Bail for Berryman & Gargis?

We previously blogged about Cody and Brittany Payton of Franklin County. They were taken into custody last week; we don’t know if one of our readers provided the tip or not, but we hope whoever turned this lovely couple in will get at least some monetary reward for doing so.

The Paytons

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That brings us to Evan Berryman of Lawrence County and Shannon Gargis of Franklin; both men are currently under arrest in connection with the beating deaths of their girlfriend’s children.

It’s been suggested to us that these men should be given bail. It certainly might not be a bad idea. These men deserve to feel at least part of what they put these two toddlers through; however, we do feel that anyone deserves a chance to repent of their evildoing, and release from jail might not provide it for these two great guys who were so loyally protected by their victims’ mothers.

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Plumfund for Julia Chester Family

Our sincerest sympathies to the family of Julia Chester. She leaves behind, among others, a loving husband and two small children.

Two Important Questions About Serenity's Death

Shannon Dale Gargis

The beating death of 22 month-old Serenity Irene Renfroe begs two questions, one involving DHR. Nothing can change Serenity's fate, but if enough citizens demand DHR reform, perhaps at least one child can be saved.

Question one involves the October 2013 arrest of Serenity's parents, Keith and Hailey Renfroe. Both were released from the Marion County Jail on bond; Keith's bail was 35,500.00 and Hailey's was 32,500.00 for a whopping total of 68K. The question is who bailed them out? Whether it was by bondsman or property bond, someone cared enough to make sure they were released from jail. Why didn't these same people care enough about their child to investigate her situation? We don't know how long Keith and Hailey had been separated or if Hailey allowed any of Keith's family access to the child, but surely a suspicious family member would have told DHR when Hailey's new lover moved in. Wouldn't they?

Question two involves DHR itself. Hailey would have been two months pregnant at the time of her arrest in 2013. Did DHR know? A TimesDaily article has stated Hailey's arrest for child abuse stemmed from her pregnancy and not from the two children who lived in the home with her at the time of the arrest. We don't know which is correct, but it's quite possible that Hailey did tell authorities she was pregnant in order to gain special considerations in jail. That's when DHR would have stepped in.

Since Hailey's Marion County legal charges have not yet been adjudicated, DHR was certainly still involved...at least on paper. Were social workers aware that she had moved in a new lover? Had they visited in the two months Shannon Dale Gargis had lived with Hailey? Why had neighbors, friends, or relatives not told DHR of any suspicious activity at the home. These people either saw a bruised toddler or they were aware of one who was suddenly being hidden away.

Yet no one came to Serenity's aid. She died virtually alone while her mother worked a shift at McDonald's. It's a sad epitaph, but perhaps still much better than what she may have endured if she had grown up in such a home.

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Shoalanda

Would New Meth Laws Have Saved Serenity?

We recently blogged about a new law being considered in the state legislature which would cause children of meth manufacturers to be taken away from their families immediately and placed for adoption without any legal recourse for the parents. We asked how this would work if only one parent was indeed guilty of the crime.

Early this morning 22 month-old Serenity Irene Renfroe died at the hands of her mother's boyfriend. Both Serenity's parents are currently out on bail for drug manufacture in Marion County. While Keith Renfroe's sister's children were presumably removed from the home at the time of the arrest, Serenity had yet to be born. Did DHR even know of her existence?

Serenity's killer Shannon Gargis has two children from a previous relationship who are alive and presumably well. What did Serenity do to deserve her fate? Sheriff Shannon Oliver is calling it the "worst murder ever." We're not sure what that actually means, but we are sure that whatever Sheriff Oliver saw this morning should never have happened.

Serenity Irene Renfroe would have been two years old on May 24th. Her killer is now charged with a capital crime. If a Franklin County jury once found Jodey Waldop guilty of Capital Murder in the shaking death of his child, we have no trouble predicting Shannon Dale Gargis will be found guilty of the "worst murder ever."

We also predict that 20 year-old Hailey Rose Renfroe and 30 year-old Keith Renfroe will have more children, either together or separately. Will DHR monitor these future children? In a state that's having to legislate a ban on teacher-student sex, we doubt it.

Phil Campbell Couple Arrested

Parents Had Previous Abuse Charges

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So let's talk about teachers who have sex with their students. It was happening when Shoalanda was in high school about two centuries ago. It was primarily coaches, but some male instructors as well. Any female teachers? We pretty much knew what cooked and we feel reasonably sure that most of the female teachers wanted to have sex with teenage boys (or girls) just slightly less than they wanted to die in a medieval torture chamber. Why has this changed? Why should teachers have to undergo specific training to understand this is wrong? If our legislators have to concern themselves with such laws, no wonder we can't get a budget passed.



Shoalanda