A man struck his child's mother and grandmother with his car after disagreeing over their child custody situation. Brett Reed, 47, was driving with his brother-in-law Seleso Ruiz Jr., attempting to drive away with his children when their mother, Jennifer Roberts, and grandmother, Linda Bryant, stood in front of the 2006 silver Chrysler Sebring.

Instead of listening to the women's pleas to return their children, Reed supposedly put the car into drive and moved his vehicle forward, striking the women. He then backed the car up and raced towards Bryant, striking her a second time. Reed and Ruiz left the scene of the crime after that.

They were eventually tracked down by local deputies who charged Reed with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

The children's mother was taken to Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital by ambulance where her minor injuries were treated. Bryant was released the same day. Her mother, Roberts, was also taken to the hospital and released later that day.

Having issues with child custody?  Seek resolution by contacting our law office to get help from a Jacksonville family lawyer.

In Los Angeles, police say that they are investigating an 11 year old boy's suicide.  They say that they did not learn key information about the boy's abusive stepfather until after the boy hung himself.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the investigators on the case lacked key information because of communication difficulties with the Department of Children and Family Services.  On June 11^th, workers came to the boy's home after he told a counselor at his school that he wanted to kill himself.  Hours after their visit to the home, the boy was found dead.

After his suicide, investigators learned that the stepfather had a history of domestic violence and drug abuse.  He answered the door when workers arrived to speak with the boy even though the court had banned him from living at the home.

If you are a victim of domestic violence, it is important that you speak with an attorney that handles family law cases.  Domestic violence could impact the outcome of related family law matters, like divorce and child custody.  To learn how a Jacksonville family lawyer can help you, contact Ellerin & Hutchinson today!

Once a person has been convicted of domestic violence or abuse, it is usually very difficult to get custody or visitation rights-difficult, but not impossible. The key to winning back your rights is by establishing that spending time with you is in the child's best interest.

As with any issue involving children, the judge's main concern is protecting the child's best interests. Right now the judge considers you a threat to the child's welfare and wellbeing. But if you can prove that you've changed and that it would benefit your child to see and spend time with you, may be able to convince the judge to award you limited custody and visitation rights. This might include short visits with your children in public places or supervised visitation.

A history of violence or abuse is something judges look for whenever they are considering a child custody and visitation arrangement. Those parents without a history of violent behavior will be given more rights to their children than those who have a history of abuse. That's not to say a domestic violence arrest will squash a parent's chances of obtaining custody or visitation, it's just that the judge may choose to only grant limited access to the children.

If your child's other parent has been awarded custody or visitation, and you think his or her abusive behavior makes them a threat to the child, you can ask the judge to reduce their rights or order supervised visits only. Judges are often willing to award supervised visitation, as children benefit from having relationships with both parents. There are times, however, when the abuse is so bad the child must have no contact with the parent.

If you have a question about your custody or visitation rights, or if you are trying to protect your child from an abusive parent, a Jacksonville family law attorney at Ellerin Hutchinson can help. To schedule a consultation to discuss your case, click here to fill out a case evaluation form or simply call the office at (904) 866-4489.

While many people enjoy the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, the holidays aren't favored by everyone.

Experts say that stress from the holidays can actually lead to more incidents of domestic violence, especially if there is already a history of violence or abuse in the family.

It is believed that the pressure to constantly be happy and cheerful can cause someone crack and express their frustrations through violence.  Another cause? Money. Especially during these hard economic times, not everyone has enough money to buy presents for friends and loved ones.  Feeling strapped for cash can not only be stressful, but many people also feel angry when they can't afford to buy gifts when they want to or feel they are expected to.   This may cause them to act out through violence.

In other cases the holidays stir up deep seeded emotions that have been suppressed.  When these emotions come to the surface, an individual may not know how to handle them, consequently taking out their feelings and emotions by hurting others.

Brian O'Connor of the Family Violence Protection Fund agrees.

"The holiday season and just the overall pace of it, that really compounds some of the deeper-seeded issues around, say, a history of violence," said O'Connor.