6 days ago
Mother announces she has relinquished parental rights to autistic child, 14, because she is so scared of him
The mother of an autistic teenager arrested after a SWAT standoff is attempting to relinquish her parental rights to force the state to her handle his alleged violent outbursts.
Georgia mother Tracie, who has not revealed her second name, said she is taking the drastic step because she is outraged over a lack of action from authorities.
Her son Jonathan, 14, was arrested in January and charged with felony burglary and criminal damage after he allegedly broke into a tractor-trailer business before the incident turned into a SWAT standoff.
The teen was found to have knives on him as he broke into the facility in Atlanta, and his arrest came only after cops deployed tear gas to bring him into custody, per Atlanta News First.
Despite the seriousness of the incident, Tracie said she was stunned to recently receive word from the Fulton County Juvenile Court saying the case had been dismissed without prejudice.
Officials said the decision was down to Jonathan's capacity to face charges, but his mother said she is baffled at the move, which was made despite police noting that he suffers from 'autism with violent tendencies.'
Tracie said her son has been in Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS) custody since his arrest, and that she made the heartbreaking decision to relinquish her parental rights over fears for her own safety.
'If he comes home, I'm not going to be able to stop him,' she told the outlet.
Tracie said the decision over her parental rights ultimately lies with a judge, and that she is afraid of what may happen if it is not granted.
'There's a reason I'm afraid of him,' she said, adding she's suffered a broken leg as a result of his violent outbursts.
'It's very heart-wrenching when a parent feels like the only option they have to prevent any kind of tragic event is to relinquish their rights, knowing all the things they have done.'
She said the decision was not out of hatred for her struggling son, and that she hopes to reunite with him as an adult after he receives treatment.
'I would never just give up on him,' she said.
'This is my child. This is not an acquaintance or a stranger on the street; this is my flesh and blood, someone I love in the deepest parts of my soul.
'I wouldn't wish this on any parent because it is like a death, except he's alive.'
Peggy Walker, a Georgia Juvenile Courts senior judge, told Atlanta News First that cases like Tracie's are complex.
She said Jonathan's charges may have been dismissed over his inability to understand the case, or whether the DFCS was handling the issues within the child welfare system instead.
The Atlanta outlet said that 334 instances of parents relinquishing their rights have been recorded this year, and 688 times last year within the DFCS.
'We have to be prepared to address and provide support and respite,' Walker said.
'We should never be in a situation where a parent is surrendering their rights because their child has a disability and services are absent.'
'It's our job to work with the child and the family; provide the resources; and make every effort to reunify that child with the parent.'
