GUILTY AZ - Scott & Andrea Bass for child abuse, Phoenix, 2010

~respectfully snipped and bolded by me ~
I know it must get tiring to hear me say it but food is the most powerful torture instrument ever known.

One successful tactic we've used in cases like this are our animals. There is nothing more healing than the love of a dog or a cat. Our dogs should have earned their "medals of honor" by now. Many times, a hurting child will bond with them long before they trust humans. We've raised a little girl who was tortured with the withholding of food. It is so cathartic for her to feed and care for animals and to help in the kitchen. She's totally in charge of feeding a very disabled dog and the process of healing has been remarkable to watch. It's almost like watching her role play "getting it right for herself". It's a long haul but this might end well. I'm so pleased the other children were removed. They've been abused by proxy, if nothing else.

Blessings to this young girl.

O/T - Thank you for this! What a great idea. I find myself dealing with a child that has been tortured with food and at a loss as to how to help. This is is an excellent plan/idea. The child has pets in the home that he dearly loves, so taking on this responsibility could be very helpful.

And I also send blessings to this young woman. I hope she never has to go through such an ordeal again, that she is clean, warm, fed, and loved for the rest of her life.

Salem
 
Maybe at first she was considering going back?
Just tell whatever story she had to to get food and some clean clothes. She likely wasn't thinking too clearly. Then after her bike ride, when she had clean stuff and something in her stomach, she felt better, her head cleared and she decided she couldn't go back...which was true, they likely would have killed her if she tried.

It's likely that they told her all terrible things would happen if she ended up with the state. She's at an age where words are powerful weapons. She could have been just as scared of going to foster care as she was of going back to hell, I mean home.

Poor kid. It seems from out here that all the bad stuff is over, but now she has to address all of it. She has to shine a light on it. That is almost as hard as living it. She's halfway there.
 
She's my hero, too! She buys clothes, a backpack, Starbucks, and then calls LE. It was like she was saying, "I'm going to be a normal teenager, no matter what you do to me." I admire her spirit.

I agree Steadfast and Filly. She knew she had important business to take care and, bless her heart, she was going to be taken seriously. Fed herself and cleaned herself up so she could face the call to LE. That's kind of how I see it and I am very impressed with her. It just makes me cry.

I want to hear CPS's story here. How could they have been called 13 or 15 times and done nothing to help this child. Who called them (not that it should matter)?

I hope this girl has a really loving grandmother somewhere that will come get her and keep her forever.

Salem
 
Is anyone local so they can give us some sort of idea of where this child went. Did she really need to travel 13 miles to get help or was it pure adrenaline--get as far away as fast as possible.

ITA, not_my_kids, that she could have been considering returning--but clean. I don't think anyone can possibly get into the head of a frightened and terrorized child. They are not going to react totally logically. As I said before, so many people don't realize that even horribly abused children love and trust their parents. They will pine for them, beg to go back, blame themselves for the punishment. It's awful to watch as you wish you could "talk sense into them". That's not possible, though, as you are dealing with a developing child's immature brain and they are imprinted to love and trust their parents. Look at how many battered women return home to more abuse, blaming themselves.



And Salem, PM me if you're interested in our "method". It is truly amazing and has worked with two kids. It's also worked with attachment issues to a huge degree. Animals are miracle workers!!


Also, if someone learns the name or denomination of the church this family attended, can you please post. I'd be really interested. Thanks.
 
i suffered thru some horrible emotional and mental abuse for years from my grandmother. when i'd tell my grandfather or mom i was told quite frankly that i was overeacting.......then years after my grandma died i finally told my mom how bad it had always been, and she said 'i didnt know it was that bad, she used to do the smame thing to me and my sisters'. awesome.
i think some of these abused kids, even if they have someone to tell, dont feel they will be believed. after awhile i just gave up and sat back and took it........
 
<snip>

Police now say the girl was fed only once every two days, and she was forced to exercise to the point of exhaustion.

Newly released police reports show investigators have interviewed all seven members of the Bass family, which includes both parents, the victim and four other children.

The reports says the 14 year-old victim told police that she was fed a few cans of beans, green beans, corn and cold chicken soup every few days.

After being locked in the dilapidated bathroom for two months, the young victim says she had enough. She climbed into the attic, out of the house, and then was able to ride her bike to get some help.

Police say when they first made contact with the victim, she appeared to be "very underweight". The officer could smell a "foul odor", implying that she hadn't showered in quite some time.

The 14 year-old victim then told police, "I hate it and I want to get out. I'm scared my dad is going to kill me when he sees me."


more here

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/local/phoenix/girl_abused_police_report_021110
 
(((((kbl8201))))) I agree 100% that sometimes kids feel like they won't be believed or the supportive adults in their lives tell them not to be afraid but when push comes to shove, even the supportive adults can't or won't help.

I have come to the conclusion that it is a complex issue - I'm not convinced it has to be, it just seems to be and it is very sad.

Salem
 
kbl--Emotional abuse is awful. It wounds and bruises the spirit. Please know that I care and I do understand the depth of the pain. I do know, however, from personal experience, that many who have been wounded in this way tend to go the other direction and show great kindness to others because they know......

I have the strongest sense this is the direction you chose.

(((hugs)))

Missizzy
 
thanks salem and ms iz :)
i always felt that i wouldnt let was done to me turn me into what she was......i'd let her win that way. i just cannot and will not allow myself to become the thing i despise. i always feel the need to reach out and help those that need it....even if it's just talking thru a computer im a good listener ;)
 
Teen who was locked up weighed only 90 pounds
Feb. 22, 2010 02:04 PM

snippets

new details have emerged surrounding the suspected imprisonment of their daughter.

the teenage girl, who was 5-foot-8-inches tall, was only 90 pounds when she left the home.

The Basses are suspected of keeping their daughter locked in a bathroom for two months with no running water, feeding her canned food once every few days, forcing her to exercise and beating her when she became too exhausted.

Scott Bass said his daughter was only being disciplined for bad behavior - behavior sparked by the family's move from their apartment in Glendale to a house in Phoenix, near 27th Avenue and Durango Street. He said he gave his daughter a bucket to urinate and defecate in because he was fed up with attempting to talk to her. He said living in seclusion was her choice.

The 14-year-old told police the other children were emotionally abusive toward her.

When the girl's younger sister, 11, was asked if she cared about her older sister, the girl told police, "In certain situations, no." The 11-year-old said she didn't know what happened behind her sister's locked bathroom door. She said she never saw her older sister exercise with her parents, but she knew she did because the Basses were, according to the police document, a "healthy family."

The 11-year-old, however, admitted that she has lied to social workers before. She said she knew what it felt like to be locked in the bathroom.


http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2010/02/22/20100222phx-child-abuse-abrk0222.html
 
".....Police interviews with the 14-year-old girl, the parents and other children in the Bass home - including an 11-year-old girl - revealed a history of family tension."


That's a bit of an understatement, isn't it? No wonder this girl could ride so many miles on her bike when she crawled out of that pit. She's super strong and all muscle from all the forced exercise. Her father didn't realize that he was preparing this child well for her escape!!

IMO, the little 11 year old frightens me to death. She needs intensive intervention NOW before she turns her pain towards others. She's been taught to be indifferent to pain and trauma and that is dangerous.
 
"Andrea Bass, Scott's wife of five years, said Scott Bass tried to kill himself after Child Protective Services took his five children away prior to his arrest. She told police that she alone had been involved in at least 15 prior reports with CPS."

I'm confused by this statement. Did the police immediately arrest Scott Bass upon determining the living conditions of the child? What suicide attempt is Andrea Bass referring to? Was there another time the children were removed or was the suicide attempt related to this removal? Talk about enabling and co-dependency!! She allows the child to be terrorized and then says that she's to blame for the reports.

And this woman volunteered at a YMCA? Let's all hope to high heck that she was background checked for their sake. Not that it did any good. Somehow, I just can't wrap my mind around the religious zealotry, the massage therapy in the home, teaching toddlers, piano lessons, and a skinny and terrorized girl with a bucket in the bathroom.

FWIW, I don't think the YMCA allows volunteers to "teach" toddlers. There's so much more to this case, I think.
 
I might have answered my own question. In looking back at the original article, the child was found on January 24th. The family was questioned that day but Scott Bass was not arrested until February 4th. That's eleven days. Were those other children left in the home with the parents? The article is not clear.

This must be the time frame which Andrea is referring to for the suicide attempt. I wonder what else the investigation will turn up? I doubt if a man would attempt suicide for having been found to have imprisoned his daughter in the bathroom for two months (appalling as that is). He seemed to be very open and blatant about his actions. I think more info is going to be coming out concerning the father's treatment of the girl. There's another reason Andrea Bass wanted nothing to do with this child IMO.
 
Interesting.....a relative of Scott Bass's is an arbitrator and attorney in Ohio. I see a record where this female relative lived at one time with Scott and the woman named as the child's mother, TA in several desert towns in Southern California.

