To whom it may concern,
I am not exactly sure who to write this to, but I have a major problem with one of your articles published on the front page of yesterday’s paper (September 20, 2008). The article about Angela Callaway allegedly assaulting her ex husband in front of the Provo police station has it’s facts wrong, to begin with. Also, Garison Callaway is not an innocent victim as he is portrayed in the article.
Angela and Garison are in a custody battle over their daughter like the article states. It is, however, not simply over custody. It is more about the safety of Cambria, the little girl. In 2004 Cambria told her mother that her daddy had hurt her. Angela asked Cambria exactly how her daddy had hurt her. Cambria proceeded to give details that describe molestation. A two year-old cannot make those things up, and if Cam had seem it on T.V. she would not have understood what exactly was being said. Angela took what her daughter said to the police but later the case was closed because Cam would not speak more on it.
Garison and Angela had joint custody for years after. Cambria lived with Angela and only visited her dad on occasion. Garison then moved in with Angela and Cambria. Angela was not on drugs at that time and only started using them again once Garison bought them for her. On a recording of a phone conversation between Angela and Garison, Garison admits to having bought drugs for Angela during that time, saying “I spent a lot of money on your drugs.” After Angela became again addicted to the drugs, Garison moved out and took Cambria with him, telling the courts that Angela was not a fit mother. Angela’s attorney at that time had not known all the facts and simply gave up custody to Garison.
Cambria has only been allowed to visit her mother. During each visit, Cambria states more and more facts and details of her daddy hurting her. Angela has recordings of Cambria stating the details over and over again. Angela has taken the recordings to the Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS), yet they cannot act on them because the law won’t allow them to. Angela also has photos of bruises on Cambria’s legs that are clear finger prints. Garison claims the bruises are nothing more than carpet burn. Yet one cannot help but wonder how a child gets carpet burn on her inner thighs.
Angela has finally gotten the case to the courts. She has taken the required number of drug tests and has tested negative on over 90% of them. She has gone to the court ordered therapy and gone to the group sessions. Garison, however, has done none of it, yet he is still favored in the courts. He has lied to the judge on repeated accounts that have been recorded. Though Angela has done all that she was told and Garison has done none of it, he has still denied her visitation.
Angela called Garison and asked him why he was denying her her visitation rights. Garison replied, saying “Because if I let you have Cambria you will take her to the doctor to get a scope. She doesn’t need a scope.” Angela asked him why he wouldn’t allow her to get a scope. He knows Cambria has said these things against him and yet will do nothing about it. One can’t help but wonder why any father wouldn’t want to find the reason his daughter is saying such things, unless of course he is guilty and knows it.
In court on August 17, 2008, the judge ordered that Garison allow Angela visitation. (That has been an order all along, however, it was just restated.) The next court date was set for two weeks later. In those two weeks Angela was supposed to have had Cambria for two Tuesdays and one weekend. She neither saw nor heard from her daughter. When they returned to court, Garison wasn’t punished for his lack of obeying the judges orders.
During those two weeks between the afore mentioned court sessions, Cambria started Kindergarten. Angela went to the school’s open house to meet her daughter’s teacher. Angela had explained to the elementary school the situation so it wouldn’t come as a surprise if anything should arise during school hours. That night during the open house, Angela was signing up to be room mother when Garison’s mother walked into the room. Debbie, Garison’s mother, proceeded to assault Angela. She grabbed Angela by the arm and spun her around forcefully to face the room full of mothers and children. In a loud voice she told the room that they didn’t want that lady there, that Angela was nothing more than a drug addict, that she only had supervised visitation because she is a pathological liar. None of that is true, however. Angela walked out without saying a word. She didn’t want to start a scene in the children’s kindergarten classroom. Debbie was never charged with assault and walked away scott free.
The night before Angela found Garison in Springville, she had received three anonymous calls. The anonymous caller told Angela to get her daughter out of Garison’s house immediately, that the little girl was in immediate, severe danger. Since Garison had lied to the judge before on the 17th of August, Angela had no home address for where to find her ex husband and daughter. Angela went out that night and drove around the county, passing places she knew Garison would most likely visit. That is when she drove past his work, Vancon, in Springville and saw him pulling out. Angela described it as a coincidence. “I didn’t actually think I would see him there that early in the morning,” Angela said. She immediately flipped the van around and followed Garison. She never had any intent on hitting him, she only wanted to follow him so the police could catch him.
Garison noticed Angela following him and headed immediately to the Provo police station. Angela reported that he got out of his work truck and started walking toward the van which was parked. Angela yelled at him about hurting their daughter and Garison replied with just laughter. Angela’s temper started to rage. Garison apparently realized this and started to jog to the stairs leading up to the police station. Angela raced forward and pinned his legs between the nearest police vehicle and the van. Not hitting him hard enough to break any bones or damage the two vehicles, she had him pinned tightly. She jumped out of the van and proceeded to hit him with her binder. He continued to laugh at her. Her anger raged more. She pulled out the tire iron and continued to swing at him. She never hit him hard enough to do any damage. “I couldn’t hit him. I still love him. But I hate him for what he’s doing to Cami,” Angela said.
Angela spent a few days in jail for assaulting Garison. Garison claims Angela broke his knees and did serious damage with the tire iron. he, however, went to work immediately following the incident. Also, in the article, it mentions that Angela admitted to using meth within 36 hours of the incident. Drug tests, however, report that Angela was clean of any such drug at the time.
I am disappointed in the Daily Herald for not reporting on the whole news and writing an article that sounded more like lies than anything
