Michael Cardamne | John Chalmers

Tim Sandfort

Lost evidence, statements from a disturbed child -- I thought Missouri was the "Show me" state.

This conviction has "reasonable doubt" all over it!

Missouri case: This Oct. 2003 case needs someone in Missouri to investigate Tim Sandfort's claims. He has been convicted based on a flawed case placed before the judge . . .

Tim Sandfort: 110 year sentence for conviction based on testimony of vindictive child

I am an innocent man that has been wrongfully convicted, I could never do the horrible crimes they claim I have done. I read the papers and I sound like a monster that I am not. Please help us.

It should be noted that the cops lost the first statement I made. I made that statement shortly after I arrived at the police station. This statement clearly shows I'm innocent and I didn't do anything wrong. Yet I wasn't allowed to leave after I made my statement.

The cops also took pictures of my private areas the next day. They lost these pictures and then they found the pictures again. Then the picture was used in court. Is this allowed?

They (the cops) say there never was a first statement, but I can clearly remember doing that one. I hadn't been there very long at that point, the cops also say the pictures were never lost, but there was a letter sent to my first lawyer and now no one can find the letter. I'm on lawyer number three and the letter has been lost or taken out or something, but I remember seeing it.

The cops also testified that this child was able to describe my private areas to a T. That is not true. I have myself read the report this child gave. I would like to also note that my confession was suppressed to the best of my knowledge, but yet the state attorney was able to use it in court. How can that be? My lawyer said she entered it as hearsay evidence. I'm a little confused about this. I thought if your confession was suppressed it was like it never happened. Is this correct? Hearsay I thought they used on children when they couldn't testify for themselves. This child was able to testify in all the court dates. Except trail and he got on the stand and stated that he couldn't remember anything that had happened and that he didn't know what sexual abuse was. Then the state attorney brought in hearsay things. I'm really confused on this.

Please help me and my family

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy day to read my story. The Sandfort Family

Hello, my name is Timothy Sandfort and I was wrongly convicted of a crime that I did not commit.

My stepson, Charles McClure accused me of four accounts of sexually abuse. He is 11 years old and is a proven compulsive liar. He has done lots of things to our family. He has made false reports to D.F.S, has hurt his little brother to the point that he could have died, and he swore that his real dad done it to his little brother, he stated that his dad done it in a drunken rage, was able to tell the same story over and over and it be the same.

So the entire family believed that his real dad had hurt the little brother. Wound up in court over this issue. About 6 months later Charles went to his mother and reported to her that he was in fact the one that done it to his little brother not his dad. He only done it cause he was mad at his dad and the only reason he was telling his mom is because he felt like he had made his point.

When this child was 5 years old he would tell people that his dad rubbed/played with him in the shower and made his penis hard. Nothing was ever found there. Should also be noted that, this child had been going to counseling during this alleged time and nothing is in the records at all of any abuse, he had seen this counselor for 2 1/2 years.

When this was reported D.F.S. had Charles change counselors and start going to one that they wanted him to see. His old counselor was out of the picture all-together. His old counselor did not testify in court nor was Charles counseling records brought in for that time period. This counselor knew Charles very well and knew a lot of the stuff that he had done in the past. Yet none of this was allowed to be in court. This child has done numerous other things to this family and to himself that is not mentioned above.

In our home we used what we called the buddy system, because we have had so many problems with this child, that we all agreed that no one was safe to be alone with him, because of his lying and dishonesty all the time. We took this buddy system very seriously in our home. So I have an at least one witness if not more every time I was around Charles. The buddy system was easy to do in our home because we had 3 teenage children and my wife and I, this system worked very well in our home. In fact if my wife wasn't going to be home for any length of time this child went back to his dad's house. This was basically laughed out of court; I was never alone with this child ever for any reason at all. This started Oct. 2001. All the allegations were from Jan.2002 to Aug. 2002. No one wanted to listen.

