Officials: 7 Kids Who Performed At Oregon Standoff Were Abused By Mom

Odalis Sharp and several of her children sing outside the federal courthouse Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016. The Sharps were there to support Ammon Bundy and other defendants who have pleaded not guilty to a federal conspi... Odalis Sharp and several of her children sing outside the federal courthouse Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016. The Sharps were there to support Ammon Bundy and other defendants who have pleaded not guilty to a federal conspiracy charge related to the armed takeover of an Oregon wildlife refuge. (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP) MAGS OUT; TV OUT; NO LOCAL INTERNET; THE MERCURY OUT; WILLAMETTE WEEK OUT; PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Seven children who were taken to perform for occupiers during the armed takeover of an Oregon wildlife refuge earlier this year have been placed in the temporary custody of Kansas child welfare officials.

Shawnee County Judge Steven Ebberts made the placement Wednesday after finding probable cause that the children of Odalis Sharp had been abused, The Kansas City Star (http://bit.ly/1WLkJFt ) reported.

“Any time I’m going to hear testimony that a child has been beaten to the point we have abrasions, broken skin and bleeding . that’s disturbing,” Ebberts said.

Sharp, 46, of Auburn, traveled with seven of her 10 children, who have a family gospel band, from Kansas to Oregon to sing for and support the 41-day occupation by armed militants at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. One daughter, 18-year-old VictoriaSharp, was riding with Nevada rancher LaVoy Finicum and three of the other militants when Finicum ran a roadblock and was shot and killed by Oregon state police.

Sharp told The Star as she left the hearing that she didn’t abuse her children.

“The federal government hates us right now, because my daughter is a primary witness of a murder they committed,” she said. “And so what do they do? They want the Sharp family out. And so they divide and conquer.”

According to testimony from a 2½ hour hearing, five of her children bolted Friday as she climbed in the shower. They removed guns from the house before getting a ride from a neighbor to the Shawnee County sheriff’s office.

Deputies arrested Sharp at her home Friday in connection with battery of a law enforcement officer and interference with law enforcement. Sharp said the arrest occurred after she went to court earlier that day trying to file paperwork accusing her landlord of breach of contract. Her landlord had earlier sought to have her removed from the home. She said when she returned home, law enforcement and employees with the Kansas Department of Children and Families were waiting.

Sharp was released on $3,000 bond, and no charges have been filed. An investigation is ongoing.

At Wednesday’s hearing, a children’s department social worker said the office had received three reports this year about the children’s welfare. The latest was Friday when some of the children ran from the home. The worker said the five children said their mother spanked them with a rod that left them with bruises and marks, struck them with a belt and slapped them.

Tim Sharp, the children’s father, lives in a two-bedroom apartment in Denver, and asked that the children be placed in his custody. Children’s department workers said the state needed more time to determine whether he would be an appropriate caregiver.

___

Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Latest News

Notable Replies

  1. She made herself a whole quiverful of abuse victims.

  2. Where is militia ranger on this, these are his people.

  3. Ultra-religiosity – it is a sickness. Those poor children, I really do wish them the best and hope they get the help they need to rid their minds of that lifestyle.

  4. The fact that several of them removed the guns and then cleared out of the place on their own is a good sign.

  5. That they showed real foresight is a good sign. That five siblings basically escaped their mother is a horrible sign of what they endured.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

18 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for fgs Avatar for connie_boyd Avatar for lochsabill Avatar for leftflank Avatar for sandyh Avatar for texasaggie Avatar for slagathor Avatar for sherlock1 Avatar for shystr Avatar for pippenpippen Avatar for addicted4444 Avatar for ronbyers Avatar for cincypix Avatar for beachgirlinland Avatar for beattycat Avatar for litho Avatar for henk Avatar for misterneutron Avatar for briannaamore

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: