Media Articles~ No Discussion

[Faith]

Indictment: Daniel Erhlick Jr. tortured and beat Robert Manwill to death

By Patrick Orr - porr@idahostatesman.com
Published: 08/19/09

Eight-year-old Robert Manwill was killed by Daniel Erhlick Jr., who tortured and beat him to death while Manwill's mother, Melissa Jenkins, hid her son from government authorities who might have helped him.

So says an Ada County grand jury indictment unsealed Wednesday morning in 4th District Court.

Ehrlick Jr., 36, inflicted repeated acts of blunt-force trauma to the abdomen and/or the head of Manwill with his hands, knees, fists and/or feet and/or by other means of physical force, physical abuse or emotional abuse, according to the indictment. The beatings caused bruises, abdominal bleeding and injuries and head injuries that prompted Manwill's death on or about July 24.

The indictment alleges that Ehrlick Jr. intentionally tortured Manwill "with the intent to cause suffering, to execute vengeance or to satisfy some sadistic inclination by inflicting on Robert G. Manwill extreme or prolonged acts of brutality with the intent to cause suffering."

Jenkins, 30, a mother of three, had knowledge of the beatings and repeatedly hid her son from authorities and others who might have intervened. She also failed in her duty to seek medical attention for her son's injuries, despite knowing Manwill "was being subjected to escalating physical violence” by Erhlick, according to the indictment.

Neither entered a plea and are expected to do so on Sept. 1.

An Ada County grand jury on Tuesday indicted Jenkins and Ehrlick Jr. on charges of first-degree murder. Both also are charged with failing to report a death. Police have provided no details about the evidence they have.

In Idaho, first-degree murder is punishable by up to life in prison or death.

Local, state and federal agencies logged 9,000 hours in the search and investigation after Robert was reported missing July 24, Deputy Boise Chief Jim Kerns said. Thousands of people volunteered in the 10-day search: “Probably no other case in Boise history has touched so many people,” Kerns said Tuesday. Robert’s body was found Aug. 3 in the New York Canal near Kuna.

Prosecutors have 60 days to decide whether to seek the death penalty. Police asked the public for information about the pair’s activities in the week before Robert was reported missing.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/273/story/870337.html

[Faith]

First-degree murder: Robert Manwill's mom and her boyfriend are indicted in the 8-year-old's death

Melissa Jenkins and Daniel Ehrlick Jr. struggled with relationships, children and the law for years before they reported her son missing.

BY KATY MOELLER AND KATHLEEN KRELLER - kmoeller@idahostatesman.com • kkreller@idahostatesman.com
Copyright: © 2009 Idaho Statesman
Published: 08/19/09


http://media.idahostatesman.com/smedia/2009/08/18/23/271-0819_Local_manwill_file_use.embedded.prod_affiliat e.36.jpg

He had dreams of being a wildland firefighter but faced drug and legal problems and managed to battle the flames only as part of a prison work crew.

She was something of a rambler, drifting through relationships - having three children with three men in less than seven years - on the hunt for the unconditional love she felt as a little girl.

Daniel Ehrlick Jr. and Melissa Jenkins met at a poker game and quickly grew close, spending weeks together in her hospital room as she dealt with complications of her third pregnancy.

They rallied together to get that infant back from state protection after Jenkins was convicted of injuring him.

Now, they're together again - in the Ada County Jail, both facing murder charges after the disappearance and death of 8-year-old Robert Manwill, whose smile captured the community in a 10-day search that started with hope and ended in tragedy.

EHRLICK JR.'S STORY

For Ehrlick Jr. - Danny to his friends and family - trouble with the law started early.

His first run-in involved a stolen United Parcel Service box full of sunglasses, said his father, Daniel Ehrlick Sr. The boy was in junior high.

"That cost his mother and I quite a bit," Ehrlick Sr. said. "He was always picking up the wrong people to run around with."

Born in Mineral County, Nev., along with his older sister and two younger brothers, Ehrlick Jr. later moved with his family to Idaho, where he attended Nampa High School and played basketball. He didn't graduate, but he got his GED in prison, his father said.

"Danny was a troubled boy all his life," Ehrlick Sr. said. "He would get in trouble doing stupid things. ... Then he has had a lot of problems with drugs."

Now 36, he has spent nearly seven years, off and on, in Idaho correctional facilities and at least 10 years on probation in Idaho and Washington. He has been convicted of burglary, battery, possession of drug paraphernalia and more.

His father and niece said Ehrlick Jr. had worked fighting fires, but he has no work history with the state or the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Ehrlick Jr. did work on an inmate fire crew while incarcerated, said Idaho Department of Correction spokesman Jeff Ray.

"It's pretty good duty," Ray said. "You are outdoors and working hard, and you are making more money than you would in a typical institutional job."

Few people could be found to talk about Ehrlick Jr. He has never been married and has no records of having children with other women.

JENKINS' STORY


Melissa Jenkins spent years searching for the love and stability that had eluded her since she was "daddy's girl," the middle of three girls in her family, her family members say.

"I think, all in all, Melissa was after a quiet and tender life," said Meridian resident Margo Maxwell, Jenkins' great-aunt and one of the first family members to come to her aid when Robert was reported missing July 24.

Jenkins' Facebook page says she's a 1997 graduate of Meridian High School, but the district has no record of that. Boise School District records show she entered sixth grade at Koelsch Elementary and finished seventh grade at Fairmont Junior High. The district has no further record of her.

She has worked short stints in numerous clerical and manufacturing jobs - including at the Idaho Statesman's call center, the Boise Bingo Center, Scentsy and, most recently, Blackhawk Manufacturing.

Jenkins drifted in and out of contact with most of her family, including her parents, Dori and Jeff Jenkins, who now live in New Mexico. Of the three sisters, Jenkins was older than Daphney and a year younger than Trish Burrill, a Boise resident who has acted as the family's spokeswoman at police news conferences about Robert's disappearances.

Tammy Smith, best friends with Trish for a time in high school, recalled that at some point when they were teens, Trish either moved out or was kicked out. Jenkins wasn't far behind.

The sisters, who seemed to stand by each other during the news conferences, have not always gotten along.

Family members say that before the boy disappeared, Burrill had not seen Jenkins and Robert in about 18 months. A court affidavit filed by Robert's father indicates that Burrill would not take the boy in while Jenkins was hospitalized for a few weeks in 2008. (Burrill and her husband, Kyle, did not agree to interviews.)

When Jenkins met Robert's father, Charles Manwill, he was dating Trish. He and Jenkins' second cousin, Justin Smith, were buddies and roommates. Manwill was nine years older than Jenkins.

