT OF CONTROL system with an AGENDA?

As it now stands, it appears that I HAVE BEEN SET UP TO FAIL. The SCF has undermined my authority and veracity, and I believe they would love any opportunity to destroy me to disguise their "error" and justify their miserable, pointless jobs.

Philip did emerge with some recognition that maybe his mother and I are the only people who REALLY CARE if he makes it. Joanna and I have developed the well-founded opinion that involving Philip in this system was a very bad mistake, and the agencies' involvement in our lives has been ANYTHING BUT "Helpful" or a "Service".

Sincerely,

J. Leonard Henderson