The state attorney was able to get threw out of court the fact that this child dad is gay and has a gay lover, that they have walked around the house nude, they have watched dirty movies with this child, and my step daughters have caught there dad and lover in bed together, my step daughters have also seen the them walking around nude, and seen them let Charles watch these dirty movies. Now this child lives with his dad and his boyfriend full time and they wonder the jury, judge how this child could have known this kind of stuff. It was thrown out and not allowed to be talked about as a possible of how this child could know this. I not saying the dad or the boyfriend done anything to him, all I'm saying is he has been around gay men that have let him see things that may not have been appropriate.

This is information that my youngest brother-in-law (Robert Simonelli) has just gave us permission to disclose in this letter. From the time Robert was about 10 years old till he was about 15 he was molested by his ex brother-in-law Andy McClure and his current boyfriend Jimmy LaFavor. Robert states that his sister never knew about it. That it always happened when she was at work. She worked evening shift or the midnight shift.

They had no children when it first started: they didn't adopt their kids til later. So when they molested Robert they were alone. Robert states that he was threatened and was told that no one would believe him if he told, and that they would hurt him if he ever told. By the time Robert was 15 years of age, he stopped going over to his sister's house and if he had to he never stayed with them (his brother-in-law Andy McClure and his boyfriend Jimmy LaFavor) alone. He never told anyone till he was between 19 or 20. He went to D.F.S and they told him because he was over the age 18 that there wasn't anything they could do. Robert stated he had concerns for the 2 minor boys either living or having visits with their dad and boyfriend. Yet nothing was done. He then went to the police, they told Robert that they couldn't do anything either because it had been to long for anything to be done. Robert has also disclosed this information to the parole board of Callaway County. Robert has been able to disclose all of this to his family and he's been able to make some kind of peace with it. Now Robert feels somewhat responsible for this now. He knows Andy and Jimmy raped him he can remember ever little small detail. He's scared it will happen again or maybe it has already happened again and this child (the alleged victim)

Charles McClure has either mistaken identity or wants to blame someone else to protect his dad and his dad's live in boyfriend. Robert also states there was another person watching a lot. He never did anything to me just watched. This was also disclosed to my 1st lawyer and they stated that it didn't matter that it had nothing to do with this case and they wouldn't do anything. I believe it has something to do with my case and someone needs to be checking other places such as his dad and his boyfriend. I would never point the finger at another person because I know what it feels like to be wrongfully accused. Robert Simonelli reports all this information to me. Robert has stated that he would talk to anyone about this if they would like his number is 314-718-0643. Robert has also stated that the damage has already been done to him and he's had to learn to live with it. Robert wants to help Tim Sandfort and to ensure that his nephews are safe.

The police (Callaway county sheriff department) called me at work and told me I needed to go in for questioning. I asked them how long I would be there because I am a hypoglycemic and I need food at regular intervals. The police (Houges) told me it would be approximately thirty minutes. So on August 28th of 2002 I went in for questioning about these accusations and was kept for seven hours during this time I told them again that I was a hypoglycemic and I needed food. They refused and told me that if wasn't their job to feed me. The police officer did not know what hypoglycemic was and I had to explain to him in great detail. I also requested to see my wife, Karrie Sandfort, and they told me she had left when actually she was out in the hallway the entire time except to go out for a cigarette. Why didn't I get to see my wife? The cops testified that I wasn't under arrest. Yet I was in a locked room. They finally brought me a cup of coffee with regular sugar. I told them I could not have that. They told me it was the best they could do and I had to deal with if or do without.   They testified that I was not under arrest. So why didn't they let me leave to go get a snack out of the machine or to go find my wife?

My memories become fuzzy after that point, the cops say I made out a full-page confession and signed it. I have no memory of this at all. In this confession that I supposedly wrote out. I talk about a shed on our land and give dates, in reality that shed didn't even exist at time I said, we didn't get that shed till months later. The weather was freezing rain that day, so why would I be on a piece of land that we had just bought having my stepson do something to me in a shed that didn't exist, further more we didn't even have my stepson that day, my wife keeps good records when we have the kids for visits and when we don't, between the 2 of us we have 8 children so it's important to know when everyone is coming and going. The cops also testified that they did not feed me during my interrogation and that I was shaky, pale, and stared off into space with a blank look on my face. Those are common signs of an attack. By the time I has signed this confession I hadn't eaten for 10 to 12 hours, not good for someone that is to eat every 3 to 4 hours or 6 times a day.

