WILL BEGIN JUNE 27
by Sharon Rondeau
(Jun. 22, 2017) — A trial for a Los Angeles mother charged with “spousal abuse” which was expected to commence on Thursday morning was continued to Tuesday, June 27, based on her public defender’s lack of availability.
Early Thursday afternoon on Thursday, but late morning on the West Coast, “Michelle Robinson” informed The Post & Email of the change and the reason.
She will be assigned another public defender.
The charge arose from a December 20, 2015 altercation between her youngest child’s father and her. While Robinson immediately filed a police report, the other person involved, Eric Crutchfield, did not. However, two months later, Detective Sean Horton of the LAPD produced a complaint naming Robinson and signed by Crutchfield. A homemade video of the altercation was alleged by Horton to exist, but to date, Robinson has not viewed it.
In March of that year, Robinson had requested and was granted a restraining order against Crutchfield alleging domestic abuse resulting in physical injury.
The alleged video reportedly depicts Robinson as the aggressor and, although not produced, became the basis by which the Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) removed the couple’s then-15-month-old daughter from Robinson’s care, placing her with Crutchfield in March 2016.
For the next 13 months, Robinson attempted to regain custody of her daughter but was ultimately unsuccessful. She believes that her appointed attorney from Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers, Inc. (LADL) did not fully represent her interests and that her loss of custody is based on Horton’s misinterpretation of the law regarding restraining orders to benefit Crutchfield.
Crutchfield also has an active restraining order against Robinson which was renewed during custody proceedings in April.
Last week, Robinson filed a police report claiming that Crutchfield violated the terms of her restraining order against him. She is awaiting her requested copy of the report from the LAPD as well as a determination on a complaint filed against Horton.
In two other cases The Post & Email has covered involving Los Angeles DCFS, parents have said that their children were removed from their care without a valid allegation of abuse or neglect, something Robinson has also asserted. In one of those cases, the parents who lost custody live in Alabama.