Should a Judge be allowed to steal a child from a Mother without knowing the full story and Lawyers gaslighting and or not telling the whole TRUTH of the issues

Should a Judge be allowed to steal a child from a Mother  

without knowing the full story and Lawyers gaslighting

and or not telling the whole TRUTH of  the issues

A Virginia Mom  faces the loss of her parental rights for a son she primarily raised for the first six years of his life.

The Set Up

Natalia Dalton in the City of Alexandria, Virginia spent the first six years of her sons life as his primary caregiver.

She and her ex-boyfriend Julio LaCayo had a son  in 2008.

They were never married, and custody was always arranged in some part through court orders the entirety
of her son’s life.

For the first six years of his life, Natalia had physical custody, her son thrived in school under her care.

“There was one court hearing during that time over the sons passport.” Dalton noted.

In 2013, that all changed.

Indeed, the custody arrangement appeared to be working fine until Dalton was attacked a few times
by LaCayo, her son came back from visits aggressive and LaCayo, Dalton alleged, was no longer cooperative.

In September 2013, Dalton went back to court to resolve those issues.

Dalton told me  she provided photos (which she also provided me), witness accounts, police reports,
and medical reports to all back up that her ex was violent.  

In one police report from 2013, LaCayo allegedly pushed her into an open door frame before slamming
the door in her face during an argument. She had bruises on her back and filed a police report immediately
after the incident.

Isabel Kaldenbach

After she went to court, a Guardian ad litem (GAL), Isabel Kaldenbach, was appointed, but Dalton told me
that Kaldenbach downplayed / ignored her exes abuse while playing up her so-called disability.

When LaCayo’s violence was brought up in court, Dalton explained, Kaldenbach said his violence was
“in the past,” and should not be considered when determining custody.  This seems to be a pattern and
practice in the courts - ignoring the past abuse.

Meanwhile, Kaldenbach instead focused on frivolous and insignificant things.  The Gals job is the best interest
of the child. The appearance is in ignoring the abuse and the change in the child behavior was she doing her job?

Dalton said she has attention deficit disorder (ADD) and Kaldenbach played this up as reason she would be unfit.

Kaldenbach is an attorney, not a psychiatrist or marriage counselor, and there is no evidence that ADD makes
anyone a bad parent.

Indeed, Dalton has recently filed that this determination is a violation of her rights under the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA).

Colonel Jim Buck is Dalton’s step-father and he also believes Kaldenbach has shown bias. He feels that
Kaldenbach made an incorrect initial evaluation of the son's situation.  Kaldenbach seemed to blame the majority of  the son's behavior issues on Natalia, totally ignoring the fathers lack of cooperation in raising and disciplining the son.

The father frequently allowed the son to utilize violent video games as a young child which he discussed with Kaldenbach. 

Kaldnebach's accusations to him on Natalia that "you are raising a child with issues" is unfounded and completely unfair to everyone especially to the son is how Colonel Buck felt.

He said on the one occasion he spoke with her, he started the conversation by noting that it was Natalia who
wanted the father to participate in parenting even after the abuse Dalton was wanting what was
best for her child.

Kaldenbach declined to speak specifically about the case- citing HIPAA laws- but said she had been trained to
be a GAL in the Virginia Supreme Court program for GALs.

She said she was not trained specifically in recognizing domestic violence but in how to be a good advocate
for children.

This seemed vague and I asked the Virginia Supreme Court to further explain how GAL's are trained but they
did not provide a response.

The Custody Switch

Then, in the Spring 2014, Dalton presented LaCayo with an opportunity.

Attempting to find more affordable housing, Dalton looked into moving into a new county and with it a
new school district.

When LaCayo and his attorneys got wind of this, they filed a motion, arguing that this is a “change in
circumstances.”

In most custody arrangements, once custody is determined it is set unless there is a “change in circumstances”,
a legal term which is then interpreted by the presiding judge.

The presiding judge in this case was Judge Uley Norris Damiani a JDR judge.