The cops ended up arresting me at some point. I have no memory of it. My wife reports that see seen me around mid night. My wife reports that I was shaky, pale, sweaty looking, and disoriented was talking in circles. My father-in-law seen some of the same stuff along with a close family friend. My wife reported this to the police and they told her that nothing was wrong with me and that I was perfectly OK. She did not agree, but yet they refused to do anything. There again none of this was allowed in court. Not relevant to the case.

I was bailed out of jail a few days later by friends, and they dropped the charges December 23rd and reasserted me December 24th.  Was bailed out the same day.  I spent the next 14 months fighting these accusations. I have been away from my loved ones and was not allowed to see my children. I have demolished my funds for bonds and lawyers and had to switch to a public defender. I have missed my little girls first steps and her first words. I haven't seen my little girls since she was 5 months old and she's now 19 months old. I also have other children and stepchildren. I've had to miss my stepdaughter's eighth grade graduation and I will soon miss my son's and daughters graduation from high school. All I want is to be clear of these charges and be able to go home to my family again. I would also like to see the police to have to change policy and procedure to be everyone gets a break regardless of the allegations. Would like for the cops to have to be trained to detect signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia attacks. This is a big problem in our country and law enforcement need to be trained to help someone in the time of need, instead of getting what they want out of them.

I went to trial on October 8th and 9th of 2003. I thought I was finally going to get justice but the prosecuting attorney was able to get a lot of valuable evidence supporting my case thrown out, while keeping in a lot of evidence against it. I was convicted of three of the four charges. The recommended sentence for me from the jury is 110 years. A long time for a man that didn't commit a crime. There has been several motions filed in my case on things that were not done correctly. The motions have been denied by the judge.
   
    Sincerely,
   Timothy Sandfort
Dictated by Timothy Sandfort and typed by Christina Cook.
Sandfort Family
9964 Eagles Nest Drive
New Bloomfield Mo. 65063

Jury suggests 110 years for New Bloomfield man in child sodomy case

By COLIN E. SUCHLAND and KIMBERLY LONG, The Fulton Sun, October 10, 2003

Callaway County jurors recommended 110 years imprisonment as punishment for a New Bloomfield man found guilty Thursday of repeatedly sodomizing a 10-year-old boy.

Tim Sandfort, 42, was found guilty on three counts of statutory sodomy in the first degree and not guilty of a fourth similar charge during proceedings of the 13th Circuit Court at the Callaway County Courthouse.

Prosecuting Attorney Robert Sterner said he was pleased with the jury's decision, crediting all those involved with the case's investigation. He also said the victim was a strong and believable witness on the stand.

"He was a sweet, sweet boy who didn't deserve to have this happen to him," Sterner said Thursday.

The Fulton Sun learned during the trial that the victim is the adopted son of Sandfort's wife. The boy was adopted during her previous marriage and lives with his adopted father, but the child occasionally stayed with Sandfort's family.

The multiple charges stem from incidents reportedly taking place in 2002. The child told guardians and testified in court that Sandfort had him perform oral sodomy as punishment, though the boy said he sometimes had done nothing wrong.

A deputy and investigator with the Callaway County Sheriff's Department questioned Sandfort about the child's allegations in August 2002. The investigator testified that Sandfort admitted at that time to one instance of making the boy perform oral sodomy on him as punishment.

Sandfort testified on Wednesday that he suffers from a medical condition, and as a result he has little recollection of what the investigator claimed he said. Sandfort also said he had no recollection of the one-page statement the investigator attributed to him.

Assistant Callaway County Prosecutor Carol England and defense attorney Jan King of Jefferson City were counsels in the case.

Circuit Judge Gary Oxenhandler presided as the jury deliberated about six hours in returning their verdicts and another hour in suggesting punishments of 50, 30 and 30 years for the respective counts.

The range of punishment for each charge was anywhere from a minimum 10 years to a life sentence.

