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Days before his 13-year-old girlfriend gave birth to a daughter inOctober, then 17-year-old Blake Blythe doused himself in charcoal lighterfluid and lit a match, They were both foster children.
2 troubled young lives, a felony sex case
18-year-old could face life in prison over relationship with girl, 12, who gave birth. Tony Gonzalez / The Detroit News http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...=2007708060365 ECORSE -- Days before his 13-year-old girlfriend gave birth to a daughter in October, then 17-year-old Blake Blythe doused himself in charcoal lighter fluid and lit a match. Flames seared around his T-shirt, leaving a V-shaped burn on his chest -- a reminder of the suicide attempt. "It's like every time he gets out of a hole, something reaches back up out of that hole and pulls him down," Patrick Blythe Jr., 22, said about his cousin, who was arrested in Mount Pleasant in May. Now 18, Blythe is jailed on charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct stemming from the relationship -- charges that could imprison him for life. It's the latest in a short, troubled life that family members say could help explain the relationship, which started when the girl was 12. They were both foster children. He had bounced through at least a half-dozen homes since 1998 and had a history of mental illness. She was removed last year from a home infested with feces, rotten food and odors so strong neighbors smelled them from the street, court files indicated. Together, they may have produced a child in a relationship tolerated by parents and opposed -- but not stopped -- by state case workers, court and juvenile records show. Prosecutors won't say if Blythe impregnated the girl -- whom The Detroit News is not naming -- but her foster mother Gretchen Wilson, 35, of River Rouge, said he tried to provide for the child and acted like a father. Yet Wilson, and a woman who identified herself as Blythe's godsister, Joleen Clay, 21, dispute the paternity and are pressing for DNA tests. "Everybody should be angry about the situation...but did anybody help? No," Wilson said. "I wanted to see them make something of themselves." Michigan's foster care system cares for more than 18,000 children, Department of Human Services data show. It's under fire for three foster child deaths ruled homicides this year; some lawmakers have complained about lax oversight and neglect. Court files indicate Blythe's state foster care workers knew he was dating the 12-year-old in June 2006 and warned him several times it was "not a good idea," but he insisted they weren't having sex. The girl was already pregnant, records show. Mary Chaliman, manager of the foster care program office for the Department of Human Services, would not talk about Blythe's case, citing department policy. But she said state policy allows foster care workers to decide whether to inform the police about suspected illegal acts. "We depend on workers' judgment," Chaliman said. Blythe's relatives decry the criminal charges, saying the girl insisted she was older. Prosecutors say that's no excuse. "It is alleged that he had sex with an underage female. We are charged with prosecuting people who break the law, and in Michigan this is a strict liability crime," said Maria Miller, a spokeswoman for Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy. Blythe awaits a mental health examination, and his defense attorney, Richard Glanda, said a plea agreement is possible before the start of his trial in October. The girl and her baby returned to the custody of the 13-year-old's biological father -- after a six-year absence -- in late July. A past of truancy, mental ills Blythe's juvenile records show a history of truancy from Melvindale High School; he was expelled in 2004. The records also show bouts of angry threats and on-again, off-again attempts at therapy or medication to control manic depression and schizophrenia. A 1999 psychological report describes a 10-year-old Blythe as overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring for his three siblings, who struggled with lice infestations and an alcoholic, abusive stepfather, according to a separate state report. "He is a little old man," the report concludes. The girl voiced claims of sexual abuse by her mother's boyfriends. A 2007 Wayne County Juvenile Court report said her mother -- whom the News is not naming to protect her child -- downplayed the claims, saying if it occurred, she wasn't at the Ecorse home. "If you want to have sex, let me know. I'll get you birth control, condoms, whatever," the mother told her 12-year-old daughter, according to the report. By the time state foster care workers took the girl from her home in May 2006, the girl's mother had confirmed her daughter's pregnancy with an in-home test, but hadn't taken her to a doctor, a Third Judicial Circuit Court petition showed. A month later, Blythe returned to Ecorse under the care of his mother, Melissie A. Maddox. Maddox and the girl's mother were charged with contributing to the delinquency of minors in May stemming from allegations that they allowed the two to share a bed. The mothers were sentenced to one year probation and ordered to stay away from minors without supervision. An aunt's fears Blythe ended his October suicide attempt by splashing into a small pool. He ended up in Havenwyck Hospital in Auburn Hills for nearly a month. He missed the birth of the girl, whom he later tried to care for by purchasing diapers, wipes and outfits, the teenage girl's foster mother said. Blythe lived in Mount Pleasant for three months with his aunt Suzanne Mullins, 39, until his May 4 arrest. Mullins housed Blythe but avoided tough topics, like the relationship and child. "He would sleep 12, 14 hours at least. He'd get up, he'd eat. That's part of depression. I was told not to let him sleep so much, so I would ask him to do things around the house," Mullins said. "If he has to go to jail, I honestly don't think he'll make it." Wilson said she struggled to raise the girl, her brother and the baby, along with her own three children, without financial support from the girl's biological mother. She did not allow Blythe in her home but said the girl snuck him in for visits. The relationship and birth left her angry, but love for the "pretty, pretty little baby" kept her dedicated, she said. She said she'll fight to prevent the 13-year-old girl's mother from regaining custody, but relinquished guardianship to the girl's biological father. He confirmed custody of the children. "We had our ups and downs and now that's all past us," he said. He said his daughter will be back in school come fall. You can reach Tony Gonzalez at (313) 222-2062 or . CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NSA / CIA WIRETAPPING PROGRAM.... CPS Does not protect children... It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even killed at the hands of Child Protective Services. every parent should read this .pdf from connecticut dcf watch... http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US These numbers come from The National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN) Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS *Perpetrators of Maltreatment* Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59 Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13 Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241 Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12 Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5 CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING HUNDREDS OF INNOCENT FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON... BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION... |
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