stepkid1 starts sending porn to stepdad on the smartphone, draws obscene figures in the rainspots/mud on the rear window of the truck. Stepdad overhears some plan to ditch him. Dame has new Dude on the line. Dude goes in all barrels firing, big time. Dame doesn't budge. Dude goes to lawyer to start divorce, then goes home to get stuff.
The cops are there, moseying around the house. They ask him sorta nosey questions, like where's your computer? Your phone? OK, they take them and call them evidence. Dude talks a lot, thinks he can straighten it all out with reason. Too much talk. Cops ask more questions. Mind you, they have not arrested him yet, nor spoken of any specific crime or charge. They do not "Mirandize" him. After two hours they do arrest him, and handcuff him, and haul him off to jail.
The charges mount up, week by week. Child abuse, felony, multiple counts. Every trip to the court, and the State announces more charges. Not the day before, or the week before, but in the court, without notice to the defendant's attorney. No reasonable bargaining about the charges, they are all escalated every time the State's attorney smiles. The Feds are called in to examine evidence for possible federal charges.
The defendant's attorney does a miracle, and prevails with the accused to just shut up. Then says he needs time. The more time the better. So she does everything to stretch the legal proceedings out. "Time is on our side".
Five months later, at the arraignment, the charges are stated, scores. Attorney wins a couple of objections, and charges relating to friends of the stepkids are dismissed, and only two stepkids going forward with the charges.
OK, can't say much more except this. . . . This is not the first such case brought by Dame against a husband. Last time, it was Dude who was "on the line" while the hubby was being set up. Can't say what a jury is gonna make of it, or whether the judge will even let the whole story be told to them.