In 2000, when Jenkins was in her early 20s, she got pregnant with Manwill's child, and Robert was born in June 2001. Jenkins and Manwill were married in July, but they separated less than a year later.

Jenkins met her second husband, Frank Seiber, at a Nampa bingo parlor where they both worked. He was 27 years her senior, an age difference that bothered some of her family and friends. The pair married in 2003.

Seiber said he helped care for Robert while Jenkins was at work.

"He was like a son," Seiber said. "When I think about him, all I can see is that smile. This has been really hard."

The skeptics, though, were right about the marriage.

"She was dating other men, and I didn't know it for a while. ... I guess love has a blind eye," Seiber said, sitting on the porch of his Payette home.

They divorced in March 2006. Eight months later, Jenkins gave birth to a baby girl, RayLynn.

The father was Russell "Rusty" Ames, a truck driver and a high school friend of Jenkins' mother who began dating Jenkins after running into her at her folks' house one day.

"I've known Melissa her whole life," said Ames, now 49.

He said he's still a friend of Dori Jenkins' and said there's been a lot of family conflict over the years, particularly between the mother and her daughters.

"If one's not fighting with the other, then the other two are," he said. "You've got to be hating, or nobody's happy."

Ames said his relationship with Jenkins ran its course in a matter of months. Like Seiber, Ames felt she wasn't honest with him.

"Everything that comes out of her mouth is a lie," he said.

A VALENTINE'S DAY LIFE-CHANGER

Sometime around when Ehrlick Jr. and Jenkins met in 2007, she discovered she was pregnant.

She was trying to end a relationship that she told Manwill and others was abusive, friends and court documents said. In January 2008, complications with her pregnancy left her hospitalized for weeks.

Ehrlick Jr. was with her every day, Ehrlick Sr. said. He "practically lived in that hospital room" with her, Ames said.

The baby boy, who was named Aidan, was born on Feb. 14, 2008. He wasn't Ehrlick Jr.'s child - according to Ames and other family members and friends. (Idaho birth certificates aren't public records for 100 years, and neither Jenkins nor Ehrlick would agree to an interview for this story.)

It's unknown whether Ehrlick Jr. knew all along or found out later, but every one of his family, friends and neighbors interviewed said the same thing: He treated that baby boy as his own.

Aidan was given Ehrlick's name, and Ehrlick Jr. is acknowledged in court documents as the father.

"When he met (Jenkins), he did a 180-degree turn in his life - to the best," Ehrlick Sr. said. "After the baby was born, it got a lot better. He got more honest with me. ... He was more adult."

A NEW ROLE: DAD

Outwardly, to many neighbors, family and friends, Ehrlick and Jenkins seemed like good parents - even after Jenkins pleaded guilty to fracturing her infant's skull in October 2008.

In interviews days before the two were arrested Tuesday night, several of the couple's closest neighbors at the Oak Park Village apartments praised Ehrlick as an easy-going "Mr. Mom," the one who always carried the baby and diaper bag.

"He was very good with the baby," said Sean Buffington, who lives upstairs from the couple.

"He made sure that baby had clean clothes," Ehrlick Sr. said. "He made sure that baby had food. He made sure the baby had diapers. He would not leave that boy more than two or three minutes because he'd worry about him."

Ehrlick Jr. would get "worked up" over a runny nose and make his father wash his hands before holding Aidan.

The son still relied on his father for financial support; Ehrlick Sr. gave them a car and a deposit for the apartment they shared and often handed over cash for rent, food, diapers, cigarettes and utility bills.

Still, Ehrlick Sr. said Aidan's presence inspired changes in his son. Instead of hanging out with his old cronies, Sundays meant barbecues and family gatherings at Ehrlick Sr.'s home near Bannock and 30th streets.

For big get-togethers, the family would bring Ehrlick Sr.'s wife and the kids' mother, Barbara, home from the care facility where she has lived since suffering strokes.

Justin Smith, Jenkins' cousin who lived with her family for a while and was "basically their adopted kid," said he never met Ehrlick Jr., but that he was called on two occasions when Jenkins and Ehrlick Jr. were fighting.

"When I showed up, I didn't see any signs," said Smith, who said he went to the apartment with Trish's husband, Kyle Burrill.

When the men offered to call the police, Jenkins turned them away.

A STRICT MOTHER

enkins worked while Ehrlick Jr. stayed home with Aidan and Robert, when the boy visited from his father's home in New Plymouth.

Carol Carrillo, another upstairs neighbor who became close friends with Jenkins, said she trusted them both with her children. She said the couple worked hard to get Aidan back after Jenkins was convicted of injuring him.

She said Jenkins was very concerned for the safety of both of their kids. Carrillo remembers Jenkins getting on someone's case when they tried to pick up Carrillo's kids with a car that didn't have enough seatbelts for all the children.

Carrillo said Jenkins was strict with Robert. The boy wasn't allowed to go beyond the playground behind their apartment building - if he did, he got grounded. He wouldn't go into Carrillo's apartment without first asking his mother's permission.

"I never saw them be mean to the kids," said her 12-year-old daughter, Jennifer. "I went to their house all the time."

But others described Jenkins as moody and quick to anger when children misbehaved.

"Melissa was mean to kids - they wore on her patience," said Seiber, her second husband.

If Jenkins was in a bad mood, Seiber said, he would just take Robert outside and play with him "until she calmed down." But Seiber said he never saw Melissa Jenkins be violent or hit Robert.

"There was times she'd smack Robert in the back of the head to get his attention - a gentle slap in the head. Like, 'Hey, pay attention to me, do what you're told,' " Ames said.

When Robert acted out, several people said, Jenkins sometimes forced him to sit on his hands or stand with his nose against the wall with his hands behind his back in a military stance. Jenkins also was known to punish her children and others in her care with cold showers.

Robert always seemed to be on "restriction," Ehrlick Sr. said.

"He would ask her for a glass of water," said Robbyn Ehrlick, Ehrlick Jr.'s 23-year-old niece. "She would say 'Go away, you are annoying me.' "

Ehrlick Sr. said he saw Jenkins once pick up her toddler daughter by one arm and "whip" her across her bottom.

"When I said something about it, she said 'it didn't hurt her because she was wearing a Pamper,' " Ehrlick Sr. said.

Buffington said he saw a hint of Robert's fear about getting in trouble when his dog got loose one day. Sadie, a pit bull, wiggled out of her collar and ran down the stairs, where Buffington caught her.

He was surprised when he looked up at Robert, who began shaking and crying.

"He said, 'Mom's going to be so mad ... I can't lose the dog,' " Buffington said.

AFTER ROBERT'S DISAPPEARANCE

When Maxwell, Jenkins' great-aunt, brought Trish Burrill to the Oak Park apartment early on the Sunday after Robert was reported missing, the sisters cried and hugged.

"They were sweet and kind to each other, as you'd expect sisters to be in a crisis like this," Maxwell said. "As soon as Trish left, Melissa took the attitude that she didn't want to be around Trish. Melissa clung to me and my girls."

"That created a rift," Maxwell said.

Shirley Earls, Maxwell's daughter, rallied members at two local LDS churches to help with the search. She noticed that Robert's dad, Charles Manwill, was "focused" and "very military," while Ehrlick was "a mess," "a complete puddle."

"Melissa was in between," she said.

On Tuesday, when Maxwell returned to Oak Park to help, she said Jenkins appeared medicated and calm. She was ready to pursue every lead to find the boy.

"Danny was sobbing uncontrollably," Maxwell said. "He greeted me at the door and soaked my shirt with his tears.

"I said, 'Danny, are you getting any medical attention?' He said he didn't have any money."

Maxwell took him to a doctor's office, and he was prescribed medications. In the car, she said, he seemed "very, very sorrowful."

But by the next night, Maxwell said, it seemed, Ehrlick and Jenkins weren't comforting each other or even speaking.

"Danny was just walking the streets and didn't know where to go. He said he didn't know where to go or what to do," Maxwell said.

Ultimately, he went to stay with his father, Ehrlick Sr. said. Jenkins had been staying, off and on, with her sister, Trish, Kyle Burrill said.

An Oak Park Village neighbor said Jenkins' family came to retrieve her things from their apartment on Sunday, after Robert's funeral. Ehrlick Jr.'s belongings are still there.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/Crime/story/869934.html

[Faith]

Mom, Boyfriend Charged With Murdering Boy
Robert Manwill, 8, Was Found Floating in Canal; Family Has History of Violence

The mother of an 8-year-old boy whose lifeless body was found floating in a Boise, Idaho, canal has been charged along with her live-in boyfriend with murder in the child's death.

Robert Manwill, a little boy with an impish grin, disappeared July 24 and his body was found in the canal Aug. 3.

The boyfriend, Daniel Ehrlick Jr., 36, allegedly tortured the boy, repeatly beating him on his head and body with his hands, knees and fists, and also subjected him to other forms of physical and emotional abuse, according to the indictment against him unsealed today in an Ada County court.

Robert died on or about July 24, the day he was reported missing, as a result of the injuries he allegedly suffered at Ehrlick's hands, the indictment said.

Ehrlick tortured the boy "with the intent to cause suffering, to execute vengeance or to satisfy some sadistic inclination by inflicting on Robert G. Manwill extreme or prolonged acts of brutality with the intent to cause suffering," the indictment said.

The boy's mother, Melissa Jenkins, 30, allegedly knew about the beatings but never got him medical attention. Instead, according to the indictment, she allegedly aided in the abuse and "actively and repeatedly" hid her son from anyone who might have stopped it or helped the boy.

Jenkins and Ehrlick were both charged with first degree murder, which could carry the death penalty. Both were also charged with failing to report the boy's death to law enforcement.

Neither entered a plea at their court appearance today when the indictment was unsealed.

Jenkins and Ehrlick were both being held in the Ada County Jail. Ehrlick was held on the murder charge without bond, while bond was set at $2 million for Jenkins, Boise Police Department Deputy Chief Jim Kerns said.

Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Roger Bourne told The Associated Press today that no decision has been made about whether to seek the death penalty. Prosecutors have 60 days to make a decision.

"We've been involved intensely on the presentation of this case but that decision has not been made yet," Bourne said.

Police had kept quiet about the progress of their investigation after Robert was found, saying only that they believed his death was the result of foul play.

Then, Tuesday night, Boise police announced that they had arrested Robert's mother and her boyfriend.

"When Robert's body was found, Monday, Aug. 3, just over two weeks ago, the case went from a missing child to a homicide investigation," Kerns said. "At that time, I sent a strong message on behalf of Boise police and all those in this community who were touched by the tragic, untimely death of this little boy that justice would not be denied Robert Manwill.

"The arrests are a major step in the investigation, but the investigation into the death of Robert Manwill is still very much ongoing," Kerns said.

Detectives are still asking anyone with any information about Robert, his mother or her boyfriend, particularly about whatever they might have done in the days leading up to the boy's disappearance, to contact police.

Thousands of volunteers had helped in the search for the boy, whose disappearance brought an outpouring of sympathy and concern throughout the city.

Robert was visiting his mother at the time he disappeared. His father, Charles Manwill, of New Plymouth, Idaho, is divorced from Jenkins and had custody of the boy. Jenkins only had visitation rights.

Jenkins has a history of violence against her children, and is on probation for fracturing the skull of Robert's infant half brother. That boy was taken from her by the state in 2008.

According to court records, Jenkins "did willfully inflict" injury to the infant "by striking the child's head on a surface, causing a fracture to the child's skull," on Oct. 19, 2008. She received a sentenced of 29 days of work release and was put on probation for two years.

The Associated Press reported that Jenkins also has a third child, a 2 1/2-year-old daughter, whose father has custody. Jenkins has visitation rights. Ehrlick is banned from being alone with the girl, according to the AP, but court documents don't say why.

Ehrlick has a criminal record including convictions for burglary, grand theft, battery and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The discovery of Robert's body came after several police agencies spent the weekend digging up the backyard of an Ada County home that police told ABC News affiliate KIVI-TV in Boise is rented by people who know Erhlick.


Evidence Found at Missing Boy's Mother's Home Showed 'Suspicious Circumstances'

At the time, police declined to say what was found to lead them to the backyard, saying only that they were following multiple leads and searching multiple locations looking for the boy.

After the search, though, Kerns said that with the help of the FBI they had found evidence they hoped would bring them closer to finding out what happened to the boy.

He also said that evidence discovered during in a search of the Jenkins' home "shows there are suspicious circumstances regarding Robert's disappearance."

KIVI-TV reported that Boise police spent hours at Jenkins' home, towing the family's car and leaving with bags of evidence.



http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=8366562

[Faith]

Daniel Ehrlick Jr. accused of repeated acts of blunt-force trauma, Melissa Jenkins accused of hiding her son Robert Manwill from authorities


BY PATRICK ORR KATHLEEN KRELLER - porr@idahostatesman.com kkreller@idahostatesman.com
Copyright: © 2009 Idaho Statesman
Published: 08/20/09

Eight-year-old Robert Manwill was beaten over weeks of "escalating physical violence" that finally climaxed in his death, according to details released Wednesday in the indictments of his mom and her boyfriend.

