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Earth Services / The House Next Door

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Ursus:
Another article... Given the seriousness of the allegations, Mr. Terpening is having to live separately from, and reduced to having limited and supervised contact with, his family.

-> Video news coverage accompanying the below article: FRIENDS AND COWORKERS DEFEND CAMP LEADER

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WOOD-TV8
Supporters rally around Terpening

Among supporters: co-worker, volunteer, friend

Updated: Tuesday, 25 Oct 2011, 1:31 PM EDT
Published : Monday, 05 Sep 2011, 5:06 PM EDT
By Ken Kolker


Michael Terpening (Aug. 24, 2011)

HASTINGS, Mich. (WOOD) - Supporters of a youth home director accused of sex acts with four clients say the allegations are false and shouldn't be keeping him from his own children.

They've started an on-line petition, a Facebook campaign and posted a Youtube video -- to push the state to re-unite Michael Terpening, who is free on bond, with his eight children.

Among the supporters: a former youth home worker, a former youth volunteer and a friend.

"We just felt like the word needed to get out that Michael needed some help; we felt like he was being railroaded," said family friend Susan Gillihan, who started the on-line petition.

"Why would a man be removed from his children, his eight children, when there are no accusations whatsoever within the (family) home."

Terpening, who ran Earth Services and The House Next Door -- a Barry County program for troubled teens -- is charged with 11 counts of sexual assault involving four former clients, all males in their late teens.

Police say more charges might be on the way involving a fifth alleged victim.

None of the charges involve Terpening's own children.

"Why isn't he allowed to go back home then?" Gillihan said.

His supporters say they plan to attend a custody hearing they say is scheduled for Tuesday in Barry County.

They say they're certain the first alleged victim is lying -- about sex acts in a chicken coop, which were detailed in a state Department of Human Services report.

The same report describes that victim as "challenging, aggressive, mentally ill and unstable."

"I know the boy; he has one language, and it's lying," said Linda Timmons, who said her volunteer work at the youth home included Bible studies.

In that same report, a second alleged victim describes sex acts with Terpening, but the report also describes that victim as "dramatic" and "attention-seeking" -- somebody who will "stretch the truth."

Police say the second victim recanted, but later told detectives the allegations were true.

"This is a witch hunt," said Terpening supporter, Jamie Bell, who identified herself as a former youth home worker. "I mean, I have no idea why, but they are coming at him in a manner that makes absolutely no sense to me."

The state report did not provide details on the other alleged victims or sex acts.

"We also need to look at all five of those people who are saying this, and let's look at their background and history," Timmons said. "Are they upstanding, moral, good, working people? Are they people who are believable where you can take their word?"

The state report also describes how an unidentified youth home worker says Terpening offered him $50 for a sex act, and sent a lewd text. Co-workers told the state they also saw the text.

State Police Lt. Chuck Christensen on Monday told 24 Hour News 8 that the victims approached police, on their own, and were not coerced.


All content (c) Copyright 2000 - 2012 WOOD Television, Inc.

wdtony:
These comments supporting the alleged perpetrator remind me of all of those news reports....you know, where a guy is a serial killer and all the neighbors are like, "he was a quiet guy, I never would have thought he could do something like this...he seemed like a nice normal person".

People don't seem to believe that they can be fooled.

Ursus:
Comments left for the above article, "Supporters rally around Terpening" (by Ken Kolker, 05 Sep 2011/25 Oct 2011, WOOD-TV8):


Becky Swartzenegger · Top Commenter · September 5, 2011 at 2:23pm
But yet an accused murderer obtains custody of his children while being the only suspect in the death of his wife, the children's mother! They don't even know where the man and his children reside and don't care until they have the smoking gun!! This guy could be guilty, but we dont know! He's not suspected of molesting his children so he shouldn't be kept from them. As if this case isnt already hard enough on them! Once again, Michigan proves to have its priorities backwards!Stephen D. Vandermade Jr. · Top Commenter · September 5, 2011 at 2:36pm
He has to be kept from them until he has been proven innocent of the other charges, there can be no guessing when kids are involved, every precaution must be taken. If that means he is out of the home until he beats his charges, then that's how it is. If he is innocent then he has nothing to worry about. But I agree with C.P.S on this one. If he did the things they are accusing him of he doesn't need to be around little kids.Guest Checks · Comstock Park, Michigan · September 5, 2011 at 2:46pm
Keep in mind the Child Protective Services piece of what is happening is an entirely separate legal matter and they would already have had a hearing on this to decide if there was sufficient evidence to remove the children. It is not a CPS matter, a judge makes that call based on evidence.

