December 1, 2004

Honorable Mark Shurtleff
Attorney General
Office of the Attorney General
US Capitol Complex
East Office Bldg. Suite 320
Salt Lake City, Utah
84114-2320

Dear Honorable Shurtleff,

I am sure that by now you have heard - and seen - and if not, you certainly will, of the united front being organized by those parents who have children attending Whitmore Academy in Nephi, Utah and how appalled they are at the flagrant abuse of power by your DCFS, their reproachable tactics in trying to ascertain the truth regarding aspersions leveled by a kid of - by his own parents' admissions - questionable repute and motives, and of the agencies overall, general lack of concern for our children's emotional vulnerability and physical well being, in spite of the fact that all of the kids sequestered adamantly maintained the Sudweeks' innocent of these accusations.
They will not be defeated easily. They are grass rooting. They have concerted in their cause. And are willing to go the distance in restoring the dignity, respect and reputation so carelessly stripped from Mark & Cheryl Sudweeks and the nationally recognized program they have so selflessly built over the past three decades. Yes sir it will be a tough fight.

The faith and unwavering support the parents have for Mark & Cheryl is nothing short of brilliant considering the allegations. Charges of abuse are serious charges and by nature, demand discretion, jurisprudence and a discerning mind. Three ideas that are either foreign to and/or held in contempt by your DCFS.

The interrogative, coercive and manipulative tactics employed by the DCFS during this investigation were beyond reproach. They were downright criminal and are eerily reminiscent of our darkest hours when men created fascist police states and concentration camps. Am I being theatrical? Perhaps. But let this egregious misuse of power and lawlessness continue to abound and see where it takes us as a nation.

The manner in which the Sudweeks' have been treated throughout this ordeal is deplorable, to be abhorred and in no way congruent with the premise that one is assumed innocent until proven guilty.

In my opinion? It warrants it's own, counter investigation. In fact, I would not all be surprised if the Sudweeks' were contemplating filing their own civil counter suit. I sure as hell would if I had rogue cops & DCFS heads rousing kids out of my house in the middle of night and then proceeded to grill them under heat lamps, physically tackle some into submission, and threaten still other others with mace spray deep into the night. Reprehensible tactics. Each one designed and employed to intimidate our children. Bravo folks! Job well done.

I mean come on! I thought Hoover spookies were out of vogue.

Whatever happened to the idea of ascertaining the truth no matter how much it may disappoint ones own prejudices? It is quite obvious someone clearly has an agenda other than the truth. I mean heck - the kids told the DCFS that all reports, allegations and innuendos of abuse were but a crock.

But your guys still pressed, err - bullied on. However, in their rush to judgment they egregiously misjudged the kids and their sense of honor, loyalty, propriety and character. And now you've a real mess on your hands.

Our own 16 year old son, XXXXX, has been attending Whitmore Academy since the beginning of May 2004. Unlike many other, less fortunate parents, we had the luxury, though dubious, advantage of time - nearly two weeks - in choosing a place for our son while he remained on suicide watch at a local area hospital.

I cannot, in retrospect, emphasize enough how thankful my wife and I both are for having that extra time, because as any parent who has been in a similar situation will attest, this - the process of choosing a place to send your kid while the gun of despair is pressed cold to your temple - is the very beginning, of a very real and living hell. Your senses finally sober. You no longer delude yourself. You no longer can deny that a very real, life threatening problem exists. And no longer can you pretend it away.

But it's also the genesis of hope.

So you sleep but a scant eye as you surf, call and email the universe in search of salvation. And it proves to be one of the more arduous, daunting of tasks for the unsuspecting. For to be certain there are a whole lot of hucksters out there selling desperate parents magic pills.
But sorry DCFS, there names ain't Mark & Cheryl Sudweeks.

Their proof is in their pudding. They resurrect families. They bring kids back from the walking dead. They are changing lives in dynamic, positive and in many cases, unimaginable ways. Our own son, as we already mentioned, was on the very real verge of suicide. Now he speaks again like the little boy that seemed to us so many persons ago. He has dreams again. He feels life is worth while. He believes in himself. And I suspect, has begun the all important process of forgiving himself.

Prior to Whitmore and the Sudweeks "cultish and abusive" ways he failed out of two different high schools by the age of 14 - one per coast.

Home schooling? A complete hassle just to get him out of bed in the morning. Now he's up at the crack of dawn, taking pride and ownership in his daily chores and attending not only classes, but finishing his homework as well.

