

Norwalk Reflector Staff
Jul 25, 2010



Read the rest of this story in Today's Reflector...


hello (Anonymous)

What a waste of time. Stop lying to yourselves and serve your time. Those kids don't want back with you!

Beth (Anonymous)

I honestly feel for the Gravelles. I have seen them in the store and they were very nice people. If I had money, I would certainly help them out. People all parent differently, and though I'm a good, nice mom, you better believe if my kids are being terrible and don't listen, I could beat their butts. I yell at them when they're bad. I'm sure that in some way the social services could come and say I'm abusive. They could do that to anyone at all, because no parent is perfect. I wish they had had some help somehow, and maybe it wouldn't have come this far. I hope they get at least some of the children back. I would just want to die if I didnt have my children anymore. They are my life.

RE: Beth (Anonymous)

If you feel so bad for them and think they are such good people and were nice in the store maybe you could send your kids that you love so much over for a while and wonder if they are being put in cages.. Could you mentally handle that?? Why should any child be subjected to that and other things that went on in that house? And you probably really love your kids, but all these people seen was dollar signs. More Kids More Money.

sharon (Anonymous)

Amen, is all I have to say to the last comment!! I am raising 2 children that were taken from an abusive parent and both parents are drug addicts. Why can't I raise funds to help with the cost of adoption. We've had them 1 month shy of 3 years. Maybe I should start raising funds as I can not afford the cost of adopting 2 children. You would think the county would pay us to adopt them, not charge us. And no, we get no public assistance or help from anyone. Their father sends support when he works but other than that we are on our own. My husband is 55 and works 2 jobs and I am on disability. What nerve these people have asking for money.

Disciplined Chi...

When I was a kid I would get my a$$ beat but I can't remember a time when I was spanked that I didn't deserve it. I would claim over and over at the time that I was "innocent" but the truth is I usually did what I was getting a whipping for. Things such as staying out too late, swearing at my parents, swiping a pack of gum from the store, would garner me swats with my dad's belt. At the time I would have testified that my parents were abusive jerks, but looking back I can't even come close to considering him an abusers, in fact I am glasd they raised me the way they did.

No Name (Anonymous)

What these so called parents did to these children are wrong. They put the kids through alot of crap. They should just give up and go serve there time. They are not going to get away with what they did to the kids. If anyone gives them money for this benefit auction they are crazy because you will be wasting your hard earned money because the Gravelle's will NEVER win the children back. The kids are better off without Michael & Sharon in there lives. They do not deserve our hard earn money. I dont understand there are other people going through the same situations and do we see them making a public plea for help? No we do not...Michael & Sharon need to grow up and just serve there time. I am tired of hearing about them and the crazy people in the public who actually feel sorry for them.

me (Anonymous)

I can't believe they would even have the nerve to ask for money. The only reason the yadopted those kids was for money. Do we really know what they are using it for? I hope they don't get a penny!

mom (Anonymous)

i want them to go to jail if its only for a week so they can be in a cage. they are lier and bad parents if we are going collect money give it to the children. i rasied nine and didnt have to put them in a cage . i would love to know when wash day was becase everyday is wash day with that many chidren. and the state would have help with dipers if they had problems . if they couldnt rasied their own children they shouldnt had noone else.

speechless (Ano...

First of all, obviously any one that would even repasent the gravelle's must not have any morals or a concouse. How is it okay to defend something that is so wrong. And for micheal and sharon to think that they are inocent. If you have to "cage" your "unrulie" handicapted children, then the obviouse problem is not with the children but with micheal and sharon. The obvious reason is money, not love. How could they do that to them. It is hard for me to hear my children cry when I send them to their, "uncaged" rooms and here them cry. I could not imagine doing that and hearing the cries they must of wept. Thank God, someone had enough sense to take those children away. The nerve they have to ask for money....the rest of us have hard earned jobs. WE DONT LIVE OFF OF GOV FUNDING, BY ADOBTING 11 HANDICAPT KIDS.....GET REAL GRAVELLES. God will give them the correct judgment they deserve. We can only pray those children will recover. I hope the gravelles spend every day of there sentence in a small soiled caged jailcell, so they know how those kids feel. I also hope they wine and complain and are told "IT'S FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, SO YOU WONT HURT YOURSELF"

sharon (Anonymous)

You said it all speechless.............Amen! There's no judge in this land that could possibly consider giving them these children back. If I am wrong then he should be kept in a cage for awhile!

