Man at center of Palin Troopergate scandal embroiled in child custody dispute
Published Monday, December 1, 2008
Digg
delicious
Facebook
Mixx
Reddit
Stumble It!ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Michael Wooten, the Alaska State Trooper at the center of the Troopergate scandal over whether Gov. Sarah Palin abused her power, is now embroiled in a power struggle of his own - a custody dispute with an ex-wife.
His 12-year-old son did not return to his mother's home in Washington state as planned at the end of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and Wooten's ex-wife is threatening legal action.
Cynthia Allocco of Vancouver, Wash., was married to Wooten for 4 1/2 years. The couple, who only have the one child, divorced in 1999.
Allocco said if she can't get the court to issue an emergency order for the return of her son, she will ask the FBI to investigate this as a kidnapping.
"Michael Wooten thinks he is above the law," Allocco said Monday, after arriving at her lawyer's office in Anchorage. "What I can't fathom is why this man is allowed to get away with so much."
Allocco said her lawyer planned to seek an emergency court order to get the boy returned to his mother.
Wooten told The Associated Press on Monday that the last custody order gave him primary physical custody of the boy, and his son wants to live with him, Wooten said.
"I would really appreciate it if you would let me be a father and raise my kids," he said, before declining to comment further.
Wooten and Allocco have equal legal custody of the child. According to a court document, Wooten was granted temporary physical custody in January with the arrangement to be re-evaluated in six months "based on the desires" of the child.
In June, Allocco said the boy decided to return to her in Washington.
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, the boy was supposed to spend eight days in Alaska with his father but did not return as planned on Saturday, Allocco said.
"In my opinion, he has basically kidnapped my child," she said.
Wooten gained notoriety during heightened scrutiny of Palin, who was the vice presidential candidate for the Republican party this year. Investigators sought to determine whether the governor abused her power when firing Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.
Monegan had said his dismissal was tied to his refusal to fire Wooten, who was involved in a bitter divorce and custody battle with another ex-wife, Palin's sister Molly McCann.
Palin said her displeasure with Monegan was over budget disputes.
Two investigations were conducted but came to different conclusions. One found that she had abused her power in allowing her family and staff to pressure Monegan; the other found there was no probable cause to believe she or any other state official violated the state's code of ethics.
During the investigations, it was revealed that Wooten had been disciplined under a different public safety commissioner for certain violations, like a drinking a beer in his patrol car and demonstrating a Taser on a 10-year-old stepson.
In 2006, Palin told the state trooper security detail that Wooten had threatened to kill her father, Chuck Heath, the previous year because he offered to hire a divorce lawyer for her sister.
Wooten admitted using the Taser on his stepson but denied drinking in his patrol car. He also denied ever being a threat to Heath or the Palin family.
Allocco said she discovered Friday, the day before her son was to return to Washington, that Wooten was seeking to have $933 a month in child support payments stopped.
Community Discussion
Newsminer.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full user's agreement.
So at what point do the people of Alaska just get tired of reading about the white trash drama of the Palin clan? I realize there is no more Jerry Springer show but damn...doesn't this newspaper have anything...anything at all better to write about?
This is not about the Palin Clan...this is about a bad cop and a continuing cover up for him by other bad cops...
this isnt news, this is a private family matter, sad the media believes it to be such a worthwhile story
Who suffers here? The child. I dispise any parent who puts their child(ren)in the middle of financial interests. Is this another vindictive ex that will take advantage of notority to get what she wants? Wooten sure needs to pick better mates. Not much luck so far. Why do women keep marrying him?
Is the Newsminer becoming a tabloid??----this is like giving Sarah and her clan credibility---isn't it embarassing enough that she is called Govenor of Alaska? 0r is it politician at large (part-time govenor)?
This is the second child's life which is being questionably impacted by wooten. When is protective services going to wake up and take a serious look at wooten's disreguard for the best interest of his children/step-children? Why doesn't each of his children have a court appointed spokeperson for them? Why aren't the children's best interest not being addressed & protected by the courts?
