In what can only be described as one of the most outrageous and heartbreaking acts of judicial misconduct for a very long time, Sanilac County Circuit Judge Gregory S. Ross awarded joint custody to Christopher Mirasolo of a child he fathered nine years ago when he raped a 12-year old. The child is now 8. The judge’s actions in this situation are beyond abhorrent:
Christopher Mirasolo, 27, of Brown City was awarded joint legal custody by Judge Gregory S. Ross after DNA testing established paternity of the child, according to the victim’s attorney, Rebecca Kiessling, who is seeking protection under the federal Rape Survivor Child Custody Act. A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 25. […]
Ross disclosed the rape victim’s address to Mirasolo and ordered Mirasolo’s name to be added to the child’s birth certificate — all without the victim’s consent or a hearing, according to Kiessling. […]
Mirasolo served only six and half months for the rape which involved kidnapping the child and holding her and her sister captive for two days. Since then he raped at least one other teenager and was sent to prison for four years for that.
Another disgusting aspect to this horrific story is that Mirasolo didn’t ask for joint custody. The judge took that upon himself, as part of an effort to save the state money in the form of public assistance for the rape victim by forcing Mirasolo to pay child support:
Barbara Yockey, Mirasolo’s attorney, said it’s unclear what her client’s future involvement — if any — will be with the child. She declined to discuss any of his past criminal cases.
“Chris was notified of the paternity matter and an order of filiation was issued last month by the court saying he had joint legal custody and reasonable visitation privileges,” she said. “He never initiated this. It was something routinely done by the prosecutor’s office when a party makes application for state assistance. […]
The woman spoke briefly Friday about her situation.
“I think this is all crazy,” she told The News. “They (officials) never explained anything to me. I was receiving about $260 a month in food stamps for me and my son and health insurance for him. I guess they were trying to see how to get some of the money back.”
This is The Handmaiden’s Tale come to life before our very eyes.
The universe weeps.
UPDATE: This post has been updated HERE.
UPDATE 2: Judge Ross did not have to do this. I explain why and share his contact information in an update to this post HERE.
UPDATE 3: Judge Ross has stayed his motion. That said, he should still be removed from the bench as quickly as humanly possible. Learn about how to help with that HERE.
UPDATE 4: An important update to this story is HERE. It’s beginning to look like the most evil player in this sad drama is the County Prosecutor James V. Young.