Ada County Coroner Erwin Sonnenberg said the boy died from blunt force trauma "on or about" the July 24 night he was reported missing.

State officials won't say how Robert and his 16-month-old half brother Aidan were allowed back in the home with their mother, Melissa Jenkins, who just months earlier had pleaded guilty to fracturing Aidan's skull.

Health and Welfare officials won't release details on any child protection cases in the home. Custody documents for Robert show that Melissa Jenkins had the right to see her son seven weeks each summer.

Two short but shocking indictments filed against Jenkins and her boyfriend, Daniel Ehrlick Jr., offer the most detailed glimpse of what police and prosecutors say happened. A grand jury contends that violence against the boy started as early as June.

It's unclear whether Robert was staying the whole time in the Oak Park Village apartment his mother and her boyfriend shared; neither police nor family members are saying.

But the indictments indicate that state officials may have been monitoring the family. According to the grand jury, Jenkins "did actively and repeatedly hide (Robert) from government authorities" and kept "other persons from observing the ongoing harm."

The indictments - charging both Jenkins and Ehrlick with first-degree murder and failure to report a death - were graphic.

The grand jury said Ehrlick repeatedly abused Robert and eventually killed the boy by the "intentional application of torture ... by inflicting extreme or prolonged pain with the intent to cause suffering, to execute vengeance, or to satisfy some sadistic inclination, by inflicting repeated acts of blunt force trauma to the abdomen and/or head of Robert Manwill."

Many of the terms used in the indictment were taken directly from Idaho's law on first-degree murder. Officials haven't released any specific details of how the abuse played out.

The indictment against Robert's mother, though, said she "had active knowledge of Robert's bodily injuries, visible bruises and other physical and emotional harm." The indictment says she not only failed to protect or seek medical attention for Robert, but she kept his abuse from others.

It says she continued to leave Robert with Ehrlick despite the knowledge that he was "inflicting repeated acts of physical violence" on the boy; and that she lied to police about Robert's whereabouts after she knew he was dead.

Now, the community is clamoring for answers about how this could have happened.

Health and Welfare Director Richard Armstrong said Wednesday that the law prohibits his department from releasing information on Robert's case - even now that the boy is dead.

The department has performed an internal review and is satisfied, Armstrong said. Any further information will come from the Ada County Prosecutors' Office during court proceedings, he said.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/eyepiece/story/871177.html

[Faith]

Answers to some of the community's questions about the Robert Manwill case

Though family members, police, prosecutors and state officials aren't talking, here are some answers to the questions the community is asking.

- Idaho Statesman
Published: 08/20/09


Reported and written by Kathleen Kreller, Katy Moeller, Patrick Orr and Anna Webb.

When did Robert Manwill die?

Ada County Coroner Earl Sonnenberg said the evidence matches the July 24 day on which the boy was reported missing, but he would not give a specific date of death. The indictments say Robert was killed "on or about" that day. Sonnenberg would not say whether the child was dead before he was left in the canal where his body was found.

Where is Charles Manwill?

Manwill - known as "Chuck" - is on leave from his job with the Idaho National Guard, according to Guard spokesman Tim Marsano.

Manwill is one of about 1,000 full-time employees at the Idaho National Guard in Boise and has worked at Gowen Field since 2001. He teaches soldiers techniques on military reconnaissance.

"We're not only keeping him in our thoughts, we've been in regular contact with him," Marsano said. "We have several of his colleagues as well as chaplains, counselors and others who are offering assistance. ... We're a pretty tightly knit community out here, and he's one of us."

Many Guard members were present at Robert's funeral.

Manwill was not at his home Wednesday, according to a family member at the rural Payette County residence. He's "hurting" and needs some time alone, the family member said. Manwill's sister, Dorothy Aydelotte, said she's still processing all the information that's come out about Robert's death, and she had no comment.

Why was Robert visiting his mother when she didn't have full custody?

Robert Manwill visited his mother for seven weeks each summer, in addition to certain weekends and holidays, according to a 2008 custody agreement between his parents. Charles Manwill and Melissa Jenkins shared custody of the 8-year-old, but Manwill retained primary custody as of July 2008.

According to the custody agreement, Robert was supposed to visit his mother for four weeks, go home to his father for a week and then back to his mother for the remaining three weeks.

Ehrlick's father, Daniel Ehrlick Sr., said he believed Jenkins' visitation with Robert had been suspended when she lost custody of her infant, Aidan, in October last year when she was charged with injury to a child. He said she had since regained custody of the baby, and Robert's visitation was restored.

How are family members reacting to Ehrlick's and Jenkins' arrest and indictment?

Daniel Ehrlick Sr. said he will no longer speak to his son.

"All I care about now is Robert. Rest in peace," said Ehrlick Sr., who didn't attend Wednesday's court hearing. "They are going to pay for it every day for the rest of their lives. This boy had no chance in this world."

Melissa Jenkins' sister Trish Burrill and her husband, Kyle Burrill, declined to comment when approached after the hearing.

If what the indictment says is true, what explains the psychology of two people who grieved publicly, asked for help and attended searches and vigils while knowing the truth?

Thomas Young, a medical doctor and director of operations at The Children's Home Society of Idaho, said the couple's actions, if true, could have more to do with criminal intent than psychology.

"If I'm a criminal, I can't run away, which would make me instantly guilty, I'm going to try to blend in with the crowd," Young said. "Once they colluded, they were equally guilty under the law. They probably had to sit and discuss what they were going to do about it."

A public display of anything other than emotion and pain would have been an instant indictment, Young said.

"These people just have a perverse moral compass and were protecting themselves. They saw playing dumb as their only escape. It's almost adolescent thinking. You spill something, your mom comes in and asks who did it. You say, 'I don't know,' even if you were the only one in the house."

Who testified against Ehrlick and Jenkins in front of the grand jury?

Prosecutors called 10 witnesses against Ehrlick, including a Kuna firefighter who helped retrieve Robert's body from the New York Canal, a crime scene specialist for the Boise Police Department, Robert's father, Ada County's pathologist Glen Groben, Boise Police Department detectives and a social worker from Taft Elementary School in Boise.

Just two people were called to testify against Jenkins: a staff member of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and a member of the Boise Police Department.

Will Ada County prosecutors seek the death penalty for either Ehrlick or Jenkins?

They have 60 days to decide, and Ada County Prosecutor Greg Bower said much of the decision will depend on what kind of mitigating evidence defense attorneys provide to prosecutors as they swap discovery on the case.

