Children taken from medical marijuana-prescribed parents in California

This seems to be becoming a trend across this country; children are being taken away from their parents over the parents use of marijuana both legally and illegally. I am starting to wonder if there is a bigger scheme in play here. We know that our government wants nothing more than to run our children's lives the way they see fit. I see this as an avenue to make that happen. I would not be surprised to see an increase of stories such as this one in the near future. From every angle these days governmental control is raining down upon us all. If you are a parent watch your back especially if you are a patriot and an opponent to the current corrupt government in our country. I hope the family in this story wins their lawsuit and sends a message to law enforcement and the government.

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A family from southern California is suing the City of Coronado after their children were taken away for nearly a year because the father admitted to legally smoking medical marijuana.

According to legal filings obtained this week by the Courthouse News Service, Michael Lewis and Lauren Taylor have filed a lawsuit against Coronado, CA, San Diego County and nine local police officers for what they say is a violation of civil rights that started with a routine visit from law enforcement in August 2011.

Attorneys for the family say Lewis was recommended medical marijuana by his physician in order to counter the debilitating migraines he started suffering from after being exposed to chemicals during the Gulf War, but investigators who stopped by their Coronado home two summers ago disregarded the prescription.

The lawsuit alleges that police officers were called to investigate the Lewis residence after being told that the family was running an illegal day care center on the same site where marijuana was being regularly smoked. Following a visit during August 2011, police wrote that they found pot, but identified no other hazards — or a day care facility, for that matter. Three days later, however, agents with the United States Department of Health and Human Services returned to the residence and seized the couple’s two children, ages four and two.

According to the lawsuit, the children were removed from their parents’ care and then deposited at a San Diego County emergency shelter for allegedly abused and neglected minors.

“The children were there for approximately two weeks without their parents and were no doubt terrified," the complaint states. Meanwhile, adds the lawsuit, "The only allegations against Lewis and Taylor were, essentially, that Lewis legally used marijuana, and police found marijuana in the home.”

The lawsuit claims the children were taken based on allegations of “general neglect,” but attorneys for the plaintiffs say there was no reasonable or articulable evidence to suggest such was the case.

"Nonetheless, even though they knew Michael Lewis' use of medical marijuana was completely legal in that he had obtained a medical marijuana recommendation after an evaluation from a licensed medical doctor, and that Lewis only used the marijuana outside the presence of the children and only for amelioration of pain, these defendants seized and detained the children. They failed to conduct any independent investigation prior to seizing the children. Michael and Lauren were shocked, stunned, amazed and terrified,” it reads.

And although the parents tried to take appropriate measures to have their children returned, their attempts proved unsuccessful for nearly a full year: 364 days, to be exact. During that span of time, defendants from the HHS allegedly lied to the court, the family’s attorney says, and insisted that the children were in danger.

One of those defendants, Ian Baxter of the HHS, “misled the court by stating that he did not need to conduct any pre-placement preventive services because of the 'emergent nature' of the situation and asserted that Michael and Lauren left their children 'inadequately attended and inadequately supervised' around the marijuana. This statement was totally false, and Baxter knew it, or - even worse - simply didn't care,” the complaint alleges.

Other statements were soon made by defendants from the Department of Health and Human Services, the complaint continues, including N. Quinteros, Benita Jemison, Abigail Joseph, Antonia Torres, Brooke Guild and Alfredo Guardado. Other defendants named in the lawsuit are Coronado police Officers Patrick O'Malley and Robert Cline.

"Based on Joseph's and Torres' multiple false statements to the juvenile court, the children continued to be detained in county facilities and not at home with their loving parents. As a result, they were deprived of regular, open, and free contact and companionship of family and friends, including their parents,” the complaint alleges.

"Throughout the ordeal, Taylor and the children never tested positive for any drug. Although Michael Lewis ingested marijuana for medicinal purposes pursuant to a physician's recommendation, he never tested positive for any other drugs. Further, there was (1) no evidence of abuse or neglect by either parent, (2) no evidence that Michael's marijuana use impaired his parenting skills or judgment and (3) no evidence that Michael Lewis acted inappropriately toward his children at any time - ever.”

Finally on August 2 of last year, a Fourth Appellate District Court ruled against a previous decision and said "'the record does not support a finding that Lewis' marijuana use or alleged mental illness had any negative impact on the children.” The children were returned five days later, and now the family is suing for abduction of a child, invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment.

News of the lawsuit against Coronado and its officers comes days after a 2-year-old Texas girl died while in the custody of a foster mom who was put in charge of the child because her parents admitted to smoking pot. The foster mother, 54-year-old Sherill Small, has since been charged in the murder of Alexandria Hill.

“We never hurt our daughter,” the girl’s father, Joshua Hill, told KVUE earlier this month. “She was never sick, she was never in the hospital, and she never had any issues until she went into state care.”

Here is another sad story of what happened to another family when their child was taken from them for their marijuana use.

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The foster mother of a 2-year-old Texas girl has been charged with murder after the toddler she brought into her home earlier this year died last week from a severe head injury.

Alexandria Hill was placed into the custody of 54-year-old Sherill Small in January after the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services determined she was being neglected by her previous foster parents. Now Small is being held on $100,000 bond after Hill passed away last Wednesday while in her care.

The girl’s biological father, Joshua Hill, told KVUE-TV that he and Alexandria’s mother lost full custody of their daughter last November after the DFPS accused them of “neglectful supervision.” Mr. Hill said the agency made that determination "because her mother and I smoked pot at the time." According to the father, the parents only smoked while their daughter was asleep.

“We never hurt our daughter,” Mr. Hill told KVUE on Thursday. “She was never sick, she was never in the hospital, and she never had any issues until she went into state care.”

It was only then, Hill said, that things started to go wrong.

“She would come to visitation with bruises on her, and mold and mildew in her bag. It got to a point where I actually told CPS [Child Protective Services] that they would have to have me arrested because I wouldn't let her go back," he told KVUE.

Then seven months ago, Alexandria was placed into Small’s house in Rockdale, Texas, where her biological parents were allowed to make occasional visits. That all ended last week, though, after the girl died at an area hospital.

Hill told KVUE that he got a phone call Monday night telling him his daughter was on life support at the Scott and White Children’s Emergency Hospital in Temple, Texas.

“They wouldn't tell me what condition she was in or what was wrong or what had happened. The only thing they would tell me is I needed to be there. When I got there, I found out that Alex was in a coma,” he said.

To make matters even more confusing, the adopted mother altered her story after Alexandria was admitted to the hospital. First Small told investigators during a routine police report that she had been spinning the girl around in circles when she accidentally let go of Alexandria’s hands, sending the child to the ground where she hit her head on the carpet. During a physical examination, however, doctors found three symptoms of traumatic brain injury and began asking more questions. The foster mom later admitted to being frustrated with the girl and swinging her over her head and down near the ground with a “lot of force” three times. On the third time, Alexandria’s head hit the floor.

Police arrested Small on Thursday after her foster child’s death and charged her with criminal homicide, a first-degree felony in Texas. An autopsy report released the following day concluded that blunt-force trauma to the head caused the girl’s death.

A spokesperson for the Texas DFPS told KXAN News that Small was previously accused of neglect after a child in her care was reportedly suffering from bruising and lead poisoning, “but no deficiencies were found.” A second foster child was removed from her care on Monday.