"Michael Wooten thinks he is above the law," Allocco said
I have to agree to that statement & with charlie's.
The child chose to live with his mother in june in wash. after living with wooten from jan to june & came for a 8 day visit with wooten....
This is about a questionable dad, cop, role model............
Get each of his children a court appointed lawyer to protect thier rights & well-being.....stop the abuse.
How did this make the papers? I.E. who contacted the news? When "normal" folks have a custody dispute they take it to the courts and to child custody investigator, not to the media.
Poor kid. Article says nothing, I repeat nothing, about the kid's wishes. If the kid wishes to live with his loser dad so be it, if the kid wants to live with his loser mom, so be it. Kid is old enough to make the call.
This has nothing to do with the "Palin Clan" If you people would read instead of just jumping on the mere mention of a name you'll see that the ONLY tie to the Palin family is Mike Wooten. The child and ex involved aren't even related to the Palins.
Its become obvious.... beyond obvious that Wooten has HUGE issues. OH, don't we all feel safe with someone like that behind a badge. THAT issue should be the one ya'll are jumping on.
Hey union officials, how you gonna sweep kidnapping under the table?
Wether or not you like Palin, this really has nothing to do with her.
Furthermore, it is deffinitly NEWS when one of our "Public SAFETY Officers" is being investigated for KIDNAPPING.
Wake up, people, a cop who drinks and drives A PATROL car can't charge people with DUI. A cop who tasers his kid can't charge people for child abuse. WHY IS THIS GUY STILL NOT FIRED??
Does where the kid wants to live meaning anything? hello? anything?
Oh I forgot, the [U]nion claims it's not reaponcible for his actions,(or conduct) they only pressure Executive Officers of the court to look the other way, or dissregaurd the [L]aw in matters such as these...
Yes All Uniform law enforcment are Executive officers of the court...
Talk about illegal influence, and contributing to the confidence of the public...
why-owhy???
[Note:]( for the most part my experiences with AST have been actually very pleasant, and for the most part I Admire these People who are entrusted with all of our saftey... People Like This Mr. Wooten lack the [T]emperment, and Good Common sence that it takes to fill this most important role in public saftey.... I am amazed that there has not been an uproar amongst the A.S.T. over this, (or has there been, and we have merely not been privey to it!
As for child custody, I doubt he is mentally stable enough to be trusted with a Gold-Fish let alone a ten year old!
I'm not amazed.
Why is this front page news and why is a 12 year old kid going to be dragged through the middle of this and be subjected to national news media scrutiny?
Wooten was granted temporary physical custody in January with the arrangement to be re-evaluated in six months "based on the desires" of the child.
In case you can't read, or only see what you want to see.
a) The courts deemed him a fit parent-our opinion is irrelevant.
b) The courts said it is up to the kid. What does the kid think?
Seems to me none of these folks are fit to be parents, but its not my place to pass judgement, its the courts.
Yesterday, the DNM prints an editorial that points out that contrary to earlier reports (printed during an emotion filled campaign), the Palin administration was not dragging it's feet or attempting a coverup in response to public requests for emails and other government communications. The state was working to comply in as timely a manner as possible. This newfound respect for the administration, by the DNM, is the proverbial "day late and a dollar short".
Today, the DNM has an article about how maybe Trooper Wooten is more troubled than we were led (by the DNM, the AP, and Alaskan Democrats) to believe, during the previously mentioned emotion filled campaign.
Anybody else seeing a pattern here?
The child should be able to choose. Although usually I think a male child would prefer to live his older years with the father this may not be the case here. Isn't divorce just wonderful?
Sarah should be left out of this one as you have plenty of other threads to attack her on.
Pat
Please make them stop...........
sigh
MULTIPLE CHOICE I.Q. TEST
Which of the following statements is true?
