THE WHOLE STORY IN A NUTSHELL
Anthony and Tessa met in West Virginia. Tessa was visiting from where she lived in New York. Anthony started making long
trips to NY to visit her and she told him she was not treated right by her parents. He moved her in with us. Anthony had not
graduated school yet and once he graduated, he decided to go to a tech school about 2 hours away in Fairmont WV. They both
moved to Fairmont, she got pregnant and they got married in Fairmont WV. Her parents had been in the Airforce and they talked
Anthony into quiting school and joining the Airforce. Payton was born in NY while Anthony was in boot-camp in Texas. Anthony
was stationed in Missori...Where Tessa had lived in the past and had family and friends there. About 1000 miles away from
his home town. The trouble started there.
Tessa started staying out all night on drugs, beating up on Anthony and then calling the cops on him, the Airforce people
tried to help Anthony get a divorce and get custody of Payton. Anthony came close but was under Tessa's spell and kept going
back to her. He got kicked out of the Airforce because of not showing up on time in the mornings because Tessa wasn't home
yet, and because of all the marrital fights on record. Under her spell they moved to New York with Tessa's parents.
Everything seemed alright until her parents went on a vacation. They had a big fight over a bank card from a bank in
MO that Anthony knew should not be used but Tessa would not give it to him. They struggled on the couch over the card and
then Anthony left. He came back in a couple of hours but when he came back, Tessa called the cops because, in her own words,
she thought Anthony was going to take Payton....not because of a fight, but because she was afraid he would take the child.
He was arrested for harrasment, unlawful imprisonment, and child endangerment. Anthony decided he had enough and was moving
back to West Virginia. When the court hearing came up for the arrest, he was advised to plead guilty on harrasment and they
would drop the other two. So that's what he did. Even though he only pulled her hair during the struggle trying to get the
bank card away from her, and even though she did not call the cops right after the fight.....it was only after Anthony came
back. There was a restraining order put out against Anthony.
Anthony filed for full custody. The judge let him take Payton back to WV after every court hearing for that. Tessa was
not happy about it at all and on a rampage she got in my face and pushed me down in front of the police station where we met
to pick up Payton....she got in anthony's face yelling and cursing. Each time we were to take Payton she acted out like this.
On the court hearing day that the judge was going to make the final decision if Anthony should have full custody....Tessa
came into the waiting room all crying and nice to Anthony and me...OHHHH how she has treated us all so bad and wants to make
a change and now be real nice to us. Tessa's parents were there also sucking up to us. Anthony's attorney asked him if he
wanted to just do joint custody and have a good visitation schedule of meeting halfway and Anthony being spell-bound fell
for it. He did not realize at the time that the judge was getting ready to give him custody. I could not advise him because
with Tessa being so nice to him....I needed to mind my own business(In Anthony's mind) So as I regret it now.....I just let
it happen.
Anthony getting halfway visits did not go over well with Tessa and her parents....They even got into a hollering match
with Tessa's attorney.....But Anthony got his halfway visit plan and that still is going on to this day.
So...Anthony had a good job and making his new life in West Virginia and Tessa being all nice and having to talk to Anthony
about visits over the phone became more that just talking about visits(restraining order still in effect)...They decided to
try and make the marriage work for the sake of Payton and Anthony dropped everything and went back to New York. Tessa invited
some drug friends from MO to visit them. Tessa started laying out all night and came home from a bar wearing no underware
and drunk. Anthony had been taking care of his daughter and the visitor's child and had them in the bed when Tessa grabed
a knife and stabbed Anthony. He called 911 and CPS came and took Payton. Anthony went to jail for going against the restraining
order and Tessa went to jail for endangerment of the child and feleny.
Anthony was planning to take his daughter and go to West Virginia, but everyone decided he was guilty of neglect and
Tessa had a special bond with the child. So Payton ended up in foster care. I thought Tessa's parents would take Payton into
their care instead of her staying in foster care....But I was wrong about that. When I found out they were not fighting for
her freedom to be with her relatives.....I stepped in and was suppose to take her, by law, with me to West Virginia. That
county made their own rules from there on out.
