By Doug Guthrie
Detroit — A 56-year-old woman faces multiple felony charges and is being held on $500,000 bond after a 10-hour standoff with police, claiming she was protecting her 13-year-old daughter from unnecessary medication.
Maryanne Godboldo, 56, was arraigned Sunday before 36th District Magistrate Sidney Barthwell Jr. on charges of firing a weapon in a dwelling, felonious assault, resisting and obstructing an officer, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Barthwell set an April 8 preliminary examination.
“What has happened here is a travesty,” said Wanda A. Evans, Godboldo’s attorney. “This family has never been under the jurisdiction of the court. This shouldn’t have happened.”
Godboldo is accused of barricading herself inside her west side home with her 13-year-old daughter and a gun after being confronted Thursday afternoon by Child Protective Services workers who had a warrant to remove the girl because the mother had withheld her medication. Detroit Police said Godboldo fired a shot and refused to leave the home until negotiators, including a Wayne County judge, helped talk her into surrendering.
“We talked that day mother-to-mother. I asked her to come out on her porch and I promised I would come here today to walk out with her,” Wayne Circuit Judge Deborah Thomas said Sunday after the hearing. “I’m shocked by the amount of the bond. I never dreamed it would be set so high and she wouldn’t be free to care for her daughter.”
Godboldo’s family and supporters, who gathered outside the court Sunday, said the woman has every right to make medical decisions for her daughter and that child welfare workers overstepped their authority. The unusual circumstances of the standoff attracted a large crowd of volunteers offering to help negotiate with Godboldo, including ministers and community activists.
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[Note from SaneVax: It is unfortunate one must read to nearly the end of the article before discovering that this mother was attempting to protect her child from vaccine injury because her other daughter had been injured by a serious reaction after vaccination. The SaneVax Team believes this mother was well within her rights to try and protect her daughter’s future health. All vaccines carry some risk, especially to those with a family history of adverse reactions post-vaccination. What happened to this mother is beyond appalling – it is a travesty of justice!]
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