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Tuesday, August 26, 2008

[MI] Officer DeKleine sentenced to life, and group in Michigan for OIDV victims gets another activist

Former Holland Police Officer Ken DeKleine was ordered to spend the rest of his life in prison without parole for killing his wife. A 13-year Holland police officer, DeKleine, 45, was convicted in July of killing Lori DeKleine after a jury deliberated only 75 minutes...
...Her sister's death has motivated [Patti] Ticknor to become involved with the Michigan Officer-involved Domestic Violence [OIDV] group and try to spread the word about how women can get help in abusive homes. "Lori would be proud of us for having someone else learn from her situation," Ticknor said. "She would want someone's life to be saved."...
SENTENCING FOR DEKLEINE INCLUDED IMPACT STATEMENTS FROM FAMILY MEMBERS


LINKS FROM BLOG: "LORI MEULMAN DEKLEINE"



FORMER HOLLAND POLICE OFFICER KEN DEKLEINE ORDERED TO SPEND LIFE IN PRISON FOR KILLING WIFE
The Grand Rapids Press
by John Tunison jtunison@grpress.com
Monday August 25, 2008, 11:27 AM
[Excerpts]GRAND HAVEN -- Former Holland Police Officer Ken DeKleine was ordered this morning to spend the rest of his life in prison without parole for killing his wife. A 13-year Holland police officer, DeKleine, 45, was convicted in July of killing Lori DeKleine after a jury deliberated only 75 minutes... Ottawa County Circuit Judge Calvin Bosman questioned why DeKleine did not get help when he was being overcome with the rage that led to the murder. "With your Christian education, your training as a police officer, your good record as a police officer, why during the course of a year something didn't register in your mind there would be some other course of action to take remains a total mystery," Bosman said. His video-taped confessions shows he entered the garage of his former Calvin Avenue home in the middle of the night Jan. 10, waited in attic for several hours, then pushed his way into the house after Lori DeKleine opened the door in the morning. He admitted to strangling her with a climbing strap, then dragging her body into the basement and trying to stage a suicide... "Thoughts of this event plague my mind frequently. I have spent many sleepless nights trying to understand Ken's selfish act," said Lori DeKleine's father, Paul Meulman. In court, [Lori DeKleine’s sister, Patti] Ticknor said she once respected and cared for Ken DeKleine, and admired him as a father, "until he thought it best to play God and kill Lori." DeKleine portrayed his estranged wife as someone mentally unstable who was damaging their children psychologically, but Ottawa County Prosecutor Ron Frantz said the evidence did not show any problems. In fact, she was a good mother and was respected at her church job, he said... Lori DeKleine's family believes the Holland police department should have done more to recognize that one of their own officers was losing control. They believe DeKleine was protected by the "blue wall," although Holland Police Chief John Kruithoff has always said DeKleine showed no outward signs of trouble. Her sister's death has motivated Ticknor to become involved with the Michigan Officer-involved Domestic Violence group and try to spread the word about how women can get help in abusive homes. "Lori would be proud of us for having someone else learn from her situation," Ticknor said. "She would want someone's life to be saved."... [Full article here]

HOLLAND POLICE CLAIM TO HAVE MADE CHANGES TO SUPPORT OFFICERS AFTER OFFICER DEKLEINE MURDERED LORI - BUT I DON'T SEE THE BIG AHA. DO YOU?


...[Lori's dad, Paul] Meulman voiced disappointment with the police department where Ken DeKleine worked. “I have wondered why the Holland police were not more effective in protecting Lori”... Several Holland officers testified during the trial in July that Ken DeKleine seemed obsessed with his troubled marriage. He framed his wife as emotionally unstable...

DEKLEINE SENTENCED TO LIFE FOR KILLING WIFE
The Holland Sentinel
By Megan Schmidt
Aug 25, 2008
...Ken DeKleine gave no statement Monday, but smiled and winked at family in the room. As he stood facing his wife’s family in the courtroom, Lori DeKleine’s father Paul Meulman said the abuse Lori endured in her marriage was something she kept private. “Her stories about Ken’s abuse of her were told to only a small group of people. I was included in that small group of people,” Meulman said. Meanwhile, Meulman said, “Ken deceived and manipulated many people with his side of the story.” Meulman voiced disappointment with the police department where Ken DeKleine worked. “I have wondered why the Holland police were not more effective in protecting Lori,” he said. Several Holland officers testified during the trial in July that Ken DeKleine seemed obsessed with his troubled marriage. He framed his wife as emotionally unstable to anyone who would listen... After giving the sentence, Judge Calvin Bosman said it was a mystery that Ken DeKleine plotted the murder for a year, never considering handling his issues with Lori DeKleine in another way... [Full article here]