It's the prosecutor's job to determine whether the aggravating factors exist for a jury to sentence someone to death, like if the killing was heinously cruel, the defendant has a propensity to commit murder, or the killer showed an utter disregard for human life.

It's up to defense attorneys to find the mitigating factors a jury might consider to spare a life, like if the defendant suffers from mental illness or was a victim of child abuse themselves.

Could an Ada County jury spare the life of a child killer?

It happened in 2004 when a jury spared the life of Ignacio Sanchez, despite evidence that he beat a 2-year-old girl in his care over a period of two weeks, causing her death in December 2003. Prosecutors wanted the death penalty for Sanchez, but the jury spared his life after hearing mitigating evidence that Sanchez was abused as a child, was afflicted with depression and attention deficit disorder, and had been a methamphetamine user since he was 12. He is serving a sentence of fixed life for first-degree murder.

Who is the lead prosecutor?

Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Jill Longhurst, with assistance from Deputy Prosecutor Daniel Dinger. Longhurst is an experienced prosecutor who has been the lead counsel on six first-degree murder cases since 2000, including those of Raymond Ortiz III, Anthony Shaw and Ignacio Sanchez - in each, children were beaten to death. All three of those men are serving life prison sentences.

Who is representing Ehrlick and Jenkins?

Both said in court Monday they could not afford private counsel, so they will be represented by attorneys with the Ada County public defender's office. At least one will be represented by Amil Myshin, who has been counsel or co-counsel on more than 30 first-degree murder cases over the past two decades. He is also certified to represent defendants in a death penalty case, if Ada County prosecutors decide to go that route.

Myshin, who spoke for Ehrlick Wednesday, has represented convicted killers Erick Hall, Darrell Payne and John Delling in recent years.

Tony Geddes, another Ada County public defender, represented Jenkins Wednesday, but he won't work the case as a lead counsel. The public defender's office will likely hire an outside attorney, called "conflict counsel," to represent whoever doesn't get Myshin, to avoid conflict between defendants. That is standard practice in murder cases with multiple defendants.

Is it possible for an impartial jury to be selected in Ada County for a case so well-known?

That depends on whom you talk to.

Boise defense attorney D.C. Carr thinks it would be difficult, considering the publicity and the raw emotion much of the community seems to be feeling over the case.

"With this situation, with the small child as such a sympathetic victim, I think they are going to have a really hard time finding a fair and impartial jury," said Carr, who used to work for the Ada County public defender's office. "There have been stories every day, and that has led to a lot of fingerpointing at (Jenkins and Ehrlick on blogs and Web sites) even before they were arrested. There is so much emotion surrounding this case."

But Boise defense attorney David Leroy, a former Idaho attorney general, said he believes it is possible to pick a local jury, especially since huge groups of potential jurors can be sorted out for prejudice against either side by asking them to fill out questionnaires prior to actual jury selection.

He said he has faith that many people in Ada County who know about the case are capable of forming opinions based strictly on evidence.

How can the community channel the energy this case has created to better the lives of Idaho children?

Nicole Sirak, director of the Court Appointed Special Advocate program, said representatives from several local child welfare organizations - including Health and Welfare, St. Luke's Prenatal Care, and Idaho Voices for Children - met Tuesday to talk about new ways they might come together to create a community "web" around Idaho children.

The Manwill case, and the unanswered questions about how Robert, a child who did have caring adults in his life but still obviously need attention from the safety net, was the inspiration for the meeting.

The timing, on the day Robert's mother and her boyfriend were arrested for his murder, was coincidental.

Talks are just starting, but it's clear to Sirak that it's time to tap into community sentiment now. Since the Manwill events, she's been fielding calls from people who want to help local children but don't know how. Some have already made memorial donations to CASA in Robert's name.

"We're good at collaboration here in Idaho. Remember, the Idaho Human Rights Memorial (now an educational park) was supposed to be a simple plaque on the Greenbelt."

Patrick Orr: 373-6619, Anna Webb: 377-6431


http://www.idahostatesman.com/102/story/871178.html

[Faith]

Indictments of Melissa Jenkins and Daniel Ehrlick Jr. fill searchers with disappointment
One couple says they still stand with Melissa Jenkins, but others say they're sick or angry following the charges.
BY SANDRA FORESTER - sforester@idahostatesman.com
Copyright: © 2009 Idaho Statesman
Published: 08/20/09


Nikki and Steve Adams, who planned nightly vigils while the 8-year-old was missing, say they are still behind Robert's mother, Melissa Jenkins, 100 percent.

"We're there to support Melissa, and we're also going to support the family," Nikki Adams said. "We're going to let the justice system take its course. They'll have the facts and prove the proof."

Nikki Adams said it's hard for her to believe that Jenkins could be willingly involved.

"I don't see it," she said. "We're sad. We're disappointed that it comes to this."

'SICK AND SAD'

Carol Peterson lives down the street from the complex where Jenkins lives. She attended the nightly vigils.

"We're all really sick," Peterson said. "I'm a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother. Your child is the one you need to protect. And I think that Melissa, she should have at least sent that child back to Charles (Manwill, his father). The first time (Daniel Ehrlick Jr.) laid a hand on that child she should have sent him back."

Peterson said if Ehrlick was physically abusive toward Jenkins, she could have sought help.

"Everybody here would have helped her," Peterson said. "This is a wonderful neighborhood. I've lived here 44 years; we've never had anything like this happen in this neighborhood.

"I'm sick and sad. She should be charged with exactly what she was charged with."

A CALL TO AWARENESS

John Oliva, a Mountain Home teacher formerly of Ontario, drove to Boise to help with the search for Robert.

"I was glad that there was some conclusion, (but) highly, highly disappointed. It's so unfortunate that something like this could happen. It was kind of just overwhelming.

" ... The amount of trauma the boy endured prior to death must be horrific.

"As a teacher, it forces me to be more aware of students who are struggling and sensitive to kids having a difficult time."

ANGRY AFTER HELPING OUT


Sarah Ledford, a mom and Realtor from Caldwell, joined all three July 31 searches to help find Robert because, "we needed to find the kid so justice can be done."

"I'm furious," she said Wednesday. "We knew he was dead."

Ledford said the death penalty would be an easy way out for the people responsible.

"We could not do to them what I would like to see done to them," Ledford said. "I don't know how a mother could get up there the whole time, get 15 minutes of fame, and know where her son is the whole time" - if the charges are proven.

Ledford said she doesn't like hearing about these situations in the news, but "there's no way to not watch it and not know what was going on. I can't even imagine it. It's just not conceivable."

'I CAN'T FATHOM IT'

New Plymouth Mayor Joe Cook brought a group of residents down from Robert's hometown on July 31 to search, and he spoke at the boy's funeral.