On April 3, 2014, Dalton said Judge Damiani scheduled a status conference. Dalton’s attorney at the time,
Megan Wood, told her she did not even need to attend.  

But at this status conference, LaCayo’s attorney, Donnie Colton, presented an emergency motion to switch
custody, arguing that Dalton had been seen wandering her son’s school grounds barefoot.

This report was made by a single school administrator; Dalton denies it and it’s not clear what it shows,
even if true.

But on the strength of this allegation, custody was switched at this status conference with LaCayo now receiving
physical custody.

Emails to Colton and LaCayo were left unreturned.

Megan Wood headed her own law firm at the time, but then took a job with the State Department,
according to her LinkedIn profile, but her professional credentials end in August 2017 on LinkedIn, and she
couldn’t be located.

Dalton than appealed the decision to the Alexandria Circuit Court of the 18th Circuit in Virginia,
according to her Ballotpedia page where Judge Lisa bondareff Kemler was assigned.

Judge Lisa Bondareff Kemler did not respond to an email for comment.

It’s All Natalia’s Fault

Dalton said following the switch, she has been dragged repeatedly into court on real and perceived violations
of court orders.

The result is that the little time she was allowed has dwindled.

In one motion titled: Petition for Show Cause and for a rule to show cause - filed in June 2015, LaCyo wanted
to reduce Dalton’s custody time because he alleged she would not give her son medicine, in violation of a
purported court order.  Dalton was pro se at this hearing.

Kemler has granted more and more motions and with each victory, LaCayo has asked for.

In December 2017, LaCayo motioned the court to schedule a hearing to suspend all remaining custody time
for Dalton.

That parallel to this the son was removed from his school and is now being home schooled by LaCayo.

Dalton believes that the violent video games and unsupervised tv could be contributing to the school removal.

Dalton said part of the problem throughout is that while Colton has represented LaCayo, who makes a good
living, throughout Dalton has had several attorneys and represented herself at times.

She was representing herself and only found an attorney, days before the hearing the hearing on March 2, 2018.

Dalton had several witness’ available to testify in support for a change of circumstance including the principle of
the sons school he was no longer attending and being now homeschooled by the father.

The ruling is still yet to be determined, however, while she had custody, there was one hearing in six years, since
Kemler has allowed LaCayo to open the custody, dozens of hearings have been held. Motions have flown back and
forth.

The boy's best interest does not look as it is being represented in the courts by those assigned.

Nearly all issues are litigated, and this is almost always the result of action initiated by LaCayo.

Somehow, and inexplicably, the court has found that Dalton is at fault for this and taken away her visitation and
put it all supervised. The appearance is the Judge is punishing her for being pro se at times and not having an
attorney that has special favor with the court.

Dalton has never been found guilty of any abuse, while the abuse by LaCayo has gone ignored.

Dalton will be going back to court to fight for her rights to see her son without it being supervised and for
custody of her son which she believes is the boys best interest.

Written By: Michael Volpe has been a freelance investigative journalist since 2009. In 2013, he gave the keynote
address at the Eugene V Katz Award sponsored by the Center for Immigration Studies. Since 2013, he's been widely
recognized as a leading figure in exposing judicial abuse and corruption, especially in divorce and guardianship.
A 2016 investigation of a bogus guardianship of former Army Ranger Martin Patterson led to Patterson being released
from guardianship. A 2015 investigation of a bogus change of custody in Rockland County led to the first serious
investigation of abuse's throughout that county's court by he and others in the Rockland County Times.
Volpe has also made significant contributions to the Tsimhoni kids, who were reunited with their mother after their
father falsely accused her of parental alienation. Volpe was the only journalist to expose the the judge in the Tsimhoni
case, Lisa Gorcyca, engaging in abuse in numerous other cases. Volpe is the author of four books including Bullied to Death: Chris Mackney's Kafkaesque Divorce which exposes the Virginia Court corruption,  his latest, Sandra Grazzini-Rucki and the World's Last Custody Trial