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Pro Bono Lawyer did not
abandon McGuckins:
Has been denied right to speak with his client by the courts
The following
statements have been received by ABORN
from the Pro Bono attorney who sought to represent Mrs. McGuckin
in the case involving
the "Idaho Kids Standoff". We are posting this
information direct from the source for the benefit
of our readers who may have been misled by several biased
articles written by journalists for
the Associated Press and other Newspapers around the world.
- Michelle Konieczny, editor of TAAP
| The Letter | The Press Release |
Dear fellow citizen,
My name is Edgar Steele. I am a lawyer with offices in Sandpoint,
Idaho and the
San Francisco Bay Area. You have provided me your email address
in connection
with my involvement in the current McGuckin family
"standoff" in Sagle, Idaho. I
apologize for not having responded to you immediately, but I have
been
preoccupied with developing the many civil issues involved in the
McGuckin case.
As it happens, the McGuckin house is just up the road from my
mine, here in Sagle.
They have been a reclusive family (there is nothing wrong with
that), so I never met
them before JoAnn McGuckin was arrested this past week for
"felony child
endangerment." In a very real sense, they are neighbors of
mine, so I would have
offered them my help even if I had not been asked to do so by
several people.
This is quite literally breaking news: The local authorities have
just persuaded the
children who were holed up in the family home to come out and
have spirited them
away to an unknown location. I am delighted this has ended
without any injury to
any person. Now we can move on to consideration of what is
happening to this
family by keeping their mother and her children separated since
just a couple of
days after they buried their husband and father. Of course, there
is also the matter
of the property that was taken by the county for only about \$
8,000 in back taxes....
As reported in the press release reproduced below, which I read
to the media
assembled in Garfield Bay earlier today, I withdrew from active
representation
yesterday afternoon because I was suddenly denied access to my
clients. You see,
if I were to continue, I would have had to share my files with
the fellow who claimed
to be her sole contact representative, the court-appointed
lawyer. Also, I would
have had my efforts directed and controlled by him. He didn't
retain me, JoAnn did.
As I am sure you appreciate, I will not be held accountable in
this case to anybody
whose last name is not "McGuckin."
Please understand this: I have not abandoned the McGuckins,
however, and will
immediately renew my representation of any family member, of any
age, who
personally asks me to do so...and at no charge.
As it now stands, I will continue to speak out about the
outrageous charges lodged
against Mrs. McGuckin and the outlandish bail amount which
prevents her release
from jail.
Thank you for your interest.
-ed
Edgar J. Steele
Attorney at Law
102 South Fourth Avenue, Suite C
Sandpoint, Idaho 83864
Admitted in Idaho, Oregon, Washington & California
Facsimile: (208) 265-5329
Telephone: (208) 265-4153
email: steele@nidlink.com
PRESS
RELEASE - IMMEDIATE
June 2, 2001, 12:30 p.m., Sagle, Idaho
Contact: Edgar J. Steele, attorney at law
McGuckin Lawyer Sets the Record Straight
Sandpoint, Idaho. It has been represented to me by members of the
press that
Bonner County’s Prosecuting Attorney, Phil Robinson, is
reporting that I was fired
last night by Mrs. McGuckin. That simply is not true and is
merely another of many
false statements made in this matter by local government
officials.
What is true is that, early yesterday afternoon, I served written
notice that I was
voluntarily withdrawing for the time being because I have been
cut off from all
access to Mrs. McGuckin and her children by the local government.
This is forced
upon me by the strictures of applicable law and rules of ethics.
Now I may continue
to speak out publicly about the outrageous conduct of county
officials in this
matter.
I have not abandoned the McGuckins, and will return to actively
represent and
support any member of the family, and for any purpose,
immediately upon being
asked in person. I continue to offer my support and counsel pro
bono (free of
charge), of course.
My concern at the moment is, first and foremost, for the welfare
of the children still
terrified and isolated in the family home just up the road from
my own personal
residence here in Sagle, Idaho. Their interests will not be best
served by stirring up
additional controversy that can await resolution at a later time.
Let’s get the kids
out and to safety, then we can discuss how best to reunite this
family and begin
the process of healing the damage that they have already
suffered.
The Bonner County Sheriff has now totally cut off my access to
JoAnn McGuckin,
though I have been representing her and her children strictly for
civil issues related
to the pending criminal charge (for which she has been provided a
taxpayer-paid
public defender, Bryce Powell). The Sheriff’s rejoinder has
been that I cannot see
her since Mr. Powell is her attorney; Sheriff Jarvis refuses to
recognize my status
as her personal civil attorney.
I have been told by the Sheriff’s deputies that Mrs.
McGuckin desires that I
communicate with her henceforth only in writing, and only through
Mr. Powell. I
have been unable to confirm that with her in person. Mr. Powell
seems intent upon
enforcing that arrangement, as well.
Even if true, I find this intolerable and unworkable, since I
pledged that I would
serve only her interests and that of her children. I cannot do
that if others are
claiming to speak to me for her. The duties of a personal lawyer
are just that –
personal.
I originally met with Mrs. McGuckin for nearly two hours, shortly
after her arrest,
during which she requested my assistance for herself and her
children. Since then,
my firm has been working nonstop to develop a number of civil
issues for the
family, such as our inquiry into the sale of their property for
back taxes. I am not
willing to continue to pay others to develop aspects of the case
or work on it
myself, all for free, only to turn over the products of our
effort to anybody other
than my original clients.
Interestingly, Mr. Powell has requested that I continue to speak
out on the family’s
behalf, which I certainly would have done, in any event.
It has also been represented to me by the press that Mr. Robinson
claims he
refused to make Benjamin McGuckin available as I requested,
merely because I
had not yet filed a formal notice of appearance. That, too, is
false, because county
officials simply ignored my request to speak with Ben, as well as
my request for
copies of the child seizure order so that I could prepare and
file the initial
representation notice.
Nor was I able to see Mrs. McGuckin “once or twice
(yesterday),” as Mr. Robinson
reportedly told the press. The truth is that I did not even speak
with her personally,
and was and am being denied access to her altogether, even by
telephone.
I have been particularly gratified by the worldwide response to
the request for
funding of Mrs. McGuckin’s bail bond fund. There have been
substantial pledges,
which make me very hopeful that any reasonable bail can easily be
posted on her
behalf. I was disturbed to hear that her bail reduction hearing,
for which I had
pressed so hard, went by the wayside yesterday, with nobody
appearing on
JoAnn’s behalf.
My office has been flooded with messages of support from
throughout the
Western World, and more offers of help than we can possibly even
acknowledge.
We are all deeply touched by this outpouring of human generosity
and concern for
this family which continues to be under siege by its own
government.
I call upon all who are following these events to refrain from
jumping to
conclusions. Please keep in mind the real objectives here: First,
the safety of the
children. Second, keeping the children together as a unit. Third,
reuniting the
children with their mother and ensuring that they are allowed the
space to heal
from the blows that their family has taken lately, not the least
of which was the loss
of their long-suffering and beloved husband and father. All other
considerations
are of little significance, in my opinion, until these objectives
are met.
Donations to the bail bond fund may still be made to:
McGuckin Family Trust, PO Box 1255, Sagle, ID 83860.
Rest assured that every penny contributed to this fund will inure
directly to the
benefit of only members of the McGuckin family. In particular, I
will with my last
dying breath ensure that nothing is ever paid out from the fund
to any lawyer.
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