In God We Trust – In Court We Tremble

If a lawyer can be bought, what's the value of a court?

The loss of children, assets, health, relationships, family, personal belongings, family heirlooms, pets, happiness, hope. All these things occur daily somewhere in America. Few are aware these losses combined can occur and devastate a person, and destroy his or her life as a result of involvement with the legal justice system.

Former city clerk Stan Martin of Warner Robins, Georgia recently discovered how unpredictable the system can be. After the mayor of the town committed suicide, Mr. Martin helped another city employee in investigating the possibility that something was hidden above the ceiling tiles in a room adjacent to the late mayor's office. Martin lost his job and still doesn't understand why.

In 1998, I lived temporarily in Warner Robins, Georgia to await the process of Cobb County, Georgia's divorce and legal system. When my landlord, Nell Stumpff, and my estranged husband, Gerard J. Sniffen, Jr., both seemed to work together to have me arrested and incarcerated in the midst of my son's disappearance, reported death, funeral, burial in three different states, I was suspicious enough to demand the body buried and not cremated. They obviously wanted me out of the picture, away from the memorial service, and burial service. Conveniently the courts, law enforcement, and arrests had been used to stifle the possibility of my presence at the ceremonies.

I'd been advised by my Cobb County lawyer, George Childs, that my husband had planned a cremation and I demanded a burial knowing an exhumation of the remains might be the only way to get–– the truth.



Even today the Cobb County, Mayes Ward Dobbins funeral home that holds all the financial, funeral and body shipment records refuses me access, even though I was still married to his father, and even though I am the child's natural mother. Incredibly, the courts of Georgia uphold the right to withhold records from the natural mother.

And the Baldwin County, Alabama police department where my son allegedly killed himself, stonewalled my requests for the police records saying I would have to have an attorney and court order to obtain the public records. Something was so very wrong with the way authorities were handling the death of someone's child.

With the landlord's arrest, I'd hired Mr. Stan Martin and asked his advice. Knowing Nell Stumpff had gotten a warrant, he'd advised me to turn myself in to Peach County authorities. I explained to Mr. Martin that Nell Stumpff and her son, Steve had stolen some of my belongings as I was moving out. There was a police report to prove it. And I told him I'd also like to have my day in court against her for defamation and filing a false felony report with police. I paid Mr. Martin his requested fee of $500. He advised me that if I would keep quiet, the charges would simply disappear.

It isn't what I wanted to happen and I explained to Mr. Martin that I wanted to prove Nell Stumpff was conspiring against me, that she had given police false information and defamed my character. But the charges disappeared. It was quite amazing.

Later, in experiencing the court house handling of my stalking case in a Warner Robins court, I'm probably better off that the Stumpff felony charges disappeared. I would have lost in any Georgia court. And later I'd find the same would occur in Kentucky.

Going back through thousands of papers, arouses old painful memories and it's difficult after twelve years of enduring slashed tires, death of friends and family, killed bloody animals, and sabotaged personal property, to keep recalling the old information.



Mr. Martin had offered, along with Mr. Sammons to handle my divorce, but after Nell's charges disappeared, I was suspicious of the wording in the contract. Apparently my husband's attorney Michael Broadbear had assumed Mr. Martin was going to handle the case. (see below)


Mr. Childs had told me that Mr. Broadbear was a railroad accident attorney. (Railroad accident attorney, what's that?) And when I was made organ donor against my will and the arrests had begun I became very afraid.



Did Mr. Broadbear know that Mr. Martin had represented me in a case brought against me by my landlord? How could he have known? He was advising my husband, and surely he was knowledgeable about the involuntary state hospital incarceration, and the harassing phone call jailings.

Was he aware the state hospital had refused to release me after 72 hours? Did he realize Mr. Childs was conveniently on vacation so I had no one to call for help? Did he realize the bondsmen didn't answer the phone when I called them from Cobb County jail? Did he realize a native of Alabama who couldn't even give local street directions was working at the Houston County, Georgia jail when I was arrested?

Did he know about my shackles? Were the handcuffs and refusal of Cobb County jailers to release me in a timely manner also a part of Mr. Broadbear's knowledge? Did he know that during the landlord arrest incident, that Judge Laurens Lee of Peach County had advised me to sign my divorce papers so that my problems would go away? Was he affiliated with Germans in any way, and did he know Nell Stumpff boasted of her 12 years in Dachau, Germany?

Did Mr. Broadbear have any connections or knowledge of the ways of the Stasis of Germany? If he didn't, somebody surely did.

Exactly what is a railroad accident attorney?

I recall asking Mr. Childs, "Do they create accidents for people suing the railroad, or defend people who have been in railroad accidents?"

It wasn't long after Mr. Kenneth Schatten took my case and in the presence of detective Billy Carter explained they believed my husband had murdered my son. I knew better and explained to Mr. Schatten that my son had been removed from the situation because he knew his father had a mistress, and he also knew that my husband had lied to Cobb County police regarding an incident with our daughter. My children, raised brutally honest, would not be an asset to their father in court.

Just a few months ago, Mr. Schatten advised me I should stop writing my story on the internet. I was making "them" angry.

Them? Who's that?

He said I would never get the truth about my son. He explained there was so much money against me, I'd never get the truth about that or anything else.

He added, "Just suppose they have your son somewhere, and they've told him if he tries to contact you, or his brother or sister, they'll kill all of you."

I told Mr. Schatten to please tell them to come ahead and kill us then, because I wasn't planning to stop telling this American horror story. Living under a terroristic threat is no way to live for myself, but particularly for my remaining children and grandchildren.

What parents would want to know the American Dream was unavailable for their children because some dark, money laden, court-hustling-shady-hatchet-men would be watching them for the rest of their lives?

And I told Mr. Schatten if he feels threatened or intimidated by the American terrorists he apparently was speaking with, he should contact the local F.B.I. office.