Brantley Family Struggle

Dear Judge Sweeney,

As you know I stopped by the Greene County Circuit Court today as the attorney(s) your court has appointed to represent me are non-responsive at best. The reason I stopped by was to find out exactly what it would take to get a proper bond condition hearing initiated as the last hearing was effectively derailed by Attorney Peter Bender of the Greene County Public Defender's Office.

This open letter is in response to the Bailiff's throwing me out of your court today after my failed attempt to personally contact you for relief.

If I am not allowed to approach the bench because I have appointed counsel, yet my counsel is not willing to properly represent me, what is the next step? 

My main question now is why does the constitution not apply in Missouri? Article VI, states: 

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy trial by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation: to be confronted with the witnesses against him: to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

The only stipulation that the juvenile judge required of me was that I "use age appropriate, hands-off disciplinary techniques." 

Following an incident where Derek urinated on all four walls of our primary bath room, I requested respite from Boys and Girls town as Derek refused to acknowledge or clean up the mess.

As I had agreed to the terms of utilizing "hands-off disciplinary techniques" there was no way for me to physically make him clean up his mess. (Putting a cleaning rag in his hand, putting his hand in mine, and physically scrubbing the walls with him.)

The only options I had was to set up a self-imposed punishment (stay in your room until you choose to clean up the mess) or ask for respite (temporary placement back into Boys and Girls Town) until he decided that being locked down was not worth refusing to clean up a mess.

Missouri State Public Defender District 31
Attn: District Defender Rodney Hackathorn 

RE: State of Missouri v. Robert Brantley Case No. 304CF2824

Dear Mr. Hackathorn,

As you have not scheduled a private meeting, as I requested through your office on Friday August, 4th, I am writing to publicly discuss a few issues of concern.

Last Friday we had a hearing scheduled to discuss bond conditions. Specifically the conditions disallowing all contact with me and my sons. I had expressed to Judge Sweeney, in a previous hearing, that the only reason I was not allowed to see my son was because of these overly harsh bond conditions.

I explained to him that the last decision made, by the Juvenile Court, was reunification and full contact with Derek. I explained to him that the only reason I couldn't see my children was because of these bond conditions. He expressed concern over my statements of fact and scheduled a hearing to address the issue on Friday of last week. 

Prior to Friday's hearing a public defender, practicing by the name of  Peter Bender, was assigned to my case. I had one opportunity to communicate with him on the telephone prior to the hearing but he was unwilling to set up an appointment with me so we never had an opportunity to properly discuss the upcoming hearing.