A. charliebussell - "This is not about the Palin Clan".
B. P-Davenport - "This is the second child's life being questionably impacted by wooten".
C. OH-Puck - "The child and the ex involved aren't even related to the Palins".
D. MBinAK - "it is definitly NEWS when one of our 'Public Safety Officers' is being investigated for KIDNAPPING". (or is accused of abduction)
E. crosswind - ALL OF THE ABOVE.
oh cross-wind, why would you ever let facts get in the way of a good old smear campaign....I heard Wooten doesn't share, I can't beleive they let him breath. Oh yeah I heard he hates puppies. I heard he lets his kid watch foot ball....
Jeepers! I feel like I'm reading the tabloids - not real news!
onajourney you are reading the tabloid called "The Associated Press"; The Cheering Squad for Socialist Politicians on their mission to try and destroy Sarah Louise Palin. The Associated Press is worse than the National Enquirer; At least the Enquirer is HONEST about what it is that they are doing.
The good part is that the Socialists of America are obviously threatened by Sarah Palin. That proves to Conservatives that Sarah Palin is the candidate to watch for promising things in years to come.
You can be sure that in this so-called news story that a number of
"facts" are just wrong. Not defending Wooten at all - I don't know and it sure as hell is none of my business. I do know that these kinds of stories point by point are full of halftruths, mistruths, outright falsehoods, and maybe a real fact or two. He said, she said, they said, excuse me while I barf awhile. I feel sorry for the children in these messes- they did not ask to be born.
You've got to feel for the poor media. Britney's been laying low for a year now. They need a new circus. And if you can't find one, create one.
Unfortunately, a few of the above posters seem intent on hanging this one on Sarah. It seems some in the media would like to do likewise. Sarah's not perfect, and there are some Trooper-gate questions that need to be answered. But if you ask me, this one should be framed as "how does a guy like this keep his State Patrol job?" As a citizen of this state, that bothers me quite a bit more than Sarah's judgmental lapses in dealing with the guy.
You guys crack me up: watch his interview on CNN. Wooten himself admits to the things he was accused of and he makes himself look exactly like the fool that he is...I wonder if that video is on YouTube...
Yes, it is.
About 2:00 minutes in it starts to get interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7YWNKj3Y...
Total tabloidian garbage.
But, I will say this, the primary weapon that a cop has in a court of law is credibility. This whole Wooten thing is undermining the troopers already thin credibility.
Ahh, yes...I just found it myself. I particularily like the part where he downplays the aligator clip method of tasing over being shot with probes...and the part where he says he didn't know his actions were ilegal-regarding the ilegal moose hunting incident.
The fact is, this article should not have made such a big deal over Wooten being Palin's ex-bro-in-law. The point, rather, ought to be that he is supposed to be "serving and protecting" the public, enforcing the laws, and has landed himself in an on-going string of crimes, the latest of which, the alegations of abducting his son.
No one else can drink and drive w/o going to jail. No one else can ilegally shoot a moose (even if they "don't realize" they are breaking the law). No one else can tase their kid and not be investigated by social services. And, NO ONE ELSE can keep their child over the agreed-upon date of return in a joint-custody situation without being called upon by the authorities.
It is time for Trooper Wooten to be held acountable to the laws he has sworn to help uphold.
wTG Alaska Let me tell ya about Alaska and child custody.
Andrew B. what the h*ll are you doing in this post? It is not about your precious Sarah! So why are you here? Why is it that everytime anything ..remotely connected to the word "Palin" shows up in the DNM, You take it upon yourself to remind us that 1. You are still in California; 2. You are still a latino lawyer; and 3., Still in love with Sarah; tell us, does Todd know? As for Sarah being the promise of things to come, you must mean, impeachment, lawsuits, and breaches of ethics. Unless you really Are Sarah, and are in love with yourself?! That Must Be It !, you are really Sarah in disguise, and are in love with yourself. That explains it all.