Sterner said the trial was the first in Callaway County to follow a new bifurcated process, similar to that only used in capital cases prior to this June. Under the new regulations the jury deliberates on guilt and fit punishments separately.

Oxenhandler set Wednesday, Nov. 26, to decide the case's final disposition and to hear Sandfort's motion for a retrial. The judge may impose sentences no greater than the punishment prescribed by the jury, and he will decide if prison time should be served consecutively or concurrently.

Sterner said he will advocate the former course of action, which would entail the maximum punishment of 110 years.

Truth can never be told so as to be understood, and not be believ'd. William Blake, The Proverbs of Hell

Truth suppress'd, whether by courts or crooks, will find an avenue to be told. Sheila Steele, injusticebusters.com

If you hold the mouth of Truth, It will burst out its rib-cage. Somali proverb

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Publisher : Sheila Steele

Got something to say about this or any other stories on this site? Go to injusticebustersblog Participate!

injusticebusters court advice :

How to walk yourself through the justice system

 

Why you should dump your preliminary hearing (written July 1998 and still valid)

 

Sermonette: The Naked Truth -- (You will find links to many more sermonettes in the sidebar on this page

Another target of Dueck's malice: : Wilf Hathway

Our activism contributed greatly to the good vibes which happened around the civil trial.

Index to the stories on this website

This is not regularly updated so if you are looking for a particular story and you have a name or keyword, please use the site search engine(at the bottom of the page) which IS regularly updated

Index to Saskatoon Police stories

This is a pretty good scrapbook for the 1998-2002 period.

Inquiry into the malicious prosecution of David Milgaard untanling 36 years of Saskatchewan police and Crown misconduct: : Opening day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |

Stephen Williams: Canadian writer subject to Stasi-like treatment by Canadian police

Terry Arnold: : Snitch a suicide?

RCMP scenario stings: Brian Hutchinson starts digging

Gary wells: Faulty eye-witness testimony

Tulia, Texas

Gilmer, Texas

Willie Upshaw

Wrongfully convicted in Canada

Foster Parent false accusations

Martensville

Don Smith obscenity trial: an obscene conviction

James Lockyer

Hurricane Carter

Johnny Cochran speaks up for Bill Sampson

Vopnis

Abdulai Mohamed

The Terrible Story behind the Atif Rafay and Sebastian Burns convictions

Trial set for June 15

We know part of this disclosure is a forged statement and perjured affidavit from a Winnipeg cop

The Crown is still fighting Fred Poirier -- and they are losing. Secret Commissions Case from Northern B.C.

 

 

2005: In the United States the proven wrongful convictions just keep coming at us!

 

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Brandon Morin:

Convicted in Oregon

of rapes which did not happen

This website has good information about Measure 11 -- Oregon's Mandatory Sentencing requirements which have been in place since 1994. In this case we see how the combination of a flawed grand jury system and prosecutors who seek not justice but convictions is a recipe for wrongful convictions.

 

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Canadians who have been wrongfully convicted because of improper investigations combined with zealous Crown

A round-up of wrongful convictions in Canada

Robert Baltovich

Michael Burns

Sebastian Burns

Rodney Cain

Wilbert Coffin (hanged, 1953)

Jason Dix

Jim Driskell

Jody Druken

Randy Druken

Hugues Duguay

Michel Dumont

Peter Frumusa

Walter Gillespie and Robert Mailman

Clayton Johnson

Yvonne Johnson

Herman Kaglik

Darren Koehn

Kulaveeringsam "Kulam" Karthiresu

Stephen Leadbeater

Donald Marshall

Chris McCullough

Michael McTaggart

Felix Michaud

David Milgaard

Guy Paul Morin

Shannon Murrin

Jamie Nelson

Greg Parsons

Benoit Proulx

Atif Rafay

Louise Reynolds

Thomas Sophonow

Gary Staples

Billy Taillefer

Steven Truscott

Joe Warren

Leon Walchuk

 

AIDWYC

Innocence Project (Canada)

Innocence Project (U.S.)

