Scott-Wesley Denham finally got his day in court Tuesday, only he wasn’t there to see it. That morning, prior to jury selection in his felony child abuse case, Denham, 35, was arrested for contempt of court for refusing to obey courtroom rules. The scene turned ugly as soon as Deschutes County Circuit Judge Wells Ashby entered the room and all stood but Denham and a handful of his supporters, who soon began arguing with the judge. But determined to not let the defendant further delay his trial, which began with his arrest in 2017, Ashby ordered it be held without Denham, who was acting as his own attorney. That afternoon, after a day of tearful witness testimony and a biker gang in the courtroom, the jury found Denham guilty of two felonies. It took jurors eight minutes. “He was warned of the perils of the empty desk and he chose to avoid those warnings,” Ashby said. “The court was required, both on a statutory level and an ethical level to find him in contempt, and to have him arrested to ensure security and decorum in the courtroom.” Since his arrest in September 2017, Denham has been represented by three separate court-appointed defense teams, as well as several court-appointed legal advisers. His latest was defense attorney T.J. Spear, whom the court asked to be on hand Tuesday should Denham change his mind and request assistance. Outside the courtroom, Spear introduced himself to Denham, who promptly told him he was fired, according to Spear. Since waiving his right to counsel, Denham filed numerous motions with the court alleging an official conspiracy to deprive him of his parental and personal rights. “I have learned that this alleged ‘Court’ that has scheduled a case against me is not really a court as per the Constitution of the United States, but rather a tribunal operated as a private corporation,” Denham wrote in a motion. The trial headed south soon after it started Tuesday. When called on by name, Denham, wearing street clothes, held up his birth certificate and said, “This is Scott-Wesley Denham,” indicating the document. After several minutes of arguing, Denham and one of his supporters, David Zion Brugger, were taken into custody and transported to the Deschutes County jail. Brugger, 59, was a highly visible presence outside the federal courthouse in Portland during the 2016 trial of Ammon Bundy, who led the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. With the defendant on his way to jail, Ashby ordered that the trial continue, citing Denham’s similar behavior in a pretrial hearing last week. “He is clearly indicating through his conduct that he does not want trial to proceed,” Ashby said. Though Denham had the right to represent himself in court, the state had the right to bring its case, and his victim had the right to testify against him, Ashby said. The case began in 2017, when Denham’s wife had sole custody of the victim, who was 7 at the time. That year, the couple decided to move out of their home in Redmond with their children and camp throughout Oregon, according to trial testimony. The family was staying at Tumalo Creek State Park in late September when the abuse occurred. Authorities were called when the girl went to stay with her biological father. She told him it hurt to sit down. “She told me Scott had made her take her pants down and hit her with a stick,” the girl’s father testified Tuesday, “because she wasn’t listening.” Tuesday’s proceedings included testimony from sheriff’s deputies who investigated the case and an examiner with the KIDS Center child-abuse investigation organization. Denham admitted to officers that he hit the child with a stick he got from a tree because “she needed to listen to her mom,” according to deputy Bradley Hamlin of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. The injury left by the stick was visible weeks later, according to physician’s assistant Jill Hartley of the KIDS Center. “It was my opinion that her injuries were consistent with her account of being hit with a stick,” Hartley said. In the audience gallery of Courtroom C were about a dozen bikers with “Bikers Against Child Abuse,” according to the insignia on their leathers. The biker group travels the country to support victims in child abuse cases and, according to a brochure, “stands at the ready to shield these children from further abuse.” The bikers were contacted in this case by relatives of the victim. The girl, now 9, rode to lunch at McDonald’s on the back of one of their motorcycles. She took the witness stand right after the lunch break. “I used to live in the forest with Scott,” she told the prosecutor. “I didn’t like it.” Prosecutor Jason Kropf stood a few feet away from her with his hands behind his back and spoke in a soft voice. With no opposing counsel to object or cross-examine the witness, he was not interrupted, though the judge paused the hearing several times so the girl could compose herself. Several of the bikers cried as well. The trial ended in the afternoon, after only the prosecution rested. “This kind of disciplining has never been OK in the state of Oregon,” Kropf said in his closing statement. “He said he was trying to send a message. I’m not sure what kind of message that sends a 7-year-old.” The jury returned guilty verdicts on two felonies — first-degree criminal mistreatment and third-degree assault. Outside in the visitor parking area, the bikers cheered at the news. On Friday, Denham came to The Bulletin office joined by Brugger and frequent public lands protester Ken Medenbach. They said they wanted to discuss Denham’s case, but spent much of the interview arguing the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case and validity of the U.S. criminal justice system. When asked about the charges against him, Denham said he only struck his stepdaughter because she disregarded her mother’s orders to get out of the river. “It was for her own safety and security,” he said. Denham’s sentencing is scheduled for Friday. As a U.S. citizen, he has the right to be present at the hearing. https://www.bendbulletin.com/locals...nt-tried-in-absentia-after-arguing-with-judge
Look Ive got 4 girls the oldest one just turned 5. Nobody wants to hear it but there are days, they make me crazy, they wont listen, they do things they arent supposed to, sometimes its like Chaos is the norm. All that, and sometimes it hard not to yell at them, sometimes they can really piss me off, but there is never an excuse to abuse your kids, theres never an excuse to hit them with a stick to “prove a point”. Were the adults and yes disciplining your children is important but laying your hands on them ESPECIALLY if its leaving a mark for weeks, nothing excuses that. Guy deserves whatever jail time he gets and probably more.
