Man Jailed After Daughter Fails To Get GED

Man Jailed After Daughter Fails To Get GED

www.wcpo.com

A Fairfield man is in jail because his daughter hasn't gotten her General Equivalency Diploma (GED).

A judge ordered the father to stay on top of his daughter's education months ago and when that order wasn't followed, Brian Gegner was sentenced to 180-days in the Butler County jail.

The daughter, Brittany Gegner, says her father shouldn't be punished for her problems.

Especially, she says because she's now 18, an adult.

"It's ridiculously wrong," said Brittany Gegner.

"Of all the punishments they could have given him, to make him go to jail?," she asked. "I mean, probation – until I get my GED – would be reasonable, but to send him to jail? That's overboard."

Butler County Juvenile Court Judge David Niehaus ordered Gegner to jail for contributing to the delinquency of a minor by not following a court order which required Gegner to be sure his daughter got her GED.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Wow. Here is a case where the judge is WAY over the line. Six months in jail? She is an adult, how is the father liable in any way for his adult daughters inability to pass a math test?

This is so ridiculous.

www.wcpo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

...aaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha..........
(pauses)....ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaa.
ho k, wat iz ah Jee-hEee-Dheee?

What is this world coming to. This is so ridiculous.

Here's the deal.

Educational neglect is a violation of the law and in such cases a child can be removed from the home. In most states, this would be handled as a civil matter in family court.

Defying a court order is a criminal matter and the judge who issues an order can and will throw anyone in jail doing that.

I've seen it happen.

This case has been going on for quite some time and I doubt if the whole story is told in that article.

I agree that this is an extreme sentence, but I suspect that the judge is reacting to flagrant and wanton disregard of the law.

The lesson here is that when the court issues an order, it is better to follow that order than it is to suffer the consequences.



[edit on 2008/5/10 by GradyPhilpott]

reply to post by SystemiK


What?

A Fairfield man is in jail because his daughter hasn't gotten her General Equivalency Diploma (GED).

A judge ordered the father to stay on top of his daughter's education months ago and when that order wasn't followed, Brian Gegner was sentenced to 180-days in the Butler County jail.

... pretty much says all that need be.

Her being an "adult" Now makes no matter for her being a "youth" Then.

No fault on the judge in my opinion, as she was Not an "adult" at the time the order was put in place. Non-Issue, if you will.

 

What constitutional authority does this judge have to deprive this man of liberty for something his daughter did, which isn't even a crime???

WTF

I don't care if he didn't want to help make his daughter have education, this is just too much. More of the goverment coming into personal lives.

This is about our government thinking that THEY own our children. What business is it for a court to issue such a decree. If its the Governments child then the judge should go to jail. Those of us with children know that to demand anything of our children is almost an impossibility with the laws and decisions being made by acedemia and the courts today! We, as parents, are damed if we do , damned if we don't!!!
Zindo

Justice is dead.

I don't know about there, but in NY you can drop out of school at sixteen. At that age you can also emancipate yourself, and be tried as an adult for crimes.

This is a clear miscarriage of justice that the systems feeds on. The judge is hoping that this guy will lose his job, rob a bank, and become yet another sacrifice to the beast.

This has got to be one of thee most assinine things that i have ever seen ! First or all how can the judge punish the father because his daughter couldn't pass the math exam portion of the G.E.D. exam? How is that in any way his fault? What's he supposed to do take it for her? If she can't pass it she can't pass it, that's not the father's fault! And it's even more unjust because the problems that he's being punished for happened when the daughter was 16 and in the mother's custody, not his, both the mother and the daughter have admitted that. Another thing the article says that the judge gave the order month's ago, not over a year ago and since the daughter is going to turn 19 soon, so yes she was already an adult when the judge issued the order. Also the article also states that she has an 18 month old baby, so even if she wasn't 18 when the judge issued the order she was still an adult. Unless the law differs where they live when a girl gives birth to a child she automatically becomes an emancipated minor, which means that she is a legal adult and her parents are no longer responsible for her. Seems the father was doing the best for her that he could, he has her and the grandchild living with him, the man's gotta go to work doesn't he, can't be with her 24/7. How can a system that says that she is capable of being responsible for her own child say that she is not capable of being responsible for herself, its just ludicrus ! What if he loses his job, then will the punishment fit the crime ? His whole life could be ruined because of something that he had no control over. If she was 17 and ran away this same system would say there's nothing we can do, she's months away from being an adult, the cops won't even look for a 17 year old run away. And where was this judge when she was 16 and messing up when she lived with her mother, funny how it was ultimitely the mother's responsibility and she got off scot free. That's just an insane ruling !

Originally posted by ZindoDoone
This is about our government thinking that THEY own our children. What business is it for a court to issue such a decree. If its the Governments child then the judge should go to jail. Those of us with children know that to demand anything of our children is almost an impossibility with the laws and decisions being made by acedemia and the courts today! We, as parents, are damed if we do , damned if we don't!!!
Zindo

Well said!

