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Child abuse caller's anonymity is blown

The neighbor she reported her concerns about is charged with causing thousands in damage to her mobile home.

By PHIL DAVIS
Published September 20, 2005

HUDSON - Pamela Jones expected to remain anonymous when she reported her concerns about a neighbor's kids to the state's child abuse hotline.

Anonymity is a cornerstone of the state's abuse prevention efforts. It is a crime to reveal the name of anyone who reports abuse.

But within days of calling the hotline in August, Jones found herself in a face-to-face confrontation with the man she'd accused.

"He said word for word what I said" on the abuse hotline, Jones said. "How can (the state) tell people to call and report child abuse and then turn around and put them under the gun? I lost everything."

The neighbor, 36-year-old Joseph Seaman, was later charged with causing $3,700 in damage to her mobile home.

"I'd be too damn afraid to call now," she added. "And if anybody else wanted to call, I'd be the first to tell them not to get involved."

Authorities said it's common for people who file complaints to reveal themselves when confronted. But in this case, Seaman named an official source for his ire: the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

"The police said Pam Jones called to say the kids were left alone," Seaman told the Times. "When we found out she called the police, we were kind of shocked. It just turned into a saga."

Violating the confidentiality law is a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. Such a breach is a serious concern, said Andy Ritter, a spokesman in Tampa for the state Department of Children and Families.

"It is confidential. That should not happen," Ritter said. "It should never happen."

DCF manages the hotline, but in Pasco County, abuse calls are forwarded to the Sheriff's Office.

Pasco County sheriff's spokesman Doug Tobin said deputies and the agency's child protective investigators are trained on confidentiality rules. Tobin said the confidentiality laws prevent him from discussing any child abuse case.

"I can't even acknowledge the existence of a child-abuse investigation," Tobin said.

Both Seaman and Jones said they were friends as well as Brenda Street neighbors before the dispute erupted in early August. They also agree the child neglect complaint spurred their dispute. After that, there is no consensus.

Jones said she called the abuse hotline to say Seaman's children were often left alone in unsafe conditions. Seaman told the Times that his 14-year-old daughter and neighbors keep an eye on the kids.

On Aug. 7, according to a sheriff's report, both Seaman and Jones accused each other of battery after a confrontation about why she "called police." Tobin withheld more detailed information on the source of the dispute, citing confidentiality laws.

On Aug. 8, deputies went back to the mobile home park after Jones reported someone had knocked out all her windows with a 2-by-4. A witness told deputies he saw Seaman break at least one window, an incident report said.

Later that day, Jones told sheriff's deputies that "everything in her mobile home" had been destroyed. A deputy who saw her home agreed.

Seaman was arrested on charges ranging from throwing a deadly missile into a dwelling to criminal mischief to simple battery on a law enforcement officer. He denies all the charges and was free on bail Monday totaling $30,000.

"It's been a total nightmare," he said.

[Last modified September 20, 2005, 01:55:19]