Posted on 07/27/2005 4:11:22 PM PDT by WaveMan
The ordeal is finally over, but for the past year, a North Carolina family has been torn apart after state officials claimed family photos of a father kissing his baby's belly button were some kind of child abuse.
It began when Teresa Hamaty took impromptu party snapshots of her husband, Charbel, playfully embracing their naked, newborn son, Kristoff.
After dropping the film off at an Eckerd store in North Raleigh, authorities were notified.
"You see the back of the baby, and like if someone is kissing the baby's belly button," Teresa told WRAL-TV.
But police saw the worst and arrested Teresa for taking sexually explicit photos, charged her husband with felony sexual assault, and put Kristoff and his half-sister in protective custody.
"It was a nightmare," Charbel said, after spending half a year in jail.
Teresa took months fighting to gain back custody of her children.
"I think this was one of those times that they got the wrong people," Teresa said. "They were too quick to judge when they took one look at my husband."
Dozens of Hamaty supporters showed up for court appearances, claiming police overreacted. They raised some $140,000 in legal and living expenses for the Hamatys.
"[It] makes me feel, that's it – that's why I have to be strong for – to show everybody what the truth is," Charbel told the station.
The charges eventually were dropped when a report submitted by an expert said there was no criminal intent in the pictures.
"I hate cameras," Charbel now says. "I don't like taking pictures."
Digital camera and a picture printer...lesson learned.
"Building socialism one family at a time" placemarker.
I am curious what the husband looked like. He must have been pretty sketchy to get slammed like he did.
Gosh that situation was one crazy nightmare.
Also I can't believe he spent six months in jail like that.
This doesn't bother me. If I saw photos like this I'd steer clear of this couple and keep any children under my care from them as well. It's creepy like Lewinky's lawyer Bill Ginsburg saying on a Sunday talk show he used to kiss the insides of her infant thighs. I still shudder at the idea.
To be fair, I guess people are in a dammed if you do, dammed if you don't predicament when they report crime. Should they report something that may or may not be wrong and risk being wrong?
I would have thought that any investigation would have taken 5 minutes to exonerate the couple. But in this world, it looks like everything constitutes child abuse. Sure, we want to protect our children from harm, but we either don't do enough or we go overboard.
My father used to rub the top of his head (he wore a crewcut) over my brother's and my bare tummies. It tickled and we used to squeal with delight. I guess today if Dad did that, he too would have been arrested for child abuse.
Was it really obvious the man was kissing the baby's navel and not a little lower? If so, this should have never even made it to court.
My sister had a nasty experience with CPS in Colorado. I've told the story before and it is too long to retell but you realize just how much power the government has over you when you see them walking out with your kids and dubbing you a sex offender or a child molester over some innocent behavior. You are presumed guilty until proven innocent.
Well to be fair if I saw a picture like that, I'd wonder myself. Don't know whether I'd report it or not.
lol
I think I would go back to the Eckard store and wait until the guy that called the cops left work. 5 months more in jail for kicking his ass all over town would be worth it.
Well it appears so far you are in the minority.
If 'rasberrying' a baby's belly is abuse, every member of my family for the past four generations that I know of would be imprisioned.
Only one problem. There are no more Eckard stores, they are CVS now.
bttt
I guess I'd better turn myself into the authorities right now.
I've kissed my son's belly button, but not really kissed it. We were playing blowing on each others tummy's to make a tooting noise, LOL! My boys would just laugh and laugh when I did this to them. How sad some things like this are seen as sexual.
yes, that is it rasperberrying. That is exactly what I have done. Shame we live in a world like this that we view a simple playing act with the child as a something wrong and sexual.
"Wow, six months in jail for kissing your five month old son's bellybutton bothers the heck outta me."
I agree, especially considering the fact that there are so many KNOWN child abuse cases where the piece of sh** gets a stern warning and a slap on the wrist.
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