To Speechless (...

You lock your kids in the room and let them cry? What an abusive, mean parent your are. I think you should go to jail. How can you treat a child like that? A child needs love and understanding. It is cold and heartless for you to put them into a little room and let they cry. I can just imagine them sitting there on their bed their eyes all red and bloodshot from crying, wondering why their mother has forsaken them and vowing with every breath that when they grow up they won't treat their kids the same as yout have. You should report to the children services office immediately and sign your children over to someone who truly cares for children and would not treat them in such a horrible manner.

smalltowner (An...

Grow up and read the comment again from speechless no where does she say she locks them in their room. Are you saying that you never sent your kids to their room!! You must be a saint.I have met the Gravelles to me they seemed like nice people but then I did not live in their home so what do I know. Either way they were found guilty and they were sentenced to prison, my advise is do the time and get on with your life you will not get these kids back.As much as want it will not happen.

To Speechless (...

smalltowner, ok, so she didn't lock the door, but she made the cry and that is just wrong. You should not make a child cry for any reason. How would you like to be that kid sitting alone in the bedroom think your parents did like you anymore. I bet you would wish they were on trial waiting to go to jail. Now imagine it is your adoptive parents that you have no instictive attachment to, would that motivate you to say how horrible they are?
if you couldn't tell, I was being facetious. You are awful quick to defend this poster but not the Gravelles. These people have a right to appeal their conviction. Especially if the feel there was some errors during the trial. With all that has come out of the Human Servies department in the last couple of years, not to mention some additional stuff which will come to light in the futrue, do you really think the incompetents at Human Services got this one right?
I am sure they will eventually do the time, but don't knock them because they are doing what the have a right to do. In fact, on appeal it may get moved out of this area and rational people with be deciding the case on the merits not on emotions.

smalltowner (An...

okay lets see.... I can not condone the actions of human services since I know people who work there and I am aware of alot more than you probably are,but that does not mean that the Gravelles are faultless. If you had any knowledge of children you would know that alot of times they cry for sympathy to get out of punishment be glad they are being sent to their rooms and not locked in a closet or beaten!!!As far as their rights to appeals by all means go for it but be realistic they will never get these kids back.and as far as them getting a retrial on appeal and having it moved somewhere else for more RATIONAL people might here their case. I don't believe the people here would appreciate being told that they were not rational in their decisions. You may have a right to your comments but don't resort to name calling and insinuating that someone else's decisions are wrong just because they don't agree with yours.

speehless (Anon...

to all of you who have turned my comments into i am "horrible" mother for sending my children to their rooms, obviously doesnt have children. You have to have boundries with children. What does nanny 911 say on tv, when it is time to go to bed, send them to their rooms and no matter how much they cry, make sure they are not hurt or dont need something. SO YOU ARE SAYING, NANNY 911 SHOULD GO TO JAIL AND ALL THOSE PARENTS SHOULD HAVE THERE KIDS TAKEN AWAY. You have not a leg to stand on, so stop "bullieing me" because i have an opinion. Yes the gravelles might be nice people, but it still does not justicfie them putting there kids is small wooden cages. If they had to do that to keep them safe,THEN WHY HAVE 11 KIDS, also for all of you who said"I MADE MY CHILDREN CRY WHEN I SENT THEM TO THERE ROOMS.....LEARN HOW TO READ AND FORM A SENTENCE....I SAID, WHEN I SEND THEM TO THERE ROOMS THEY CRY. If you are a parent and you have children, you would be lieing to god, if you said your children NEVER cried when you sent them to there rooms. would you want me to beat my kids or send them to there rooms when they have been misbehaved. HOW COULD ANYONE BEAT THERE KIDS,THAT IS SO WRONG. I KNOW BECAUSE I WAS ONE OF THOSE KIDS, SO DONT TELL ME THAT I SHOULD BE TURNED IN. DONT GIVE ME THE JUST THINK IF IT WAS YOUR ADOPTIVE PARENTS, SORRY BEEN THERE AND I WISH THE SYSTEM WOULD OF DONE SOMETHING FOR ME. so stop turing this into my trial, when this is supposed to be about the gravelles.SORRY I WASTED MY TIME SENDING A COMMENT, oh by the way if you do have kids i am sure there has been one time or another where you have discaplined them. so stop being a hypacrite

