|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
||||||||
|
Editorial - November 2002 |
||||||||
|
Recognize, defuse domestic violence November 15, 2002 - Two separate but similar slayings of Lincoln County residents involved in domestic altercations should make us pause and evaluate the resources available to respond to these tragic acts of violence. Talk about terrorism, this is the worst you can imagine. It festers in our own neighborhoods. On Nov. 10, Lincolnton’s Mark Ebert fatally shot his estranged wife, Lisa Ebert, as she was running to get away from him at his cousin’s house in Bessemer City. He then turned the 12-gauge shotgun on himself as his 10-year-old son watched. On Nov. 1, Kevin Morrison shot and killed his estranged wife, Gael Morrison and his 14-year-old step-daughter, Amanda Barnhardt, before killing himself with a handgun at his wife’s Lincolnton home. It’s easy to file away these tragedies using the law enforcement jargon “domestic violence.” It is an unfortunate fact of life that violent acts are often perpetrated in the heat of the moment, a passionate reaction to a sense of betrayal by those we love the most. But this behavior should not be tolerated in an intelligent, civilized society. The fact that it happens a lot doesn’t mean we can’t do anything about it. We must learn how to prevent people like Mark Ebert and Kevin Morrison from reaching these explosive states. In the Ebert case there were early warnings. Four months earlier he was arrested outside of his wife’s workplace in Lincolnton. At the time he had a shotgun, 100 rounds of ammunition, a hunting knife and handcuffs with him. He was already under a restraining order. This incident should have been a bright, red, waving flag, but it was handled as a minor offense. Ebert pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon. He also pleaded guilty to simple assault stemming from a prior charge that he had hit his son with a baseball bat. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail and 18 months supervised probation. Police were also called to intervene in altercations involving the Morrisons. This past July, both had taken restraining orders against each other. In both of these cases, the potential for deadly violence was known by officials in our legal system before it happened. This was the time for an intervention that could have headed off the final, fatal confrontation. It’s easier said than done. The courts are flooded with cases that present the potential for future violence, and our legal system is not blessed with a cadre of counselors. But there should be a heightened awareness on the part of the courts and law enforcement when strained relationships repeatedly point to violence. Our medical community, our teachers and social service workers are more attuned than ever before to these issues, but the awareness needs to permeate the whole community. The first defense is the families and friends of a potential abuser and victim. They are in the best position to steer the parties away from dangerous paths. Teaching people to handle their emotions with anger management classes may be an option. Probation officers and law enforcement officers should also steer people toward changes that will avert violence, but do they know how? We need to ask questions about our current strategies: Are we advising people about protective measures and circumstances to avoid with short-fused spouses? Should we do more to educate our children about these matters? We can’t turn our backs and dismiss these incidents as “domestic violence” when innocent people are losing their lives.
|
||||||||
|
© 2001 Lincoln Times-News |
||||||||
|
|