Just possibly, this child has a family resource.
 
A thought-provoking blog article on the Bass family:

http://blogs.alternet.org/vyckie/2010/02/14/are-scott-and-andrea-bass-a-quiverfull-couple/

"Mostly, I&#8217;m wondering about this because the style of &#8220;punishment&#8221; seems so parallel to so many of the stories of abuse written by ex-Quiverfull women and children. We know from major media outlets that the Bass child was locked in a small bathroom without running water&#8211;a small bathroom roughly the shape of a closet. We also know that the Bill Gothard organization&#8211;best known for its homeschooling wing, the Advanced Training Institutes of America (ATIA)&#8211;routinely generates survivor stories about people who are locked in what followers call the prayer closet. Besides the prayer closet, it&#8217;s well-known that Bill Gothard actively promotes other forms of Bible-based child abuse."
 
Another snip from the blog linked above in reference to the beating with metal rods as reported by this child. This almost makes me sick to see this in print:



Debi Pearl, a relatively &#8220;mainstream&#8221; Quiverfull activist offers this lovely tidbit (h/t Daily Kos):


"As a rule, do not use your hand. Hands are for loving and helping. If an adult swings his or her hand fast enough to cause pain to the surface of the skin, there is a danger of damaging bones and joints. The most painful nerves are just under the surface of the skin. A swift swat with a light, flexible instrument will sting without bruising or causing internal damage. Many people are using a section of ¼ inch plumber&#8217;s supply line as a spanking instrument. It will fit in your purse or hang around you neck. You can buy them for under $1.00 at Home Depot or any hardware store. They come cheaper by the dozen and can be widely distributed in every room and vehicle. Just the high profile of their accessibility keeps the kids in line."
 
Another snip from the blog linked above in reference to the beating with metal rods as reported by this child. This almost makes me sick to see this in print:



Debi Pearl, a relatively “mainstream” Quiverfull activist offers this lovely tidbit (h/t Daily Kos):


"As a rule, do not use your hand. Hands are for loving and helping. If an adult swings his or her hand fast enough to cause pain to the surface of the skin, there is a danger of damaging bones and joints. The most painful nerves are just under the surface of the skin. A swift swat with a light, flexible instrument will sting without bruising or causing internal damage. Many people are using a section of ¼ inch plumber’s supply line as a spanking instrument. It will fit in your purse or hang around you neck. You can buy them for under $1.00 at Home Depot or any hardware store. They come cheaper by the dozen and can be widely distributed in every room and vehicle. Just the high profile of their accessibility keeps the kids in line."

Imagine the therapy needed after a childhood of seeing that 1/4 inch plumber's supply line swinging around your mom's neck day in and day out. She swoops in for a goodnight kiss -- there it is; she leans over to help you with your math homework -- there is it. Honestly, it's so creepy.
 
You know, I've raised 14 children without weapons hanging around my neck and I don't get it. Why would a parent want their child terrified to due to the accessibility factor of an instrument of pain within reach. Do people not grasp that children are far brighter than we give them credit for? A hand can be loving but a hand can also wield a stinging metal rod? Which is it? Children surely know it's the same hand. God help me.

This is not to say that I've never wanted to whack or thump or flick a rude or rageful child. I have wanted to but I didn't. We spanked sparingly when we were young parents in Texas as it was quite the norm in the early 70s in the South. When we moved to the Bay Area and started adopting, corporal punishment was not allowed. I'm very thankful of that fact as it made me get creative.

We had 7 children all within a span of 18 months so I had to move fast to keep the peace. I had children who were misbehaving sit on tall bar stools which I set near where I was working. They had to sit there and "think". If they threw themselves around, the stools would tip so they quickly learned to sit still and think. Natural consequence.

I've also used the front porch trick with bickering siblings. You go out on the front porch and work it out. Amazing how quickly a consensus is made when it's cold or hot out there. Sentences and essays can be helpful learning tools. My kids still roll their eyes when they think about the essays they wrote (which I kept) about why one shouldn't step on one's brother's finger, why bugs should not be stepped on, why the neighbors don't want to see your bare bottom, etc.

But metal rods as a form of discipline formally taught to a followers of a particular faith? Once again, I don't get it. I'm hopeful these children are placed in a home where boundaries can be set lovingly and healing can be enhanced by the lack of violence.
 
someone needs to beat all these peoples asses with a full inch of plumbers supply line and see how they like it.
 

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