Alicia (Anonymous)

I just wanted to say that the Gravelles are not bad people. They are children of God just as we are. What gives us the right to judge them and treat them as we have. People make mistakes.

joe (Anonymous)

you done the crime do your time and quit your crying see how the kids felt? no $$$$

sharon (Anonymous)

Alicia--where have you been? They were found guilty of numerous crimes against these 11 children, now its time to pay for their crimes. I'm sure prison will be a piece of cake compared to what these children went through. They never had a chance to raise funds to get help to be put in a loving stable home. These people have made enough money from these children. They say they have lost everything. I'm sure they have spent a small fortune on their defense lawyers. Why didn't they take that money when they had the children and use it to get help with the children? My opinion is the children was their paycheck and at who's cost? I'm sure these children have been through alot worse than any of us know. What is 2 years in prison compared to the hell they have been through and will suffer for the rest of their lives because of these monsters. I feel also before they permanetly lost custody they should have been paying child support for these 11 kids. They recieved enough money from them, give a little back instead of begging the people for more. How disgusting! At one point and time in all our lives we need legal assistance, maybe we should all just have an auction.

To Speechless (...

Ok, it is extremely hard to convey to you people what I mean. I was being tongue-in-check, trying to show how by your own words, a case can be made to portray you as an abusive parent. And how, your kids could come to say how horrible you are. This is probably not true, but your own words were turned against you.

I never saw anything printed in the paper that really made me think these kids were abused, and believe me I have seen abused kids. One of my friend's father would come home at 11am, after working the midnight shift and spending 3 hours in the bar getting drunk. He would come in while we were playing Atari and just starting beating on this kid for no reason at all. He would have black eyes, broken ribs, bloody nose all of the time. This was abusive. There was no reason for the beatings. If the kids had messed up, or had done something wrong you could atleast have the excuse that he was trying to teach him a lesson that screwing up brings consequences, but he would just get beat because his father was a rowdy kind of guy nd when he got druck he was even worse.

T$Robinson (Ano...

Sharon, I am somewhat confused as to where you stand on major issues. You seem to have alot of compassion for the Brant boys who deliberately made the choices that they made, such as drinking way too much , then getting behind the wheel of their car , and driving wrecklessly , at an extremely high rate of speed creatinf a deadly situation , but it was all done by the decisions that they made on their own , the Gravells on the other hand were looking to adopt kids , and the state gave them handicapped kids to take care of , and when the state found people that were willing to take on this hugh challenge , the state offered them more and more hard to place children .. and the situation got out of control quickly ... so the Gravelles had to create some kind of order in the house , and they chose the now famous "cages" which as everyone knows now , was a terrible idea . but remember .. that they did this with the HCDJFS's approval .. the county was well aware of the situation at the Gravelles house long before any action was taken..maybe if the HCDJFS caseworker had disapproved of the cages when she first saw them , the situation could have been changed and the situation would have been under control again .. I am NOT saying that the Gravelle's didn't do anything wrong ... i am simply saying that the state was well aware of what was going on , and did nothing to improve it , if anything , the state did things to encourage it.and Sharon , thank you for sharing some information about you and how you have been taking care of foster children for almost 3 years.. i hope that they grow up strong , habd well , and healthy , but please .. dont let them get into the car if your brother is driving .. it is never a good idea to be a passenger with someone who has 25 DUI"s on his recore

sharon (Anonymous)