"I'm disappointed that these folks didn't step forward," he said.

Cook said he's relieved that there likely isn't a stranger randomly snatching children, but the events that likely ended Robert's life show a dark side in a family history that wasn't well known.

"How did this boy end up back in that environment? I can't in my wildest dream think of what a little kid could do to push you to that extreme, unless you're evil. To me, I can't fathom it. This whole thing is beyond sad. ... As a parent, it just drives you crazy."

Cook and others said they respect and are grateful for the work of police on the case.

"This is a tough situation," Cook said. "There was tremendous pressure on the police department."

Sandra Forester: 377-6464

http://www.idahostatesman.com/102/story/871174.html

[LiveLaughLuv]

The last two people looking after 8-year-old Robert Manwill before he disappeared were his mother, Melissa Scott Jenkins, 30, and her boyfriend, Daniel Edward Ehrlick Jr., 36.

Robert was reported missing at 10:11 p.m. Friday, July 24. He was visiting his mother from New Plymouth, where he lived with his father, Charles Manwill, 38, a staff sergeant in the Idaho Army National Guard. Charles Manwill took custody of Robert in January 2008 when Jenkins said she was having complications with a pregnancy.

Attempts to reach Jenkins and Ehrlick have been unsuccessful. On Saturday, they didn't answer a knock on their door, and Jenkins' cell phone was busy all day.

Here's what we've learned so far about Jenkins and Ehrlick:

JENKINS: 3 CHILDREN, NONE LIVE WITH HER

Jenkins has at least three children by three fathers. They are: Robert, 8, son of Charles Manwill; RayLynn Scott Ames, 2, daughter of Russell Ames; and Aidan James Ehrlick, 1, son of Daniel Ehrlick Jr. She was married to one of the men, Manwill. Two of the three children, Robert and RayLynn, live with their fathers.

Jenkins is on probation for fracturing the skull of the third child, Aidan. A tape recording of her sentencing describes what happened:

When Jenkins pleaded guilty to misdemeanor injury to a child on March 31, 2009, Judge Cathleen MacGregor Irby asked Jenkins what she did that "would make her guilty of that offense."

"I was burping my son and I accidentally hit his head on the table," Jenkins said.

Ada County prosecutor Fafa Alidjani gave Irby more details. When the parents brought Aidan to the hospital, "the child had swelling to the side of his head. É The side of the head kind of felt mushy and swollen, and the child was in distress. The X-ray revealed the child had about a 3- to 4-centimeter horizontal fracture to the side of his head," Alidjani said.

"Neither parent could provide a history as to what would cause that kind of injury to the child's head, ..." Alidjani said. Eventually, Jenkins told police she had been frustrated and tired because she was unable to take a nap, and while burping the child she flipped him over and hit his head.

A doctor who examined the baby determined a great deal of force was needed to cause a fracture of that magnitude, Alidjani said.

The injury to Aidan Ehrlick occurred at his father's parents' home, according to court testimony. Aidan was declared to be in imminent danger and placed in the custody of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare in October 2008.

Jenkins was placed on two years of supervised probation, and she agreed to fully cooperate with Health and Welfare in working toward a reunification with Aidan, which included supervised visits, according to court records.

It is unclear if the toddler is still in state custody. Idaho Health and Welfare officials were not available for comment Friday.

Jenkins was married at least one other time.

She worked at the Idaho Statesman from October 2004 to May 2005. Stephanie Lindstrom, the classified call center manager at the Idaho Statesman, remembered her as Melissa Seiber. She and Frank Ross Seiber obtained a marriage license in May 2003 but divorced in March 2006.

Melissa Seiber worked as a general telemarketer, and she did her job well at first, Lindstrom said. Seiber expressed an interest in a higher-paying job as a retention specialist. Instead of working toward that position, Seiber started missing work and eventually just left, Lindstrom said.

Seeing Robert with his mother, Lindstrom said, "I just felt something wasn't right. (Robert was) filthy, rough. One time I saw him in the car, and he was not in his booster seat," she said.

Justin Winegar of Fruitland formerly worked with Stephanie in the call center.

"The thing that stuck in my mind, she was always really nice to me," Winegar said.

"She was always either smiling or sad or depressed. She was emotional," he said. "There was never any middle ground, it was either a high or low personality."

Bonnie Stogdill is an employee of the Boise Bingo Center, which previously was operated as Big Bucks Bingo. She knew Frank Seiber for a long time as the manager at Big Bucks before it closed down.

One day Frank Seiber came in with Melissa, who was pregnant. She started working there, eventually calling bingo numbers before she left when she and Frank divorced in 2006. Robert was a frequent guest at the parlor, but he had to be gone before bingo started, Stogdill said.

"He was a cute little kid," she said.

She doesn't know where Frank Seiber is now.

EHRLICK: A STAY-AT-HOME DAD

Little is known about Jenkins' boyfriend. Daniel Ehrlick Jr. is a stay-at-home dad, according to his brother, David. Daniel relies on their father, Daniel Ehrlick Sr., for financial support. "He bails 'em out," David Ehrlick said.

Daniel Ehrlick Jr. has been convicted of burglary, battery and possession of drug paraphernalia, and he is banned by the courts from being alone with Robert's half sister, RayLynn. Ehrlick was sentenced to four years in prison in July 1998 and released in March 2002.

Reporters Cynthia Sewell, Brian Murphy, Rocky Barker, Patrick Orr and Dan Popkey contributed.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/102/story/853332.html?storylink=omni_popular

[Faith]

Critics must consider big picture

Updated 1 hour 8 minutes ago

The allegations against 8-year-old Robert Manwill's mother and her boyfriend are horrifying and sickening.

An Ada County grand jury indictment accuses the boy's mother, Melissa Jenkins, 30, of aiding and abetting her boyfriend, Daniel Ehrlick, in Robert's death and hiding the boy's injuries from government officials who could have intervened.

The graphic implications of torture and repeated beatings of the boy by Ehrlick have rightfully sparked outrage among Idahoans. Many question the treatment of an earlier charge against Jenkins, on probation for fracturing the skull of Robert's infant half-brother. The child was removed from her custody by the state in late 2008.


The Idaho Statesman found court records that said Jenkins "did willfully inflict" the injury to her other son "by striking the child's head on a surface, causing a fracture to the child's skull," on Oct. 19, 2008. She was sentenced to 29 days of work release, fined $75.50 and put on probation for two years.

Details about the past incident create troubling questions for the community and criminal justice and child protection systems. They certainly fuel anger and resentment among many critics.