Child Protective Services has already done their investigation. This is a civil matter and CPS has made a determination the allegations were, "substantiated" meaning they believe the boys.

4 different people making allegations is very troubling.

What i will say about Linda Timmons is she is someone who has no business being around troubled kids if she cannot hold her judgment.

A child who is abused comes with all kinds of issues and that is one of the things that makes them easy targets for predators.Dennis Lawrence · Top Commenter · Godwin Heights High School · September 5, 2011 at 3:26pm
The Judge makes that called based on a cps social worker statement and many times the defense will not be allowed to present any evidence. We have viewed many family court cases. The evidence to remove the children many times is a ex-parte motion. The cps worker and the judge or referee. the other side is not represented. This is based on a preponderance of evidence. Almost the lowest one can go. Preponderance when the other side is not available to represent themselves. Do I need say more.Bryan Hudson · Top Commenter · Recovery Specialist at Grand Rapids Towing · September 5, 2011 at 5:26pm
one person questionable, four people and possibly a fifth come on people wake up and quit being so stupid.Peter Walsh · Top Commenter · Grand Rapids, Michigan · September 5, 2011 at 5:55pm
In this type of thing the number of accusers may actually assist the defense more than the prosecution, depending on the circumstances. When evaluating these things keep in mind the murder case in Quincy where the defendant was acquitted after a second trial because the MSP "forgot" to give the defense some exculpatory evidence and the recently dismissed case agains the fake cop in Grandville. These are "troubled" teens and as the witnesses stated there are probably credibility issues with many of them.Guest Checks · Comstock Park, Michigan · September 5, 2011 at 6:06pm
Dennis Lawrence, you are completely wrong. The Child Protective Services agency does its own report and makes its own findings. At the same time the Family Court will have a preliminary hearing, usually the next business day, to decide if the children need to be removed from the home. This is separate from the CPS investigation, in other words CPS can actually make a different decision than the family court.

However, all parties are represented and if Terpening did not have counsel, they would have appointed counsel for him. So everyone gets represented. The only time someone would not be represented is if CPS asked for an emergency, ex parte order to remove his children, however, he would have a hearing the next day.

AS for your comments, Mr. Walsh you are also wildly wrong. What is going to mess this guy up is one simple fact of sex offenders, they tend to target specific ages. These were all older teens. What would be weird is if the ages were spread out.

Having worked in the system, sex offenders are very obvious. They will target specific ages and other features. If this goes to trial, and I doubt it does, what the jury will see are a bunch of young men who look remarkably similar to one another.

Credibility is rarely an issue. Boys, especially troubled boys, do not talk about this stuff. This guy is in huge trouble and it will be huge if these kids reported entirely separately.Wendy Young-Woods · Top Commenter · September 5, 2011 at 8:02pm
I don't know this man and I don't know the 4 teenagers who are accusing him. However, he's out on bond, NONE of his 8 children have said he's ever molested them... so he should be able to see his kids! As for co-workers making claims... I've worked with disgruntled co-workers who didn't like me and tried to tell lies that could have made me lose my job. Unless there is PROOF of the alleged text message and proof of the molestation he should not be kept from his own family. That's just my opinion.Wendy Young-Woods · Top Commenter · September 5, 2011 at 8:06pm
Oh and Guest Checks... two boys came forward at first... then one of them recanted the story... then said he was lying and that Terpening did touch him. Make up your mind.... DID or DID IT NOT happen?! It's THAT simple. Then all of a sudden two more teens come forward and then some co-workers.... Why didn't the co-worker report it WHEN it happened? Teenagers who are trouble DO talk about these things sometimes... and sometimes they don't. Don't put all troubled teens in one catergory, because they are not all the same. It sounds to me like they need to dig into the troubled kids' pasts... and question the co-workers extensively... some people don't like positive people who do good work. I'm not sticking up for this man, but I also don't think it's right for people to railroad this man either... he's only being accused, he has not been convicted!Marcey Herrick Tejeda · BSN · September 5, 2011 at 10:43pm
The co workers who are now reporting this need to be charged. If this is true, they neglected the children they were suppose to be caring for. Why now are they coming out. Nothing makes sense.Peter Walsh · Top Commenter · Grand Rapids, Michigan · September 5, 2011 at 11:44pm
A lewd text? That convinces me. Sex offenders are very obvious, come one where did that BS come from. Sex offenders are NOT obvious, that is what lets some of them get away with it for years, like this guy if he is guilty. How about that pastor that was just busted in Ottawa County, he was obvious for 20 years? Come on stop regurtitating that kind of garbage.Mike Davis · Top Commenter · September 6, 2011 at 2:34am
child protective services is more about destroying families than building them up.George Bradley · Grand Rapids, Michigan · September 6, 2011 at 4:22am
This Linda Timmons character is STUUUUUUUPPPPIDDDDD. I can't believe she said "I know the boy; he has one language, and it's lying," and wants to know "We also need to look at all five of those people who are saying this, and let's look at their background and history," Timmons said. "Are they upstanding, moral, good, working people? Are they people who are believable where you can take their word?"

