Anonymous sources have mentioned the suicide attempt of Melissa Chantel Huckaby before, but the statement filed in the Orange County Superior Court last month marks the first time someone publicly connected the 28-year-old to that allegation.
Huckaby even told the Tracy Press hours before her arrest that she was hospitalized for “internal bleeding,” but refused to elaborate.
Johnny Huckaby — who married Melissa Huckaby in 2005 before their divorce a year later — told a judge that she also forged her mother’s signature on divorce papers. And he said she lied when she accused him in divorce papers of physically abusing her and using drugs.
The allegations came up during an April 20 hearing over whether Johnny Huckaby or his former mother-in-law Judy Lawless should get custody of Melissa’s 5-year-old daughter, Madison Taylor Huckaby.
Johnny Huckaby argued that the horrific charges that sent his ex-wife to jail should entitle him to win custody of Madison. Orange County Commissioner Walter Posey granted his request last month, but reversed that decision after Lawless begged him to let her keep the sickly child at her home in Cypress.
A custody hearing earlier this week was postponed until July 6.
Lawless accused Johnny Huckaby of being a deadbeat dad. She said he lives 1,700 miles away in just outside Little Rock, Ark., and never tried to contact his daughter.
“There were also issues of drugs, alcohol and possibly domestic violence in this case,” she said in an April 22 court declaration. From the time Madison was 1-year-old up to now, she has had virtually no contact with her father, Lawless said.
“I do not believe it is in our granddaughter’s best interests to be placed with somebody she does not know.”
She said that after the media frenzy that followed her daughter Melissa Huckaby’s arrest on charges that she raped and killed 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, Lawless took Madison to a relative’s house in Grants Pass, Ore., to protect her from the chaos in Tracy.
Johnny Huckaby called Lawless on her cell phone to find out where she had taken his daughter. He asked if Madison had seen horses that day, and Lawless said that she had, “indicating that Madison and she were still in Oregon,” Johnny Huckaby said in court filings. Sources have said the Lawless family has a ranch in Oregon.
He didn’t tell Lawless at the time that a judge had already signed papers granting him legal custody of his daughter. But when he flew to Oregon and showed up at the aunt’s house on April 19, Lawless and Madison had already flown back to Cypress.
“What the hell are you doing?” he said he asked Lawless once he got her on the phone again.
“I can’t believe that you are doing this to your daughter,” she responded, according to Johnny Huckaby.
He said he accused Lawless of lying to him about Madison’s whereabouts and that she replied, “I didn’t want anyone to know where she was.”
Over the past couple of years, Johnny Huckaby said he has tried several times to get in touch with his daughter. But Lawless told him that if he tried to see Madison, she would whisk her away to Oregon and “disappear,” he added.
Further, she would tell Madison that she was conceived through artificial insemination, Johnny Huckaby said, “indicating to me that she didn’t want Madison to know that I existed.”
But, he continued, he’s a very stable father, is married, has a 5-year-old stepson, a 1-year-old daughter and a steady job back home in Arkansas.
Johnny Huckaby married Melissa Huckaby just a week after she filed for bankruptcy, records show. At the time, she was five months pregnant with Madison.
Lawless and Johnny Huckaby could not be reached for comment. Their attorneys declined to say anything about the case.
Melissa Huckaby, who has yet to enter a plea, is due back in court at 1 p.m. Friday for further arraignment.
Police arrested her four days after they found Sandra’s body stuffed in a suitcase submerged in a dairy lagoon north of Tracy. She had been missing for 10 days. Sandra used to play with Madison at the Tracy Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park on Clover Road, where the two of them lived.
Madison’s father told ABC’s Good Morning America last month that the little girl was unaware of her mom’s situation.
Melissa Huckaby faces charges of murder with special circumstances for rape with a foreign object, committing lewd and lascivious acts on a child and kidnapping. If convicted, she could face the death penalty.
•Contact Tracy Press reporter Jennifer Wadsworth at 830-4225 or jwadsworth@tracypress.com.
Doesn't matter what profession priest, politician, teacher,
The sad thing is that they don't all start off bad, but things change over time. I think to some degree they have to believe their own lies and deception to pull it all off. (Not just talking about molesters here).
