Lawyer Betrayed Client Trust

Nancy Clifton gave him more than $400,000 of her deceased husband’s life insurance settlement to invest. All of it was gone within three years.

M&D Construction bought a house from him in a foreclosure transaction, only to learn weeks later — and after spending thousands of dollars on renovations — that it already had been sold to someone else.

Eva Bauer sought his help in handling a disbursement from her deceased brother’s estate. Two years later, the money had vanished.

In story after story, those who turned to Kent Desselle for help or conducted business with him came away claiming huge losses that resulted in financial hardship. In the end, it was the $20,000 from a memorial fund for two murdered children that led to the downfall of the former Independence lawyer.

Desselle was disbarred by the Missouri Supreme Court. He was the subject of seven complaints filed last year, most of which accused him of mishandling clients’ money.

In its recommendation to disbar Desselle, the Disciplinary Hearing Panel issued a scathing statement: “Respondent has committed multiple offenses of taking his clients’ funds and using them for his own selfish motives and shown that he is dishonest.”

Full Article and Source:
Testimony shows disbarred lawyer repeatedly betrayed clients’ trust

>Trial to Determine Guardianship

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A trial to determine guardianship of the sons of a missing Northland mother will be held July 31, a Clay County judge ordered today.

Linda Lockwood, the mother of Renee Pernice, is seeking guardianship of her missing daughter’s children.

In a previous court filing, Lockwood contended that the father of her grandchildren, Shon Pernice, was unfit to be a parent and unable to care for the children.

Lockwood and her husband, Douglas Lockwood, made the filing in March. She noted in the petition that her daughter has been missing since early January and that the Clay County prosecutor has said there is substantial evidence she is dead.

Full Article and Source:
Trial date set in Pernice guardianship case

More information:
Hearing Held About Custody For Pernice Boys

Trial date set for custody battle involving missing Kansas City mother’s children

See also:
Grandmother Seeking Guardianship

Trial to Determine Guardianship

A trial to determine guardianship of the sons of a missing Northland mother will be held July 31, a Clay County judge ordered today.

Linda Lockwood, the mother of Renee Pernice, is seeking guardianship of her missing daughter’s children.

In a previous court filing, Lockwood contended that the father of her grandchildren, Shon Pernice, was unfit to be a parent and unable to care for the children.

Lockwood and her husband, Douglas Lockwood, made the filing in March. She noted in the petition that her daughter has been missing since early January and that the Clay County prosecutor has said there is substantial evidence she is dead.

Full Article and Source:
Trial date set in Pernice guardianship case

More information:
Hearing Held About Custody For Pernice Boys

Trial date set for custody battle involving missing Kansas City mother’s children

See also:
Grandmother Seeking Guardianship

>What caused Dennis Long to snap?

>

For two weeks in late March and early April, a 49-year-old man named Dennis Long repeatedly called and tried to convince Riverfront Times to write an investigative story about his sisters. He claimed they were conspiring to keep him from seeing their mother, who was afflicted with Alzheimer’s and lived at St. Sophia Health & Rehabilitation Center, a nursing home.

He continued to phone several times a day. When his calls weren’t picked up, he left panicked messages, pleading for a call back.

On Wednesday, April 1, the calls to the paper stopped. On Friday Long was all over the local news.

He stole a Mercedes-Benz, doused himself in gasoline, lit a match and crashed the car through the front door of St. Sophia, injuring one resident and causing minor fire and structural damage to the building. He was taken to the burn unit at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center, where doctors used drugs to induce a coma.

Over the weekend on April 3, police discovered that before the crash, Long took a hammer and nearly beat to death a 51-year-old woman named Joyce McGill. The owner of the wrecked Mercedes, McGill was a friend who had taken in Long and given him a place to live.

Long was his mother’s legal guardian for several years. The pair lived together in a home in south city. Long was unemployed. He had HIV, so he received a disability check. Combined with his mother’s social security, it was enough to live on. In 2007 Charlene Jones, Long’s eldest sister, sued for guardianship of their mother and won when Long didn’t show up for the court hearing.

Whenever he called, Long spoke of nothing but how desperately he wanted to see his mother. He kept a running tally of how long it had been since he had seen her. His last report was that it had been 115 days.

“I know this is not right. My sisters playing politics and telling lies. I got like five sisters — all of them was involved in setting me up and trying to take my mom from me and everything. They all in it together. They like criminals.”

Full Article and Source:
Diary of a Mad Man: Dennis Long tried unsuccessfully to interest Riverfront Times in his story. Then he went out and made news

What caused Dennis Long to snap?

For two weeks in late March and early April, a 49-year-old man named Dennis Long repeatedly called and tried to convince Riverfront Times to write an investigative story about his sisters. He claimed they were conspiring to keep him from seeing their mother, who was afflicted with Alzheimer’s and lived at St. Sophia Health & Rehabilitation Center, a nursing home.

He continued to phone several times a day. When his calls weren’t picked up, he left panicked messages, pleading for a call back.

On Wednesday, April 1, the calls to the paper stopped. On Friday Long was all over the local news.

He stole a Mercedes-Benz, doused himself in gasoline, lit a match and crashed the car through the front door of St. Sophia, injuring one resident and causing minor fire and structural damage to the building. He was taken to the burn unit at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center, where doctors used drugs to induce a coma.

Over the weekend on April 3, police discovered that before the crash, Long took a hammer and nearly beat to death a 51-year-old woman named Joyce McGill. The owner of the wrecked Mercedes, McGill was a friend who had taken in Long and given him a place to live.