Northwest Law Center on Wrongful Convictions

 

Kirstin Lobato

Jeffrey Scott Hornoff

Willie Upshaw

Hurricane Carter

Guildford 4

Birmingham 6

Amirault

Houston

U.S. wrongful convictions: Exonerateed

Laurence Adams

Ludrate Burton

Stephen Cowans

Wilton Dedge

Albert Johnson

Kenneth Marsh

Dwayne McKinney

James Bernard Parker

Peter Reilly

Peter Rose

Sylvester Smith

Clifford St. Joseph

John Stoll

Marty Tankleff

Wilton Dedge

Ray Krone

 

Still working on it:

Dennis Deschaine

Dennis Perry

Tim Sandfort

 

 

Revitalizing the archives From 1998 until 2002, injusticebusters was in the throes of identity crisis. What was it? What were we doing? We grappled with editorial policy at the same time we were learning the nuts and bolts of building and posting a website. Once we had a secure, paid site I had full editorial control, although I talked regularly to Richard Klassen who was forced to move his family several times and did not always have access to the internet. Rick's pages: one | two We posted our earliest and later actions. Early versions of the site can be found on the Wayback Machine. I began following other threads to stories of police and prosecutorial misconduct and the site's character took on another facet: a newsclipping scrapbook where stories could live longer than they would in print form. I also began picking up other stories of wrongfully convicted people. It was an explosion. By 2003 there were over 700 pages. I also had contact with several other people (Don Smith, Leon Walchuk, Monique Turenne, the Vopnis) and kept these stories going. It was the story of the Ross children's treatment at the hands of the Saskatchewan government which grabbed the attention of The Fifth Estate. The civil claim (The $10M Lawsuit as we called it) was only mentioned briefly at the end of their show which aired in November, 2000. When Richard Klassen began to make progress in bringing his civil claim to court, the government and police defendants alleged he was breaking the rules of court by publishing discovery material on the internet. MacNeil clinic (the document which started it all) The Thompson Papers Carol Bunko-Ruys reports This claim was absolutely false. However, rather than risk being thrown out of his civil claim, Klassen undertook before Judge Mona Dovall to sever all ties with the website. The court fights: Les Perreaux report QB271 These pages have links which lead to other pages from that era. Now that some of the dust has settled, I have been going back through the material we had posted in the early days. In the spirit of keeping the scrapbook alive, I have been reformatting and placing links. The original material remains intact. I hope the information, which chronicles our struggle is useful to you. The identity crisis is over. We know who we are --Sheila Steele, March 28, 2005

 

Blogging

Blogging has been in the news. It is the new, trendy thing with 40,000 new blogs being created each day. I established a blog for this website last September and it is now "taking off." These are a few of the pages with ongoing discussions.

Tasering Mary Lutz

Saskatchewan Centenary

Quint Blog discussion

Rotten apples in the Saskatoon Police

Blogging for choice

Michael Cardamone witch hunt

Implement recommendations of public inquiries

Stealing from the poor

Vancouver's killer cops

Tisdale rapists appeal

Winnipeg police misdeeds

Milgaard Inquiry

Chief Sabo: can he be trusted?

The Old Boys' Club Must Go!

Vancouver activists

John Hudak: Falsely accused mountie

City of intolerance

Constable Larry Lockwood: Exciteable!

Eric Cline

This is a great way for like-minded people to communicate and share our views. It is easier than making a website and marginally more difficult than a forum.

People who want to contribute simply have to punch the "comment" link and they will be taken to a page with a box which allows them to write their comment, preview and post it. It takes a while for the comment to show up and some people get impatient and repost. That's fine, I trash the duplicate posts and no harm done.

Please, please give it a try. The internet is distinguished from other media in that it is really and truly interactive. Blogging makes it possible to express your viewpoint even if you don't have a computer. You can go to the library or a friend's place or an internet cafe. Once you've mastered the basics (and believe me, if I can do it, you can do it) you will be participating in one of the most democratic -- and potentially powerful -- media the world as we know it has ever seen.

Come on. Don't be shy. Join the Weblog World! -- Sheila Steele, March 20, 2005

Toronto Police paid out $30M in secretly resolved claims over last five years