What a strategy, instead of investigating the guy who has been accused of sexually assaulting at risk kids you instead investigate the at risk kids because you know they only have "one language, and it's lying".
You straight out come and attack the possible victims.
SOOOOO STUPID - no I don't want to know if they are "upstanding, moral, good, working people" I want to know if this guy was assaulting them.Guest Checks · Comstock Park, Michigan · September 6, 2011 at 4:50am
Wendy Young-Woods, we protect children, first, we do not take risks. These are very serious charges and we do not take risks because a child has not made a claim. The fact you were not caught speeding does not mean you did not speed.

Also, this investigation occurred over a period of time. This was not all of a sudden and surely you are not naive enough to think 4 different kids got together to nail this guy all at once?

And you think this is some kind of fun game for the kids? Do you have any idea how what goes into these investigations?

Of course the proof you are not going to be fair to these kids is the simple fact you demand proof of the molestation? Other than the kid's words what proof do you think will exist?

Honestly, it amazes me people like you put your opinion ahead of kids. The system will resolve this, and most likely with a guilty plea.Mike Boerman · Top Commenter · Langston, Michigan · September 6, 2011 at 5:51pm
Finally we get some details on this "alleged" crime! (heavy on the word "alleged" too, mind you). Why has it taken WOOD-TV8 four articles to find some actual EVIDENCE to report, instead of right from the get-go? When the first 3 articles they publish about this supposed crime contain nothing but baseless allegations, rumors, and "he said/he said" type info, no wonder the comments are through the roof on speculation. And shame on CPS or the courts or whoever is leaking this info bit by tiny bit, so all we're left to do is theorize. They should either seal it completely and not publicize it, or release the entire file so there's no question of his guilt or innocence. It sounds like this guy pissed off the wrong person in "the system" and it's now a political witch-hunt or maybe he was framed? I'll be the first one to eat my words though if more details come out that actually prove 100% that he did what he's accused of doing (which still, I don't think is the end of the world if he did - the accusers are all legally consenting individuals over the age of 16 right?) I still think people are making mountains out of mole-hills yes, but now I'm curious to see what kind of supposed "evidence" the prosecution comes up with. Alright ladies, bring on the reproach & outrage *lol*Bethany Christian Bethany · Top Commenter · January 6 at 2:20pm
FB Justice for Michael Terpening[/list][/list]
Barbara Moody-Proctor · Schoolcraft College · September 12, 2011 at 7:47am
Let me tell all of u this much.. CPS will lie up the ying-yang just to make someone look guilty. I know, because it happened to me and the people who made the accusation wouldn't show up in Juvenile Court because they weren't going to commit perjury on the stand. While sitting in the court room, another CPS worker stepped between my legs & the pew in front of me and said, "I've got you good this time." ?? I didn't know her, she'd never dealt with me, so what the he-- was she talking about? So, am I shocked CPS would take this man out of his home away from his family, even though he hasn't even been charged? At least, I haven't heard about any charges, only accusations.

Do kids lie? Anyone who has a teenager knows they lie at one time or another. Does that make them liars in this case? I don't know, and neither does anyone else. Can you believe his co-workers? I can't. Is the man being set up by someone? Could well be. Until all evidence (what evidence?) is presented, the man is only accused of having sex acts with these boys. I don't care what their background is, only what is true and provable. Based on this story, it does appear nothing is credible or provable.. except a man's life could be ruined by wrongful allegations and this wouldn't be the first time it's happened.Bethany Christian Bethany · Top Commenter · January 6 at 2:20pm
FB Justice for Michael Terpening[/list][/list]
Bethany Christian Bethany · Top Commenter · January 6 at 2:19pm
FB Justice for Michael Terpening.[/list]


All content (c) Copyright 2000 - 2012 WOOD Television, Inc.