GROUP AIMS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF OFFICER-INVOLVED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
The Holland Sentinel
By Andrea Goodell
Posted Aug 16, 2008 @ 11:51 PM
* [Excerpts] Holland, MI — While experts tend to agree domestic violence is more common among police and military families, hard numbers are elusive, said Charisse Smith Mitchell executive director of Center for Women in Transition in Holland Township... “One of the first places you would naturally want to turn is law enforcement, but if the abuser is part of that system, you might not feel safe doing so,” she said. “Police have a great deal of credibility and access to things civilians don’t usually have.” Laura Spars grew up with Pam Aukerman Brainard. They learned how to ride bicycles together... Nov. 4, 2007, Plainwell police officer and Ostego fireman Kevin Brainard shot and killed his wife [Pam Brainard] of 14 months before committing suicide... Spars, Pam Brainard’s sister, and others formed Michigan Officer Involved Domestic Violence (michiganoidv.blogspot.com), a Web site and advocacy group. Members often attend court with victims. “When these women have someone there to support them, people take them more seriously,” Spars said. The group is also in the middle of a petition drive for two laws. One would raise awareness of officer-involved domestic violence. The second would require a statewide program to prevent it... No current Holland police officers have domestic violence complaints or personal protection orders on their records, [Holland Police Capt. Jack] Dykstra said. “There are so many exceptional police officers that provide such a wonderful service that no one wants to paint a picture that they can’t be trusted,” Mitchell said. “We are quite lucky and happy that we have such a strong relationship with law enforcement... They take domestic violence as seriously as we do.” [Full article here]

I NEVER WAS ABLE TO POST WHEN DEKLEINE WAS FOUND GUILTY BECAUSE I WAS TOO ANGRY, WATCHING THIS STORY PROCEED WITH NO ONE - IN THE MEDIA AT LEAST - POINTING OUT SOME ACCOUNTABILITY FOR LORI'S MURDER. BLAME? NO, I'M NOT LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO BLAME - BUT IF THE COPS KNEW DEKLEINE WAS BEING BIZARRE, AND THE DV SERVICE WASN'T OPENING IT'S ARMS TO LORI, AND THE POLICE CHIEF WAS BAMBOOZLED - AND HE WAS - INTO BELIEVING KEN DEKLEINE'S LIES ABOUT LORI AND KNOWINGLY NOT ENFORCING LORI'S PROTECTION ORDER, THEN WHAT'S LEFT FOR LORI? THE CHURCH? IF THE WALLS COULD TALK! LORI'S MURDER BEGS FOR A WRONGFUL DEATH LAWSUIT IN BEHALF OF THE CHILDREN, TO FLUSH ALL THE TRUTHS INTO THE OPEN THAT CAN BE OBTAINED NO OTHER WAY, AND OUT OF THOSE TRUTHS MAYBE REAL CHANGE COULD BEGIN.

NO MEDIA FOLKS TOOK ON WHY THE DIRECTOR OF THE DV AGENCY AND THE POLICE CHIEF OF HOLLAND REALLY BOTH DECIDED TO MOVE ON TO OTHER JOBS. NO DIGGING, NO DIRT. WE HAD THE SAME EXODUS HERE IN TACOMA WHEN OUR CHIEF SHOT HIS WIFE AND HIMSELF. AS SOON AS THEY WERE BURIED PEOPLE WERE ABSCOUNDING.

KNOWING WHAT I'VE HEARD HAPPENED AND DIDN'T HAPPEN, AND RECALLING THE INITIAL ACCIDENTAL REVELATIONS FROM THE CHIEF, I CAN ONLY READ THIS AND WONDER WHERE THE VICTIMS OF OFFICER-INVOLVED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CAN TURN IN HOLLAND:

"“We are quite lucky and happy that we have such a strong relationship with law enforcement... They take domestic violence as seriously as we do.”

-- Charisse Smith Mitchell Executive Director of Center for Women in Transition in Holland Township

MOST PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEA HOW HARD IT IS FOR WOMEN LIKE LORI TO FIND HELP. I THANK GOD FOR RENEE HARRINGTON IN MICHIGAN WHO IS WHOLE-HEARTEDLY DEDICATED TO THE OIDV VICTIMS THERE - AND WHO HAS BEEN JOINED BY THE DETERMINED AND LOVING SISTERS OF BOTH SLAIN PAM AND LORI.

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