Bloggers and commenters ask:

n Why did the mother retain visitation rights with Robert while his half-brother was in custody of the Department of Health and Welfare?

n Why did an initial felony charge for child abuse garner a sentence of only work release and probation?

n How did officials and relatives not notice signs of abuse against Robert earlier?

The prosecutor handling the case told the Statesman she reached the plea bargain for the misdemeanor charge against Jenkins because she didn't have forensic evidence to disprove Jenkins' version of the story beyond a reasonable doubt, which she would have had to do in a trial.

Of course, in 20/20 hindsight, if the allegations against Jenkins are true, this was a tragic and irrevocable mistake. But prosecutors and judges don't have that luxury. And the criminal justice system doesn't have unlimited resources to handle each case with the depth of a murder investigation.

The fact is, child abuse cases move through the system all the time. In tandem with the courts, child protection officials try to repair families and go through steps to ensure parents don't repeat abusive behavior.

Is there a better answer? For Robert's sake, many would say there must be.

But what is that answer? Is it a court system that puts first-time offenders in the state penitentiary for years? Is it judges who permanently remove children from their families when an abusive incident occurs?

If those examples represent the path Idaho should follow, who pays? Are we willing to spend millions of dollars on more prison cells to house these offenders? Do we want to see thousands of parents and their children separated for years?

When tragedy occurs, people rise from all corners to call for an easy answer: The prosecutor should have done this, the judge should have done that.

But solutions lie in the months and years before the heartbreak. They come from thoughtful consideration of the costs of justice and the proper balance between protecting the innocent and preserving the rights of the accused.

All too often, those voices don't arise until it's too late.

They don't arise at the voting booth, with low turnout in elections. They don't arise when it requires tax dollars to pay for more personnel to handle cases.

Canyon County has struggled for years to deal with a crowded jail — and didn't win passage of a bond to build more space. Instead, sheriff's officials have now worked with judges to release more inmates as they await trial. That means more drunk-driving suspects return to the road before they are punished for their crimes, more potential abusers return to their families and more gang members are let loose on the streets.

The sad series of events that investigators say led to Robert Manwill's death is much easier to dissect and criticize when it's the only issue on the table.

However, the real story is the big picture, and it takes much more thought and commitment to examine the shortcomings and explore solutions for those problems than to point fingers when something goes terribly wrong.

• Our view is based on the majority opinions of the Idaho Press-Tribune editorial board. Members of the board are Publisher Rick V. Weaver, Managing Editor Vickie Holbrook, Assistant Managing Editor David Woolsey and community members Thad Ross and Jerry-Todd Miller, all of Nampa; Opinion Editor Phil Bridges, advertising representative Melissa Valencia and community members Brian Bishop, Joe Moffa and Sharon Hubler, all of Caldwell.

http://www.idahopress.com/sports/?2009-08-23-Critics-must-consider-big-picture

[Faith]

2,300 people helped search for Robert Manwill. Local groups want to channel that energy to make kids safer.


Published: 08/23/09

"Nothing we do now brings Robert back, but we're asking what we can do as a community to prevent this happening again," said Roger Sherman, director of the Idaho Children's Trust Fund.

Inspired by the case, local child welfare agencies already are working on ideas from 10 groups that met in Boise last week.

"A lot of people say we have a thriving community for kids, but there are obviously holes," Sherman said.

Sherman helped organize the meeting, which attracted representatives from the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program, Idaho Voices for Children, former Idaho first lady Patricia Kempthorne representing the Twiga Foundation, St. Luke's Prenatal Care, Head Start, Idaho Health and Welfare and others.

Everyone from PTA presidents to U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo says now is the time to channel the community's energy to improve the lives of local children. They are talking about ideas like:

® Adopting a version of the Harlem Children's Zone, a 35-year-old nonprofit program that has supported children in one of New York City's toughest neighborhoods.

® Finding ways to offer help to extended family, neighbors and others who seem to be in need, without being intrusive.

As thousands devoted time for Robert this summer, others have rallied for kids in Canyon County, too, inspired by the case of 14-year-old Zachary Neagle, accused of killing his father earlier this year - perhaps, as is alleged in court, after years of abuse.

It seems to organizers that the Treasure Valley is uniquely energized to take action on behalf of kids in trouble.

"But there needs to be leadership," Sherman said. "And it's still unclear what that action might be."

By coincidence, the groups met on the very day Robert's mother, Melissa Jenkins, and her boyfriend, Daniel Ehrlick, were arrested, charged with his murder.

"Over 2,000 people will pull together to search for a young boy, even when the search seems hopeless," he said. "Can we also figure out how to pull together on a daily basis to find kids like Robert with no place to turn?"

CAN WE TRACK EVERY SINGLE CHILD?

Nicole Sirak, director of the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program, said she and the others are looking at how one child welfare model, the Harlem Children's Zone, might be put to use locally.

The program, which has been going on for three decades, works with every child in a 97-block area of the city, overseeing not only kids but the welfare, education and health of their families. The program cares for kids from "cradle to college" with a "whatever it takes" philosophy.

The program has been getting attention lately. President Barack Obama is a fan. "This American Life," a program on National Public Radio, aired a story on the nonprofit just last weekend.

Sirak said the meeting attendees talked about how an urban program might take a more rural form in Idaho.

"We were trying to decide what our version of '97 blocks' would be," she said. "Is it all Title One schools (with lots of low-income families)? Is it the 4th Judicial District (Ada, Boise, Elmore and Valley counties), where 730 kids come into foster care each year? Is it families who are on the radar of courts and social services who have struggled in the past?"

In Robert's case, he and his younger half-brother, Aidan, were allowed back into their mother's home months after she was convicted of fracturing the younger boy's skull. State Health and Welfare officials haven't released any information about how Jenkins regained custody.

Sherman said already existing programs might also offer good models, including an anti-violence campaign at Mercy Medical Center in Nampa. Programs at United Way, including a kindergarten-preparedness program, also support kids and their families.

Liberty Elementary PTA members want to set aside money in their budget for monthly family nights at the school, with the sole purpose of making sure parents know other parents and parents know kids in other families, said Stacey St. Amand, interim director of the nonprofit Idaho Voices for Children and PTA president at Liberty.

The group is aiming for 100 percent participation.

"Because we're seeing more and more need in our school, more kids who need help paying for lunch and free breakfasts, more of a need for donated clothing, more parents who don't have jobs or are working two jobs, which can create even more need in kids," she said.

MAYBE IT'S TIME TO INTERVENE

Sherman said that while child protection programs are suffering from underfunding, the issue reaches beyond programs.

Sometimes, helping kids comes down to "making a cultural shift that increases the sharing, neighbor to neighbor," he said.