Ursus:
More on those "rallying supporters"...

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WWMT - Newschannel 3
Supporters rally behind former youth home director accused of sexual assault

September 06, 2011 8:37 AM


Video: Support For Former Youth Home Director
A former youth home director faces a number of sexual assault charges and now supporters are rallying behind him.[/size]
BARRY COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A former youth home director faces a number of sexual assault charges and now supporters are rallying behind him.

Michael Terpening ran a group home near Bellevue called Earth Services.

He is now facing 11 sex charges in Barry County. He is accused of assaulting teens in his care.

A group of supporters say the teens are lying and the allegations are false. They've started a new online petition saying the charges have torn his family apart.

Judith Faye is one of those supporters.

"This man is well-loved throughout the community. He has done so much in the community," said Faye. "We feel like the whole family has been terribly wronged."

The online petition asks state officials to allow Terpening to go home to his family.

Supporters also plan to rally today outside the Barry County Courthouse where Terpening is scheduled to appear for a hearing.


Copyright © 2012 Freedom Communications

Ursus:

--- Quote from: "wdtony" ---These comments supporting the alleged perpetrator remind me of all of those news reports....you know, where a guy is a serial killer and all the neighbors are like, "he was a quiet guy, I never would have thought he could do something like this...he seemed like a nice normal person".

People don't seem to believe that they can be fooled.
--- End quote ---
Well, the "support group" is apparently quite zealous in this case... From that first "rallying supporter" article, "Supporters rally around Terpening," emphasis added:

Supporters of a youth home director accused of sex acts with four clients say the allegations are false and shouldn't be keeping him from his own children.

They've started an on-line petition, a Facebook campaign and posted a Youtube video -- to push the state to re-unite Michael Terpening, who is free on bond, with his eight children.[/list][/size]
The Youtube video: Save the Terpenings [formerly known as "CPS Gone Wild (Save the Terpenings)"]

The Facebook campaign: Justice for Michael Terpening

And here's that petition on Change.org in support of the cause. It currently has almost 700 signatures. Perhaps in no small part due to the accompanying video, which contains several heartrending stills of happy blonde munchkins ... in danger of becoming fatherless should the slow-turning wheels of justice and the strong arms of the state (which do not necessarily share the same agenda) ...seek to make an example out of Michael Terpening.

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Return Michael Terpening to his Family

-> VIDEO: Save the Terpenings

Signatures
685 out of 1,000[/list]
Petitioning

· Appropriations (Bob Genetski)
· Michigan Attorney General (State of Michigan - Attorney General)
· Representative (Lisa Posthumus Lyons)
· Representative (Jim Ananich)
· Speaker of the House (Jase Bolger)
· Michigan DHS (Maura Corrigan)
· Representative (Lesia Liss)
· Representative (Vicki Barnett)
· Assistant to Justin Amash (Justin Amash c/o Jordan Bush)
· Representative (Bob Constan)
· Judiciary Committee (Kurt Damrow)
· Barry County Prosceutor (Thomas Evans)
· Assistant Majority Whip (Holly Hughes)
· Representative (Peter McGregor)
· Speaker Pro-Tempore (John Walsh)
· Head of Appropriations - Human Services (Dave Agema)
· Representative (Joe Haveman)
· Representative (Mike Callton)
· Representative (Ken Yonker)Created By
Susan Gillihan
Hastings, MI
Why This Is Important

On May 16, 2011 Michael A. Terpening was visited by CPS workers with a false accusation and ordered to leave his home and 8 children (the false allegation had NOTHING to do with his children). Because he knew the allegation was false and hoping to help with the investigation, he did not argue and readily complied. Believing that the State CPS worker was working in the best interests of all involved, he felt that he would only be gone a day or two at the most. After being presented with numerous documentations of proof that nothing happened, the CPS workers continue to keep Michael from his family. Because his wife is being supportive of her husband, she is now being investigated for the alleged crime of neglect. For each child that is removed from a home CPS receives between $3,000 and $5,000 per month per child. This family alone can bring CPS $288,000 - $480,000 per year (approx), via Title 4-D funding and TANF. It’s time to get Michael A. Terpening home with his family! It’s time that we stop allowing the CPS workers the carte blanche that allow them to keep families separated, causing more harm than good. Our Children are not commodities to be bought and sold by the State!

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