A local judge granted a registered sex offender the right to supervised visits with his fiancées daughter, and it left the girl’s father furious.
Nicholas Kolehmainen’s ex-wife is engaged to a registered sex offender, and a clerical error granted that offender the right to unsupervised visits with their Kolehamien's 8-year-old daughter.
The clerk of courts admitted the error and Tuesday they went back to court, but the final decision left Kolehamien outraged.
“I was angry and in shock to know that this could happen to me as a father. My objection to this person being around my daughter was pretty much ignored and it’s very upsetting,” Kolehmainen said.
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He was furious when he heard the Baker County judge's decision in court Tuesday to allow a registered sex offender to have supervised visits with his daughter.
Previously a clerical error gave registered sex offender Adam Brunner unsupervised visitations with the girl because he’s engaged to her mom.
Brunner was a former Baker County teacher who plead guilty to having sex with a student who was a minor.
Tuesday the judge decided to make Brunner’s visits supervised.
During the court appointment, Kolehmainen presented the judge with a list of reasons why he objected. He said he feels the judge ignored them.
“In court I felt absolutely powerless. I was literally told that as this child’s father, you can’t do anything about this,” Kolehmainen said.
That’s why he now has a mission to contact legislators who can help change the Florida statute that allows this to happen. He’s also encouraging other families to call their local legislators as well.
“The more I’ve been exposed to the court system it’s absolutely terrifying, and they’re not protecting my child and they’re probably not protecting other children as well. The more I know, the more terrifying it is,” Kolehmainen said.
Cox Media Group