Violent abuse of a child is a permanent scar on the child...the guy shouldn't be allowed near another one
I wonder how this creeps is going to get treated in prison by imprisoned biker gang members. I wonder if he'll have his but beated so bad that he can't sit down. Karma? When I was a little boy, my cousin, the same age as me, and I would get regular switching with lilac bush switches on our butts by my aunt when we did the kind of stuff that little boys do. Can't really say those were beatings but they were on the cusp. Now, I don't believe in physical punishment for children.
The guy comes across like an asshole, full of concern for himself but none for his stepdaughter. His court antics, disrespect for the system, and attitude are what he was convicted for as there seems to be no actual evidence of abuse. 8 minute jury deliberation? 12 failed Americans with no more respect for justice than the defendant had. Instant grounds for appeal. Sounds like she misbehaved in a dangerous situation and stepdad maybe paddled her a little harder than necessary ONCE. Most decent people my age have similar memories of being "corrected" by their parents like this, recognize the love and concern behind it, and are grateful later in life. I'm thinking either there's a lot more instances of more serious abuse to this story, or I don't see how it got to court at all. Nearly all domestic abuse comes from alcoholism or financial stress. This family "chose" to camp in the woods (lost their home due to Obama's RepoCare) and likely was going through some massive stress and fear for survival. Back then this was pretty common with hundreds of families in Beautiful Central Oregon losing their homes due to the fines for being unable to afford Obamacare or being unable to pay rent/mortgage due to obediently paying for massively expensive but useless Obamacare. BTW, "camping" here in the winter would be fatal to most of you city basement dwellers.
People who have studied physical punishment of children such as my published PhD 2nd. cousin who taugh psychology at a University in Vancouver, B.C. say that the better way to go is without physical punishment. My father, who used both his belt and his hand in guiding me, reached the same conclusion and decided that the Alabama way that he had been taught was both backward and wrong. God bless my father.
Not promoting it, nor did I raise my boys that way, just saying a conviction of felony child abuse will destroy anyone's life and it seems this falls short of that kind of crime.
I was raised with a switch. I had to go pick it out myself. Now, I will say this. I learned very quickly to be respectful, obedient, etc. However, I learned it out of fear, not because it's the right thing to do. My wife and I realized early on that our parents probably spanked because it's simply easier to spank. Spanking lasts seconds, while taking something of value away takes longer, and is harder on the parent. Kids whine and "bug" you for their rights back. We made it through though. Our kids learned quickly not to question us. Now, saying all that, we have "whapped" our kids on the butt a couple of times when they were downright disrespectful, but we still followed through with our normal punishment.
Kids need to be disciplined but not by using anger and physicality. My pop would spank and sometimes snap the belt to instill immediate fear, which worked for ropey unruly boys. However he was the most patient and nicest guy you'd ever meet and he felt bad after each whipping. never used the belt. He was doing what he was taught. The key with my pop was, he always offset a spanking or any kind of dispelling with love and compassion too, which in my opinion is what seared the love and respect i developed for my father. Different cultures use different methods in disciplining their kids and believe it or not their spouses (sad) and they feel they are morally obligated to do so. Now thats abuse in the highest!
It wasn't his kid and he had no legal right to put his hands on her. Banging the mom doesn't mean he can beat her child.
Gonna drop this here in case anyone missed it. This is a real court proceeding the guys from Rick and Morty performed from the recording and was later animated.
My dad did more than snap the belt for effect. He used the belt to lay it on. I was only 5 when I recall him doing that. I begged my mother not to tell about the candy bar I stole but to no avail. She spanked me and I cried and shook all over dreading when my father would come home from work. It as a nightmare come true and I would never lay a hand on a child although I did once. My aunt and uncle on Mom's side said it was good for a child to receive physical punishment. I spanked my little niece, okay it was one swat, but I've felt guilty all these years. I'd give anything to take it back.
A couple times I swatted my kids on the butt, w/ there diapers on, I dont think they even felt it, it wasnt hard and it was more like a move it young lady then a punishment. We have a couple rules for punishments. We dont punish them when were angry, and we make sure were both in agreement with their punishments. I was spanked a few times growing up and I deserved it, it was always followed up by a long talk though, make sure we were on the same page. Honestly I dont feel like it negatively affected me at all. I cant imagine doing anything to physically harm my kids though, yes they at times need to know that Im the one in charge at the moment not them, but that doesnt have to be through pain, there are lots of ways to communicate with your kids that they need to listen.
I never beat my own kids, but I take the cat-o-nine-tails to other people's kids all the time. Whether they deserve it or not, it helps instill the proper attitude in the little bastards. barfo
