Michael and Alyssa Caddo’s twelve-year-old daughter, Hannah, was away at summer camp when the phone rang at home. Alyssa answered it and was surprised to find a state trooper was on the other end of the line.

She was even more surprised when she learned why he was calling: he was requesting Michael and Alyssa’s permission to interview their daughter Hannah.

Hannah had been dealing with a difficult situation with another girl from her youth group, a girl who had been sending her threatening messages. When she confided in her youth pastor at camp, her fear had been about the other girl, not about her family. But the youth pastor had misunderstood Hannah and thought that she was saying she was afraid to go home. He never asked for clarification, and he never contacted the parents to ask for an explanation. He just called CPS.

After the state trooper called the family, Michael and Alyssa called Heritage Defense. They explained about the other girl harassing Hannah and that the whole thing was probably about that.

Our attorney advised the Caddos to allow the trooper to speak with Hannah to clarify, but to ask him to wait until they could get there. The attorney explained to the parents that if they refused the interview, the situation almost certainly would be reported to CPS, and CPS investigations and interviews of children are normally way more involved and stressful.

The parents followed our advice, and the trooper agreed to wait until they got there before interviewing Hannah.

When the trooper met with them, Hannah was able to explain what had really happened. She had not been afraid of coming home. Hannah had been dealing with the situation with this girl, and the youth pastor had misinterpreted the situation.

The trooper listened and recognized the situation for what it was. He told Michael and Alyssa that he would follow up with the other girl to hopefully stop the harassment, and that he would talk with the youth pastor to close the matter out.

When Heritage Defense followed up with the Caddos after everything had been closed, Michael and Alyssa shared what the experience had meant for their family:

Michael and Alyssa never expected a phone call from a state trooper that day.

But when the call came, they did not have to face it alone.

Heritage Defense exists to ensure families do not have to navigate moments like these on their own.

If you are not already a member, learn how Heritage Defense can help protect your family in the event of an unfounded or overblown CPS investigation.