July 01st, 2014

          John Kerr, 49, of Zion, was arrested on Friday, April 25, for sexually assaulting 2 young girls and for possessing child pornography. Because of his criminal behavior, his whole family has suffered a lot. The oldest boy was interrogated for a while but was found to be innocent of everything. Now the spotlight is on the mother, Michelle. I had a separate interview with her.
         I mainly listened to her story, wanting to hear what she had to say. I did make it clear that I would have to ask her some questions, and she not only agreed, but was completely forthcoming.
Will- Were the two girls who were sexually assaulted your daughters? 
Michelle- Yes.
Will- Did you know that John was doing this? 
Michelle- No!
Will- You had no idea that John was mistreating your daughters in any way? 
Michelle- No, not at all.
Will- Did you know that John was viewing porn? 
Michelle- Yes, and I had told him that if he did not get help and stop, I would file for divorce.
Will- So, you are getting a divorce from John? 
Michelle- Yes, as soon as possible.
Will- So, you knew John was involved in porn but you had no idea he was sexually assaulting your 2 daughters?
Michelle- No, I had no knowledge of that until the day he was arrested. If I did, John would not have been here!
       She did not hesitate. She did not look away. She did nothing to convey that she was not telling the complete truth. I was satisfied. Michelle cooperated fully with the authorities. The police were swift in their arrest and thorough in their search - which they have to be. Michelle's daughter overheard one of the officers saying to another that, "you could tell in 5 minutes that the mother had nothing to do with this."
Michelle had no complaints with the police... but not so with DCFS. With DCFS, it seems you are guilty until proven innocent!  All  her  children under 18 (6) were taken away. At first DCFS  seemed to be helpful, even caring, but now that they have the children, it is a different story.
Should the children initially be taken out of the house in this situation? Of course! But the offender, their father, was removed immediately. It was very obvious to me that Michelle is a loving mother and that the older children are loving siblings. The younger children should be reunited with their mother and older siblings as soon as possible. Michelle and her family should not have to suffer because of what her husband did!
DCFS told Michelle that the 16 and 17-year-old girls would be paired up with the younger ones, but that didn't happen. Michelle was very concerned about her 8-year-old son because he is a diabetic, yet DCFS put him alone with a foster family that did not know what to do. Michelle was told that she could come to all doctor visits and counseling sessions, but DCFS never lets her know what times to come. One of the girls told DCFS that her foster mother was being abusive and putting the younger ones in danger, but she was ignored. After repeated calls, DCFS finally looked into it and saw that the girls were telling the truth. They were taken out of that situation immediately. Not all foster parents are bad, but for many, it is only a paycheck.
Now Michelle and her older children are seeing what they can do to get their family back together. They are looking to move somewhere in this area since their house has been in foreclosure. They are in need of sound legal advice and in need of financial help. We at The Town Sound are accepting all financial donations on their behalf and donors will be kept anonymous. 100% of all donations will go directly to their immediate needs. Michelle is an accomplished seamstress for hire, and her 21-year-old daughter Courtney, an artist, is selling her paintings. If you can help in any way, please write to: mail@targetedaccess.com, or call me directly through The Town Sound at: 847-849-6040.