In crime there is a pattern, they start off small and they cross one line (which might be something small). Which makes it easier to cross another then another, until they are so far beyond the line they become people that do despicable, horrible things.
Yes there are snakes everywhere.
Jim Baker, how he deceived millions of Americans, bilked them out of money in their "Good Faith" cashed in by his own greed..... my grandmother was a victim.
Snakes everywhere, every professions, just be aware!
Pastor Lawless received his theological education from the Alisal Baptist Institute of Salinas and the Baptist Theological Seminary of Hayward. He also studied under the tutelage of Eld. A.A. Harris.
The churches Elder Lawless has pastored are Beacon MBC of Redding and Grace MBC of Gardena. In 1975, he was sent out by Salinas MBC to do mission work in Eureka. He then pastured Sovereign Grace MBC of Mountain View, and has been pastor at the Clover Road Baptist Church since 1981.
Pastor Lawless' wife, Connie, is the daughter of A.A. and Irene Harris. They were married by Eld. Harris on July 9, 1960 in Modesto, CA. They have three grown children Brian, Brett, and Joni, who are all involved in God's work, and nine beloved grandchildren.
This is what the Clover road site says. Doubtful he was pastor at both, that would be highly unusual. He was definitely in that city in Washington.
Yes, the whole WA thing is weird. He can't be 2 place at once, right? But WA did say he was there at some point. ut he says he was here in 81? Hey TP, can you clarify? Somethings not right.
KAmom, thanks for the clarification.
As to the WA, OR, CA thing the only thing I know is what the church website said prior to all of this. I looked it up after people started mentioning a possible Washington connection, before the FBI went up there. Under the about the Pastor section it says he has been a pastor at clover road since 1981. The allegations started in 1995 (with the children stating it started back in 1988). If all of this is correct then lawless was here when it happend.
http://www.clover-road-baptist-church.com/Pastor1.html
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=washington EAST Wenatchee sex ring&page=1&qsrc=2417&ab=0&u=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenatchee_sex_ring
It sounds like he moved to California mid 70's to go to school in California and was pastor of a church in Eureka (up by Oregon) before moving to Tracy. Where he has been Pastor for 28 years.
Now there is always a chance he was a part of something in Washington, but it would have had to have been ongoing for about 20 years prior to it being found out.
Don't really know either way as to whether or not the entire Lawless family is messed up. Just reporting some actual facts I looked up.
Uh,ho, me thinks I am gonna get blasted for this thought!
""Johnny Huckaby — who married Melissa Huckaby in 2005 before their divorce a year later — told a judge that she also forged her mother’s signature on divorce papers""
So if she is 28 now, and was 24 when she divorced, I am at loss as to why the signature was called for...????
So in the same boat with you Lori with the question.
Just crazy system or was made crazy by people who knew how to play the system??
What? I seriously thought that after you are 18 and marry, your family (your parents) is out of your life in a way. What I mean is that your marriage, your bills, your crimes is your problem. Supposedly, when you marry your parents marry him or her too? I'm sorry but I don't understand divorce concerning this. I know this question is kind of off the wall with all the comments given, but I hope someone can clear this up.
Each organization has good and bad people. The Catholic church was wrong to cover many things up, yes - but there are many more organizations with similar problems ex: some mormon sects...there are many crazy extremist chuches out there...why concentrate on Catholics KAmom?
I beleive in God - but I believe each Religion is simply that religions own interpretation of the bible or of history. We won't truly know what God's true word is until we get there. So live well, love well and treat others as you would want to be treated. For those who hide behind God and who do work in the name of the Lord to prepetrate haneous acts on children...have a wonderful time in hell.
how the Catholic church does things is NOT representative of how most mainstream denominations handle them.
The point I was making was that if someone isn't given a job because of adultery they sure aren't going to give someone a job who has been accused of child molestation. It is unfair to lump all Christian churches together with what the Catholic church has done.
My biggest problem with the statements being made by people like you and Sahar is that you don't seam to have a clue as to what actually goes on in most churches and are painting them all with a broad brush. Then when someone tries to tell you that isn't how things are done you use something like the Catholic Church and there problems which have nothing to do with the denomination in question.
Again and lastly most churches go to great lengths to keep children safe...BTW, Pastors are required by law to report any and all cases brought to him of misconuduct with a minor.