I think it is our priority to watch the goverment, and make sure they don't do this more often, or that they don't get even more personal:

Like getting arrested for not telling your kids how great G.W.BUSH is, lol

[edit on 10-5-2008 by _Phoenix_]

reply to post by chise61


Well said, I would advice you to make paragraphs, so that it is easier to read.

Originally posted by ZindoDoone
This is about our government thinking that THEY own our children. What business is it for a court to issue such a decree. If its the Governments child then the judge should go to jail. Those of us with children know that to demand anything of our children is almost an impossibility with the laws and decisions being made by acedemia and the courts today! We, as parents, are damed if we do , damned if we don't!!!
Zindo

You are so right, we're not allowed to be parents anymore. When she was 16 and not going to school, had he dragged her kicking and screaming to make sure that she went to school, you can bet he would've then been charged with child abuse. Seems this poor man never had a chance, looks like the judge just had it in for him.

reply to post by _Phoenix_
lol Thank You and i'm sorry for the lack of paragraphs. I try over and over again to make paragraphs, but it just won't work, can't figure out what i'm doing wrong.

reply to post by chise61

...looks like the judge just had it in for him.

That's all the justice system is these days. It has nothing to with right or wrong. It's all about revenues, and wether or not the judge/cop/lawyer wants to make you the next victim. Everyone is a criminal.

Do you realize how many laws are out there? Remember, ignorance of the law is no excuse.

Believe me, at any given time, a cop can arrest you even if you don't think you have done anything wrong. And the judge can throw the book at you if you don't grovel and admit your crime.

Think about it. Freedom of speech, but if you yell at someone, that can be considered a threat worthy of arrest and an order of protection. Even looking at someone wrong can be taken as a legitimate threat and punishable by law.

None if these laws have anything to do with right and wrong. It is to ensure arbitrary power to the agents of the justice system.

For those of you that think that this is just another example of the goverment insinuating themselves into our lives more than they should be, and are under the impression that they own our children, you may want to check out sizzle's thread. The real meaning behind the laws in america, if you haven't already, it speaks of the "priest rule" that gives the state the right to our children, as well as an issue with the birth certificate doing the same thing, interesting thread.

reply to post by chise61

Don't worry about making "proper" paragraphs. Just hit enter and put a space line in between each new thought or point you are trying to make about the topic. Like this.

This has got to be one of thee most assinine things that i have ever seen !

First or all how can the judge punish the father because his daughter couldn't pass the math exam portion of the G.E.D. exam? How is that in any way his fault? What's he supposed to do take it for her? If she can't pass it she can't pass it, that's not the father's fault! And it's even more unjust because the problems that he's being punished for happened when the daughter was 16 and in the mother's custody, not his, both the mother and the daughter have admitted that.

Another thing the article says that the judge gave the order month's ago, not over a year ago and since the daughter is going to turn 19 soon, so yes she was already an adult when the judge issued the order. Also the article also states that she has an 18 month old baby, so even if she wasn't 18 when the judge issued the order she was still an adult. Unless the law differs where they live when a girl gives birth to a child she automatically becomes an emancipated minor, which means that she is a legal adult and her parents are no longer responsible for her.

Seems the father was doing the best for her that he could, he has her and the grandchild living with him, the man's gotta go to work doesn't he, can't be with her 24/7. How can a system that says that she is capable of being responsible for her own child say that she is not capable of being responsible for herself, its just ludicrus ! What if he loses his job, then will the punishment fit the crime ? His whole life could be ruined because of something that he had no control over.

If she was 17 and ran away this same system would say there's nothing we can do, she's months away from being an adult, the cops won't even look for a 17 year old run away. And where was this judge when she was 16 and messing up when she lived with her mother, funny how it was ultimitely the mother's responsibility and she got off scot free. That's just an insane ruling !

reply to post by jackinthebox
You're right it's about the revenue. We have an old law still on the books here in chicago, it's illegal to kiss an unmarried woman in public, lol can you believe that ? How does that apply to today's world? But you better believe they'll use it and say your ignorance of said law is no excuse. What really gets me are the laws that will give more jail time to a person for growing something than a child molester would get!

reply to post by chise61
Thank You, i really appreciate the advise. I will try doing what you said the next long post that i have.
-Btw Thanks for making my post look better !

Why don't judges ever give court orders to government organizations with vast budgets that are in charge to educate children?

If a father gets jailed for his daughters failure, why isn't their some sort of punishment for the Los Angeles Unified School District for for its massive failures?

There are many failed teachers in public education that continue eating our tax dollars. This judge is basically a representation of the outright hypocrisy of our government. Then again, maybe we all are actually stupid for putting up with this.