Apparently bullies are born AND made! We've covered the instances of bullying and injuring elderly, spouses, children and teenagers here--in some depth, and I've heard and seen many folks following those articles in the past months. However, this newspaper article struck me as particularly in depth about the inhumanity of man to man. How do you STOP this type of action and what do you think will be the insipid justice that will be afforded to this cruel family of cowardly abusers?
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Police say family abused woman, treated her like ‘slave’
Associated Press
GREENSBURG, Pa. — A couple and their three teenage children held a woman captive for six months, beating her with broom handles, boards and a metal pipe and forcing her to do chores as they referred to her as their “slave,” police said Wednesday.
All five members of the family were arrested on kidnapping, terroristic threat and related charges. They have not yet entered pleas, but denied wrongdoing.
The accuser, Emily Nicely, 19, went to live with the family voluntarily last summer but said that she was forced to stay with them since September.
A man whose newspaper was delivered by the family called police March 10 after he noticed bruises on her. Police brought her to a hospital, where investigators discovered that she had bruises over her entire body and that she had suffered a concussion.
Greensburg Capt. George Seranko said police believed Nicely’s account because the injuries they saw corroborated her story.
“She had injuries on every part of her body,” Seranko said.
Nicely said her family had moved out of Greensburg, about 30 miles east of Pittsburgh, and that she moved in with the Pollard family so she could finish high school in the same district.
Mark Pollard, 43; his wife, Cynthia, 41; and their oldest son, Mark Jr., 18, remained in jail Wednesday, the day after their arrest. The couple’s youngest children, Jonathan, 17, and Tabitha, 16, were charged as adults. They were free on bond and allowed to stay with other family members.
Cynthia Pollard acknowledged that Nicely was forced to stand in a corner, but told investigators that Nicely is covered with bruises because she falls while delivering newspapers.
Shortly after Nicely began staying with the Pollards, they became physically abusive, forced her to do work, and never let her leave the home unless she was accompanied by at least one of them, Nicely told police.
“The Pollard family referred to her as their ‘slave,’ ” police said in an affidavit.
Mark Pollard is black. Cynthia Pollard and Nicely are white.
Still have to wonder though how far *the race* card MIGHT be played in this one being as she was African American...
As well with her being 19 I would have to delve into the fact what made her stay, OR why, as even though she was accompanied by someone unless a person (she) suffered with some mental incapacity it would sure as hell seem to me she would have told somebody something when she was out & about...
To enslave someone against their will is unacceptable and only the strongest punishments would serve justice in cases like this...
However having stated that I only see things everywhere getting worse *by leaps & bounds* as I must also state where (and whom) do our laws protect now in this *good ol' US of A* as it sure ain't protecting the *people* OR our borders, the rich get fatter, the poor get weaker...
by JentinD (PM , CC ) on Friday March 23, 2007 @ 6:59 PM
Well, WELCOME, Jentin. Glad you found some time for us--I know how busy you are.
I don't see how a race card would play--I think that was Reba's point. It will be interesting to see how anyone will TRY to make it play. I'll have something up tomorrow about the family of 3 whites added, abetted and joined in on the molestation, rape, torture and murder of a 6 year old little black boy. I don't think that was racial, either. A nut is a nut is a nut---and we let them wander around all the time. Sooooo sad!
I hadn't heard this one!
Still have to wonder though how far *the race* card MIGHT be played in this one being as she was African American...
As well with her being 19 I would have to delve into the fact what made her stay, OR why, as even though she was accompanied by someone unless a person (she) suffered with some mental incapacity it would sure as hell seem to me she would have told somebody something when she was out & about...
To enslave someone against their will is unacceptable and only the strongest punishments would serve justice in cases like this...
However having stated that I only see things everywhere getting worse *by leaps & bounds* as I must also state where (and whom) do our laws protect now in this *good ol' US of A* as it sure ain't protecting the *people* OR our borders, the rich get fatter, the poor get weaker...
A shame, a shame indeed...
Peace~
Reba
"Mark Pollard is black. Cynthia Pollard and Nicely are white."
So how does the race thing fit here?
Hi Nancy, Thanks for the invite.
I don't see how a race card would play--I think that was Reba's point. It will be interesting to see how anyone will TRY to make it play. I'll have something up tomorrow about the family of 3 whites added, abetted and joined in on the molestation, rape, torture and murder of a 6 year old little black boy. I don't think that was racial, either. A nut is a nut is a nut---and we let them wander around all the time. Sooooo sad!