The trick is to work out the balance between giving families their privacy and stepping in to take action when it looks like someone's in trouble.

"As private citizens, we can be aware of our surroundings," St. Amand said. "If you see, or suspect child abuse, you need to report it. It's a simple process. You call the Idaho Care Line at 211.

"My feeling is you're morally bound as a human being to do that. It sounds corny, but it does take a village. In my own neighborhood, I've seen kids abusing BB guns and airsoft rifles against each other. I intervene, because it's just wrong, and I feel it's my duty. Then again, I grew up with a father who was always yelling at speeders on our street to slow down."

In a column this week, Crapo called on the community as well.

"Pay attention to what is happening around you and don't hesitate to help someone who you suspect might be in trouble," he said. "Vigilance demands that we speak up, point out, notice our surroundings and listen to our instinct. It is always better to err on the side of caution."

Patricia Kempthorne, who now advocates for children through the Twiga Foundation, said she was reminded recently of this need when she saw a woman struggling to cross a street.

The woman had two children and a baby in a stroller. She was obviously having a hard time, losing her temper. People were nearby, watching her, but didn't speak to her. It reminded Kempthorne of an incident in her own past.

"I was sitting in my car at the post office, having one of those days," she said. "My kids were in the back seat, and I was yelling at the steering wheel. A man came and tapped on my window and asked if he could help. Just that offer defused the moment. That happened about 25 years ago, and I've never forgotten it.

"I wondered why I didn't have the same courage to walk up to that woman the other day, the way that man did for me. Maybe all she needed was to know that someone cared," Kempthorne said.

By the end of the Tuesday meeting, she said, she was thinking of the volunteer searchers who came to look for any trace of the missing child as "2,300 neighbors" - people who were willing to get involved in the life of someone they didn't know.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/localnews/story/874406.html

[Faith]

Sen. Mike Crapo: We all have a duty to help prevent family violence
BY SEN. MIKE CRAPO - Idaho Statesman
Published: 08/23/09

Several weeks ago, I wrote to my constituents about the rise in the incidence of family violence during times of economic recession. A few days later, 8-year-old Robert Manwill went missing in Boise.

Since then, Idaho has learned more about this heartbreaking story, and now his mother and her boyfriend have been charged with Robert's death. This case is an example of how awful family violence can be and should give us motivation to do everything we can to prevent family violence in all of its forms.

The alleged events of this case are similar to many others that I have learned about in my visits with abuse victims in shelters around Idaho. The emotional and physical effects of family violence became very real to me in 1998 during a visit to a safe house for children in Twin Falls County. During this deeply moving visit, I met children who had been victims of child abuse. Their stories and the lasting effects of abuse on their lives greatly affected me and moved me to make abuse and family violence prevention a constant priority in my public service.

Through regular visits to Idaho shelters and briefings by local and state domestic violence abuse prevention advocates, I remain involved and active with this issue on the federal level. My efforts have included improving and strengthening the Violence Against Women Act and the Victims of Crime Act, promoting public-private partnerships to support those who are victims in their own homes, working to increase public awareness of the issue and working to help victims to know there is help available.

Family violence is something we all must work to prevent. The first and most immediate thing we can do to prevent family violence is to be aware and watch for it. Community vigilance, personal situational awareness and common sense are essential to prevention. Pay attention to what is happening around you, and don't hesitate to help someone who you suspect might be in trouble. Vigilance demands that we speak up, point out, notice our surroundings and listen to our instinct. It is always better to err on the side of caution.

Donating money and volunteering time to your local shelter is another good way to help. Many shelters in Idaho are underfunded and have difficulty maintaining sufficient staff and resources. Due to long-term uncertainty and stiff competition for federal Violence Against Women Act and Victims of Crime Act support, family violence intervention and prevention advocacy organizations cannot survive without local support through donations and volunteering. These organizations make a critical difference in the character and quality of our communities. They provide needed services to victims and education to communities, helping promote healing that leads to self-sufficiency and self-respect.

Cases of family violence, such as the recent case in Boise, occur every day, so we must work on prevention and raising awareness every day. I encourage you to make an effort to learn about the groups working to prevent family violence in your area and get involved with the shelters working to heal its negative effects.

For more information about child abuse, family and dating violence prevention, education and awareness initiatives and related legislation I've been working on, please visit my Web site: http://crapo.senate.gov.

Mike Crapo is Idaho's senior U.S. senator.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/opinion/story/874378.html

[Faith]

Our View: Protecting our children starts with each of us

Published: 08/25/09

The case of Robert Manwill has stirred the emotions of the Treasure Valley. Worry. Sadness. Shock. Outrage.

Now, the slaying of this 8-year-old must stir something else in each of us: a determination to stay involved and do more to protect our children.

Local child advocates hope to tap into the community's remarkable response to Robert's July 24 disappearance. A week after he was reported missing, some 2,300 people volunteered for searches organized by the Boise Police Department. Robert was found on Aug. 3 in a canal near Kuna; his mother, Melissa Scott Jenkins, and her boyfriend, Daniel Ehrlick Jr., now face first-degree murder charges.

As Boise deputy police chief Jim Kerns said last week, "Probably no other case in Boise history has touched so many people." It's hard to disagree.

But what happens from here? Roger Sherman, director of the Idaho Children's Trust Fund, posed a good question in a story in Sunday's Statesman. "Over 2,000 people will pull together to search for a young boy, even when the search seems hopeless. Can we also figure out how to pull together on a daily basis to find kids like Robert with no place to turn?"

We believe we can, having just witnessed the way this community heard Boise police's appeal. But we recognize that advocacy also requires people to take the initiative personally. To get involved when no one or no agency is asking for the help.

No, this isn't easy, and yes, this can be awkward. Idahoans respect personal privacy and tend to take a live-and-let-live approach to our neighbors. If you aren't a child psychologist or a police officer - or someone otherwise trained in spotting the signs of abuse - how do you know when you've crossed the line from being a concerned citizen to being a busybody?

The trouble, of course, is that you don't know. You are left to follow your best judgment. All advocates can ask you to do is to rethink the way you gauge a situation. If you suspect abuse, speak up. You can report possible abuse by calling the Department of Health and Welfare's Idaho CareLine at 211.

And you don't have to wait until you see signs of potential abuse. You can also get involved - in a proactive manner - by volunteering with one of the local groups that work with at-risk children.

If the Treasure Valley is going to change its approach to protecting our children, it will take leadership from the right groups. But leadership also occurs neighbor to neighbor. This must continue, after the emotions of the Manwill case subside. But this can begin now, when these emotions are at the surface.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/Opinion/story/876199.html