It was good to see the Key West Citizen finally start to cover the Nowatney story last Sunday— even though the trial was over in mid-May. We have to wonder, however, where was our community's daily newspaper when the Nowatneys' two little children were snatched and held hostage by the State Dept. of Children & Families (DCF) and State Attorney Kirk Zuelch for 200 days in a failed effort to force the parents to plead guilty to false child abuse charges? Where was the Citizen when Zuelch, with virtually no case, put that family through a long and costly trial that has virtually bankrupted them?
The Citizen's big news Sunday— front page coverage with a six-column banner headline— was Judge Mark Jones' 12-week-old order dismissing the charges against the parents. In his written order, Jones reacted, purely and simply, to Key West The Newspaper's longtime and often-stated editorial position that the case should have never come to trial. (The Citizen's headline— "Jones: Court Should Have Heard Case.") Judge Jones all but kissed Zuelch's butt, trying to explain why he decisively ruled against him.
But the bottom line here is that once Zuelch's "case" did get to trial, it was so embarrassingly weak that Jones threw it out into the street without even listening to all the testimony! What kind of pro-Zuelch spin can anybody possibly put on that!?
State Rep. Ken Sorensen, who represents Monroe County in Tallahassee and is vice-chairman of the Legislature's Children & Families Committee, has told the head of the DCF that he considers the Nowatney debacle to be such a serious abuse of power that he wants those employees responsible "purged" from the agency. He also wants the Nowatneys to get an appropriate apology— and he wants the state to reimburse them financially for what he calls "their nightmare at the hands of incompetence."
We agree. Let us— and the Key West Citizen— know your opinion.
Why did Judge Jones somehow feel compelled to virtually apologize to State Attorney Kirk Zuelch while ruling against him in the Nowatney case? Here's the skinny. Keep in mind that Zuelch has been in office for 20 years. It has been alleged more than once that he "controls" the judges— which should be helpful when his staff attorneys try cases in front of them. That may explain why Zuelch felt confident that he would win the Nowatney trial even without a credible case. It is said that the judges are simply loath to rule against Zuelch.
It is also well known in courthouse circles that judges who refuse to return a call from Zuelch— even if that call might be to illegally discuss an active case— do so at their peril. Judge Steven Shea refused to take a call from Zuelch to talk about a case and, subsequently, Zuelch orchestrated his removal from the bench. According to Shea, Judge Ruth Becker also reportedly crossed Zuelch— once. She, too, found herself before the Judicial Qualifications Commission.
Zuelch's alleged habit of calling the judges— and his reported insistence that they return his calls— was even reported in an interview last Friday in the Citizen. Here's the quote: ". . . Zuelch appears almost shy . . . yet, Zuelch has been known to respond sharply if he senses one of his lawyers is not fully prepared or if a judge doesn't return a phone call."
That just about says it all, doesn't it?
EDITOR'S NOTE: We have asked State Attorney Zuelch for an updated photo. But, as yet, he has not responded.