Long was his mother’s legal guardian for several years. The pair lived together in a home in south city. Long was unemployed. He had HIV, so he received a disability check. Combined with his mother’s social security, it was enough to live on. In 2007 Charlene Jones, Long’s eldest sister, sued for guardianship of their mother and won when Long didn’t show up for the court hearing.

Whenever he called, Long spoke of nothing but how desperately he wanted to see his mother. He kept a running tally of how long it had been since he had seen her. His last report was that it had been 115 days.

“I know this is not right. My sisters playing politics and telling lies. I got like five sisters — all of them was involved in setting me up and trying to take my mom from me and everything. They all in it together. They like criminals.”

Full Article and Source:
Diary of a Mad Man: Dennis Long tried unsuccessfully to interest Riverfront Times in his story. Then he went out and made news

>Some Money Returned – Investigation Continues

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The state has returned donated money amounting to more than $27,000 that had been taken out of Jasper County wards’ accounts by Rita Hunter, former public administrator.

Gretchen Long, attorney for Angie Casavecchia, the new public administrator: “There is more coming.”

The office is working on the return of about $85,000 that was taken from wards’ accounts and sent to state health-care agencies in the last weeks of Hunter’s tenure at the end of last year.

Hunter also is the subject of an investigation that was launched after it was learned that all the wards’ records had been taken from the public administrator’s files, and that computer files on the wards had been erased before Casavecchia took over on Jan. 1. Hunter later returned about 30 boxes of files, and additional materials were taken from her house as a result of a search warrant.

Full Article and Source:
Some county wards’ money returned by state agencies

See also:
Probate Judge Orders Return of Money

Hunter Removed Client Files

Class Action Filed

Some Money Returned – Investigation Continues

The state has returned donated money amounting to more than $27,000 that had been taken out of Jasper County wards’ accounts by Rita Hunter, former public administrator.

Gretchen Long, attorney for Angie Casavecchia, the new public administrator: “There is more coming.”

The office is working on the return of about $85,000 that was taken from wards’ accounts and sent to state health-care agencies in the last weeks of Hunter’s tenure at the end of last year.

Hunter also is the subject of an investigation that was launched after it was learned that all the wards’ records had been taken from the public administrator’s files, and that computer files on the wards had been erased before Casavecchia took over on Jan. 1. Hunter later returned about 30 boxes of files, and additional materials were taken from her house as a result of a search warrant.

Full Article and Source:
Some county wards’ money returned by state agencies

See also:
Probate Judge Orders Return of Money

Hunter Removed Client Files

Class Action Filed

Grandmother Seeking Guardianship

Renee Pernice’s mother is seeking guardianship of the missing woman’s two children.

In a court filing, Linda Lockwood said the father of her grandchildren, Shon Pernice, was unfit to be a parent and unable to care for the children.

Lockwood and her husband, Douglas Lockwood, made the filing this month in Clay County Circuit Court. She noted in the petition that her daughter has been missing since early January and that the Clay County prosecutor has said there is substantial evidence that she is dead.

Lockwood said that she and other relatives felt they had to act after Clay County authorities charged Pernice with felony theft for allegedly stealing a neighbor’s handgun.

The petition also contends that Shon Pernice left the boys, ages 9 and 6, alone at their Northland home at least once, brandished a gun in front of the children, and tried to withdraw money from accounts in his wife’s name alone that were set up for the children.

Investigators have said Shon Pernice is a person of interest in his wife’s disappearance. He has not been arrested or charged.

Full Article and Source:
Mother of missing woman seeks guardianship of her two children

More information:
Renee Pernice’s Mom Seeks Custody Of Kids

Renee Pernice’s Parents Call Husband ‘Unfit’ Father

>Grandmother Seeking Guardianship

>

Renee Pernice’s mother is seeking guardianship of the missing woman’s two children.

In a court filing, Linda Lockwood said the father of her grandchildren, Shon Pernice, was unfit to be a parent and unable to care for the children.

Lockwood and her husband, Douglas Lockwood, made the filing this month in Clay County Circuit Court. She noted in the petition that her daughter has been missing since early January and that the Clay County prosecutor has said there is substantial evidence that she is dead.

Lockwood said that she and other relatives felt they had to act after Clay County authorities charged Pernice with felony theft for allegedly stealing a neighbor’s handgun.

The petition also contends that Shon Pernice left the boys, ages 9 and 6, alone at their Northland home at least once, brandished a gun in front of the children, and tried to withdraw money from accounts in his wife’s name alone that were set up for the children.

Investigators have said Shon Pernice is a person of interest in his wife’s disappearance. He has not been arrested or charged.

Full Article and Source:
Mother of missing woman seeks guardianship of her two children

More information:
Renee Pernice’s Mom Seeks Custody Of Kids

Renee Pernice’s Parents Call Husband ‘Unfit’ Father

>Probate Judge Orders Return of Money

>

The probate court is joining the Jasper County public administrator’s office in seeking the return of county wards’ money that was sent to the state.

Rita Hunter, in the final weeks of her tenure as the elected public administrator in December, sent about $85,000 from the accounts of wards to state health-care agencies, said Gretchen Long, attorney for Angie Casavecchia, who replaced Hunter as administrator.

Probate Judge David Mouton has signed orders asking that the money be returned. The orders have been sent along with copies of court motions from Long saying that the payments were not authorized by the court or sought by the state, and that the wards need the money for their care. Under state law, approval by the judge is required for expenditures from wards’ accounts that exceed $1,000. Court records do not show that court permission for the expenditures was ever sought.

Full Article and Source:
Probate court joins in asking for return of wards’ money

More information:
Nursing homes feeling squeeze w/ Gretchen Long letter to facilities and caregivers

See also:
Exceeding Authority