yes, they made bad choices, and they have to pay for them, the key word here being "they, being tim and mike". They had a choice and chose the wrong one as we all know. But what does that have to do with sending my condolences to the family? You make ne sense at all. Who said it was right or wrong, not me, I am not their judge nor are you or anyone else. The difference to me in the 2 cases is the Brant's had a choice these 11 kids did not. They did not have any say as to where they were going to be placed. These people never had their arms twisted to keep taking on more kids they volunteered from what I have read and seen on tv. More kids more money, is my opinion. And I am free to make my own opinion, whether you agree or not, we all have the right to our own opinion, Thank You. And as for my two children, they are non of your business and are not up for comment on here. You best keep your sick and unessecary comments to yourself, please! They are totally innocent and have had enough to go through in their short lives than most will in a life time.

Jimbob (Anonymous)

T$Robinson...The HCDJFS did NOT approve the use of cages. The social worker was NOT an employee of HCDJFS. She worked for private agencies and never reported what she saw. The social worker was also brought up on charges. Remember? She got a generous plea bargain from the court on those charges.

Caged (Anonymous)

Who in their right mind would give these people money? Everyone needs to realize that these 11 kids can't be placed in permanent homes until the Gravelles are done taxing the court system. What a waste of taxpayers money. The Gravelles made a mistake, they need to take the punishment and move on - we, as taxpayers, have already given them enough of our money.

counselor (Anon...

To Speachless: Ignore these ignorant people. I'm sure that every GOOD parent has sent their child to their room or made them cry by telling them no. We have to tell them no to protect them because we love them. Children hear the word no and think their gonna die. They will cry, kick , and scream when they don't get their own way. I applaud you for disiplining your chlidren the correct way. I wish their were more parents like you in the world!

AlterEgo (Anonymous)

Counselor, I am horrified. My children are 14 and 16 and I have never sent them to their room or made them cry. If your children don't understand the word no then you have not raised them properly and you too should have your children taken away. Please call the sheriff today so the deputies can come and take your children to safety where they can be properly care for and raised in a manner that is fitting for our society.

counselor (Anon...

AlterEgo: So are you saying it would be better to hit my children when their doing wrong? I think a time out is one of the best forms of punishment. Every doctor and counselor would agree with me. Maybe you should go get a parenting book and read what they suggest, time outs in their room. I guess you know more than all the doctors in the Phycians Guide to Parenting. I have the book right in front of me and they agree with me. I'd like to know what form of disipline you use in your house, or do you let them do what they want so they can grow up and end up in prison. Way to go!

sharon (Anonymous)

Everyone has their own forms of punishment. Me, I have never sent my children or the 2 I am raisning now to their rooms as punishment. Their room is there for their enjoyment. It has all their favorite toys, collections, books and whatever else they may keep there. Besides this is where they spend almost half their lives while they are children. How can they ever feel secure in a place that is used for punishment? I believe in time out, sit down and think about what they have done wrong and when they are calmed down and not acting out or angry anymore, talk about it and go from there. I believe a bedroom should be a place for play, entertaining friends and sleep, not punishment. This is my opinion though as everyone has their own. I am not critizing anyone, unless you are abusing your children physically, mentally or emotionally.

AlterEgo (Anonymous)

I don't hit or spank my kids. I have toaught them respect for their elders, so therefore is no need for punishment. So that makes you an abusive parent compared to me. So in my eyes you should be brought up on charges for being a worse parent than I am.

AlterEgo (Anonymous)

Exactly my point. Everyone discipline their children differently, and each and every child needs to be handled differently. Of course I do not actually feel like anyone posting here needs to go to jail. I just want to point out that words can be interpreted quite differently so what you read may not be all that it seams.

Not Abused (Ano...

I was never abused, but I did get spanked. I deserved it. I love my parents, and they spanked me because I wouldn't listen. Eventually, I did listen. And my kids are pretty good, but sometimes they need spanked too. Most of the time they do listen and I don't have to. But when I spank them it hurts their feelings more than their bodies. It works. Kids sure turned out better when they parents were allowed to discipline them. Now it's about impossible, and kids are really turning out crappy anymore. So either way parents can't win. You go to jail if you "abuse" them, and if you don't, they turn out terrible anyway.