A Mother’s Endless Fight: Michigan Prosecutor Appeals Maryanne Godboldo’s Case Again

In Michigan, Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy has reportedly appealed the case against Maryanne Godboldo, the Detroit mother who tried to protect her daughter from potentially damaging side effects of the psychiatric drug Risperdal, yet again. Maryanne Godboldo was charged with one count of Discharge of a Weapon, three counts of Felonious Assault, Resisting and Obstructing an Officer and Felony Firearm, according to a Wayne County press release. In 2011, according to the prosecutor, Godboldo allegedly opened fire on the police when they came to her home to remove her daughter with Child Protective Services.

Maryanne’s case was dismissed previously, because the authorities failed to produce a legitimate order to remove Godboldo’s daughter. The prosecutor appealed and the Michigan Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal in May of last year. Judge Ronald Giles later dismissed the case as well. After that, Judge Gregory Bill affirmed Giles’s decision.

Having already appealed repeatedly, the Wayne County prosecutor is reportedly appealing the case again. Marie Miller, of the appeals department in Wayne County, confirmed to Inquisitr by telephone that the case is being appealed again, though she stated that she was unsure of if the appeal has actually been officially filed yet.

Maryanne NEEDS your support! The Wayne County Prosecutor has appealed her criminal charges for the 5th time! http://t.co/L5RmCn2Tqd

— justice4maryanne (@jstice4maryanne) September 16, 2014

“Kym Worthy has appealed Maryanne’s case – AGAIN. This is the 5th time that the Prosecutor’s office has appealed Maryanne’s criminal charges,” according to a website set up to support Godboldo. “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Every time Kym Worthy enters an appeal – it costs Maryanne money to pay her lawyers to file an answer and appear in court for her. This is harassment! ”

The initial issue that resulted in the CPS and police visit to Maryanne Godboldo’s house was that she refused to give her 13-year old daughter the a psychotropic drug Risperdal, according to CBS News. Maryanne Godboldo’s case has received national attention as supporters say Child Protective Services overstepped their boundaries by trying to force medication on her daughter.

Maryanne, a former dance teacher, had never had so much as a parking ticket before her encounter with Detroit police officers. Godboldo’s side of the story contains a great deal of backstory.

Maryanne’s daughter, Ariana was homeschooled, because she was born with a physical disability that required her leg to be amputated. Under her mother’s care, Ariana thrived in spite of her disability. She rode horses, took dance and piano lessons and loved swimming. At 11, she was doing so well that the decision was made for her to attend public school.

Maryanne believed that her daughter was required to catch up on all of her immunizations before she could attend school. In reality, Michigan allows parents to sign a waiver if they choose not to follow the typical school vaccine schedule. Unfortunately, after her vaccines, Ariana developed severe behavioral changes, which the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, the self-described “mental health watchdog,” called a vaccine reaction. She sought help for the apparent vaccine reaction symptoms and her daughter was prescribed Risperdal.

After three months, Maryanne reportedly had the foresight to obtain a letter of consent from the doctor to wean her daughter off of Risperdal at any time. The potential side effects of the drug include high blood sugar, weight gain, psychotic disorder, aggression, diabetes, seizures, anxiety, high cholesterol, and even death. It is a drug where the risks and benefits must be heavily weighed. Ariana’s behavior reportedly worsened during the several months she was taking the medication. In November, 2010, Ariana was diagnosed by a pediatrician with encephalitis (swelling of the brain) allegedly caused by the immunizations. Ariana, under the guidance of another doctor, was slowly weaned from the medication and was given chelation therapy instead. With the new doctor, Ariana’s behavior improved.

Once word of this was passed along to social services, they demanded that Ariana get back on the Risperdal, even though she was improving with the other treatment and had been getting worse on the Risperdal. When Godboldo refused to give the medication to her daughter, CPS and the Detroit Police showed up at her door to remove her daughter. According to Maryanne, when she got the knock on the door, she asked police to produce the court order that said they could take her daughter. They did not produce one, so she closed the door. They knocked again. Maryanne again asked to see the order. Again, they allegedly failed to produce the order. Maryanne again closed the door. Police then allegedly used a crowbar to get inside Maryanne’s home. At this point, she discharged a firearm, according to multiple network media reports. Maryanne’s defense says she fired a warning shot.

That encounter led to a stand off. Maryanne called leaders within the Detroit community asking what she could do. She finally agreed to turn her daughter over to CPS provided she could be placed with Maryanne’s sister, Penny Godboldo, and provided the child would not be drugged, according to CCHR. Police and CPS reportedly agreed to the terms. Maryanne was arrested. Still, once CPS had custody of Ariana, she was not placed in the custody of her aunt. Instead, she went to the Hawthorn Center, a state-run juvenile psychiatric facility, and was allegedly drugged so significantly that when attorney Allison Folmar arrived with a court order to stop the Risperdal, she noted that Ariana was drooling and despondent.

Maryanne’s defense lawyers stated that when the court order to remove Ariana was finally produced, it was not even a valid court order and that the police entry into the home was illegal. The court order allegedly was simply stamped by a clerk and was never brought before a judge. Despite the previous judgements, the Wayne County prosecutor is taking Maryanne Godboldo back to court once again for the charges that were brought up against her in 2011.

[Photo via YouTube]