As for the real thread of this post, this is a personal legal matter between Mr. Wooten and his Ex, and NONE of our business.
And will somebody get the fishnet for [D]on[d]i ?? He needs to spend time in the ward with Andrew B...Aka SarahP. Wait a minute... that makes you AndrewSarahBP....BP is ..short for.. BritishPetroleum!!! Wow it is so clear now, clear as OIL that is...
hey i have an idea! let's get a panel of "non-partisan" investigators together, blow thousands of dollars on a state investigation about what happened here, and come up with results that no one likes!
oh wait, we already did that
I'm sorry, I have to disagree with some of you. Wooten's offenses don't make all State Policemen bad. My son in law is a state policeman and is one of the finest human beings I know. When my daughter was having their twins, she had a heart attack and he saved her life by knowing what it was and acting immediately. He's one of my heroes, the other being my father. This is grandstanding from both sides of this story it appears to me. Using the media to sway folks opinions. Most of us have been involved in a custody "battle", sometimes it was amiciable, most of the time not. My hands up. But it was a private battle, not something someone told a reporter about. I feel sorry for the kids, not for either Wooten or his ex's. But it's their battle, not ours. I appreciate all the comments made by posters, but to knock all the AST because one of them is in the news in a bad light, I just don't think that's right.
TheNorthStar: Andrew HUSSEIN Briseno needs to avoid Lovers' Leap at all costs.
He's a narcissist after all. He'd be the first to dive in solo.
scanning to bottom not reading a comment, I'm no bang my head against the wall Palin fan, I do like her, a few disagreements, but seriously this guy is a complete tool how is he able to keep his job. I can't beleive he can patrol much less continue to reproduce. Wooten sounds like a dirty guy, nasty dad, uglier step dad, none are acceptable.!. Why is the negative press so focused on Palin, she's A) no fish to fry B) not guilty of putting out fear into this troopers past.
TAC, um, we have a Two Lovers Leap here on Guam. Well, it's not a One Lover's Leap but hey, it's a leap. Not directed at you, just food for thought for the political situation there.
While there is a lot of disagreement on this story, I don't think any of us posting in this thread would call wooten a good cop.
It depresses me how utterly screwed up the alaska state troopers are when it comes to dealing with the bad apples. And now, if palin wants to "fix" that system, she'd get attacked as trying to punish them for something.
The troopers are broken. Too easy to get in. Too easy to stay in.
Andrew are you nuts? Palin is nothing and does nothing. Take her to your state so she will leave us alone.
Thomas - "...if Palin wants to fix that system (cronyism in the troopers and their union), she'd get attacked as trying to punish them for something."
Seems to me that is just what already happened. It's history. Murkowski, Randy R. and the attorney general Renkes couldn't stop her but the trooper's union and their lackey Senator French sure were a stone wall.
Wooten says his son wants to live with him. Fine let him file a motion with the court like everyone else for a change of custody. Until the JUDGE says the order is changed, he is in violation and should face the music for contempt of court for violation of the custody agreement LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE. The court could go a long way toward public trust by showing that NO ONE is above the law. I'd be willing to bet that they won't tho cuz Wotten or is that Rotten...oh Wooten is a cop and everybody knows cops are above the law in this State. I'm glad it got in the NewsMiner and I hope we get a followup when the cops bust him for contempt of court and he has to go before the judge and explain why he thought he could ignore the judges orders LIKE ANYONE ELSE WOULD.
Just reread the report again. Looks to me like someone is a bit confused. Mom is filing kidnapping charges because the son was not returned to her custody, Wooten says the last custody modification gave him primary physical custody. Hmmmmmm....freaked out Mom, or lying Trooper? Only the Shadow knows.
Guess the AP should have done a little more research before putting this out there.
TAC...quick tell AndrewBSP, where it is. He would probably think he would float... " Andrew HUSSEIN Briseno" very cool TAC, I like it better than AndrewBS P.
Post a comment
Commenting requires registration.