The judge who placed Hope back into the Jeffery home on 2-14-96

Marsha Pechman 
King County Superior Court 
Unified Family Court 
King county , Washington 

March 20th ,1998 

Dear Ms. Pechman ;
I am writing to you as a concerned citizen as to the well being of the 
Rushing Children . These children, as you know, were removed from their 
mother Mary Rushing in 96. Their first placement was later admitted by the 
social worker, Dana Randol, as a "Very Bad Foster Home." The children were 
then removed to their second foster placement, that being the Davis family. 
During the interim, the oldest child had been treated for severe emotional 
problems and it was determined that she needed special care. The State placed 
this special needs child, twice, in a foster home that was not equipped nor 
trained to care for her needs. The State was aware of the needs of the child 
and ignored those needs by placing the child in the Davis home, and the 
Davis's were not properly trained to care for her. This also placed even the 
Davis's at risk, so much so that Mrs. Davis was so distraught that she took 
the child to DSHS and dumped her there due to sheer exhaustion and distress 
because she was not equipped nor trained to care for this 'special needs' 
child. Deanna's brother was then removed also. 
My question to you as representative of the court is this: Did you or did 
you not read the file on these children? I have, and what I found in the 
file, was a child, according to the state, who was in such emotional and 
unstable condition she mutilated her vaginal area, and had eating disorders. 
Her therapist states she violated herself with a Barbie doll, had problems 
with using the bathroom, and would throw herself against the wall. 
Why did you allow this child to be placed in a home that was not equipped 
to care for her needs? This abused not only the child but the foster parent 
as well. I am concerned that your judgment, again, has placed a child in 
danger. Why do I say again, you may ask? The first child to my knowledge was 
my own child ..Norma Hope Robbins, and the condition you failed to be 
concerned with was my daughter was a disabled child, "FROM BIRTH."
The state blatantly ignored the needs of my daughter and you, Ms. 
Pechman, placed my child in the Peggy Jeffery foster home, AFTER hearing the 
testimony of the licenser Don Burdulis. That home was known to the state for 
over twenty years for its repeated abuses. You heard of deplorable conditions 
that existed in this home. You still at no time took into consideration my 
daughter was a disabled child, and that my parental rights have never been 
terminated. I have this question concerning my child: Did you, or did you 
not, read the file?
Perhaps you felt comfortable, relying on the state's suggestion, as well 
as a disabled child's wishes. A child that had already suffered in her first 
home. Let me point out had you read the file you would have seen the order of 
Dismissal of March 15th, 1994 returning my child to me. You refused to accept 
the testimony of the foster home licenser, and after that placement on Feb. 
14th, 1996, you, against the best interest of my child, placed her at risk.
State's own records on this home show, the results of your judgment, 
were a danger to the child. I personally believe you relied on the state, and 
the state failed, in supplying to the court, the true conditions of the child 
as well as the true condition of the foster homes. So now we have a judge who 
must correct her own mistakes for relying on the state, who not only has now 
placed the children in dangerous risk that caused harm, but has placed your 
credibility, as to your own motions, in a very bad situation. Wenatchee, the 
OK Boys Ranch, and many other cases in King County are a concern to the 
Media, the same Media, that was afraid to come forward has become a strong 
advocate to the abused. The outside Media is now looking into these cases and 
the credibility of all the agencies and employees involved with the 
protection of children. Would you be able to tell the media you knew the 
files on the Jeffery home when you placed my child there, and with all 
honesty look at the camera and say this home was the best for my child, the 
reporters have all the sordid, sick details of this home. As one reporter 
stated, "The one party in your case Ms. Kidd that should have read these 
files, was Judge Pechman, 'cause if she had read these records, she would 
have demanded this home be closed herself." 
Now the Rushing case is before you, whether or not Mary Rushing's 
rights are intact is left to be heard. The facts remain , her children were 
abused in the state's care, by being neglected by the very agency that is 
there to protect them.
If you have not had the chance to read " WitchHunt" let me suggest you 
do so. 
Marsha, what you have done to my child with your motion, is a disgrace. 
For the record, I would like a response from you, on one question: "Did you 
or did you not read the files?" It is clear and cogent, that you did not 
take into consideration the testimony of Don Burdulis in regards to the 
Jeffery Home, The other victims of this home have been located and have given 
horrible testimony regarding the conditions of, and their treatment in, this 
home. Their accounts will disgrace this state, the judicial system, and the 
child protection agencies. The state's own records will back every last word 
of their testimonies. Perhaps we have "Wenatchee#2: The Real Story" about to 
be exposed. When can a Commissioner be allowed to leave lying a mother's 
request for an appeal lying on his desk for months, though it had not even 
been assigned to him, and he had not even the consideration to mail it back 
to the mother? Since when do judges and other officials feel so comfortable 
that they do not have to respond to nor adhere to the law they administer.
"Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty 
when the government's purposes are beneficent. Men born to freedom are 
naturally apt to repel the invasion of their liberty by evil minded rulers. 
The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of 
zeal, well-meant but without understanding. ---Court Opinion, 
Olmstead v. United States, 1928, by Justice Lewis Brandeis

I will close my letter to you with as much concern as I began, based on 
what I see in many cases being handled via the Superior Court of King County, 
Juvenile Division, I and my child were victims of the same abuses I see today 
five-years later, and little in the procedures and policy has changed, the 
law is the same, however, the application of those laws are being blatantly 
abused resulting in grave harm. 
Ms. Pechman, feel free to respond to my letter, and offer any input as to 
a solution to stop these abuses to citizens. I want to urge you to carefully 
weigh the decisions you have made in the past, when deciding to place 
children. Those children have to live in and with the life you choose for 
them. If you do not read the casefiles, and they suffer, who is to blame?

Very concerned, 

Alma J. Kidd