Before Mark & Cheryl "systematically abused him and indoctrinated him with their voodooish brand of Mormonism" he also smoked dope all day long, popped oxcicotins, ate peyote buttons and served our community a general nuisance. He smashed windows. Rebelled against all authority, Ran away from home, Stole money from our neighbors, his sisters and grandparents. His was a restless and constant state of agitation, anger and despair. Now his faith in Christ has been restored. As a family, we have been restored.

In August I, my wife, two daughters and sister visited Whitmore Academy for an entire week along with dozens of other families. We witnessed first hand the unconditional love the Sudweeks lavish on these kids. The dedication - not many people could do what they do- was way beyond impressive. These people live, breathe and sleep this stuff the way I imagine President Bush must as he obsesses over national security issues.

Surely in that week we would have noticed something amiss. Something strange happening? At least one of us parents would have had an uneasy feeling. At least one kid maybe a..." psssss.... get me out of here."
Nothing. El zilcho. Further, I know my son - he ain't no lay down- and at the first whiff of that kind of crap he would have been all over it. I also consider myself a pretty street savvy hustler and I most definitely would have sniffed it. But all I walked away sniffing were my own tears at the absolute, sublime beauty and hope of it all.

He was hatching plans, scheming dreams, making meaningful friendships -without using drugs- and genuinely happy for the first time in years. He informed us of his plans to graduate from Whitmore Academy and his wishes to attend Film School at UCLA with a minor in Anthropology. My hair stood up!. Our son? By golly if this near total transformation is the result of the "abusive and cultish" practices of Mark & Cheryl Sudweeks then we delight in them.

It was a common narrative that week, a shared story of kid upon kid, of family upon family being restored. Yet one that bears repeating. Because it's an awesome one. One that lifts the spirit. One that fills the heart with hope. One that inspires within our children the desire to live again. To dream again. To trust again. To love again. But not one, I am sorry to inform the DCFS, that sells papers and breeds promotions.

I am not trying to suggest that Whitmore Academy is Ranch Utopia. Nor that Mark & Cheryl are the second incarnations of the Christ. I am certain that like any other organization they have their problems. And, that like any other organism on earth that calls themselves a homo-sapiens, Mark and Cheryl have their bad days - heck who wouldn't when your responsible for the safety, disciplining and nurturing of thirty plus kids?

So if they are guilty of anything? Perhaps it is the innocent naivety in maintaining the belief that one can still make a difference in a landscape full of ambitious skeptics.

But not of abusing the kids they so obviously love. And not of raising their Mormon belief like an iron cross. As of their cult like practices? I don't know. Maybe they are a cult, in the same way that any system of organized thought is. I mean after all what is a cult other than a group of followers of a certain idea or higher principle? And as long as free will, intellectual rigor and the individual is still celebrated, encouraged and promoted, as I've witnessed it is at Whitmore, than what harm is there in a shared set of principles and values guiding the way of your being? I guess I belong to the cult of wanting to make our children' lives the best that they can be and I suspect many of the other parents also belong to my cult.
So with all due respect sir, I beg of you, before you step into this mess, please recognize what the DCFS is up against. Consider the nearly 30 years of impeccable reputations. Consider the fact that not one kid - though given the ideal opportunity - chose not to leave Whitmore Academy. Consider this united band of parents in their steadfast conviction that Mark & Cheryl are innocent of all named allegations. Consider the undue stress, worry and fear this whole ordeal has placed on our kids hearts and minds. How it stymies all progress they are making. And again consider the fact that, the very parents of the kid who leveled such accusations have stated his motives as suspect, and in all probability without merit. .

It's a long journey to be certain but to pull the plug on this program over some jive and very refutable allegations while many of our kids are in the prime of their recovery would be a travesty, and one that I fear, would in certain cases, meet with a catastrophic conclusion.

Let this please rest. Let us all rest! Tell the DCFS to go chase a real boogeyman and let Mark & Cheryl Sudweeks go back to what they have continually proven they do best - loving our children, restoring them and equipping them with the necessary coping tools to enter back into society as productive, contributing members.

Our kids are worried. They don't want to leave Whitmore! It has become their home. Show us all that the system still works. Restore our faith. And let us all just enjoy the holiday season with our families absent the drama, uncertainty and controversy this unfortunate series of events has stirred up.

It is late. I am tired. The stress has been palpable to all. And I've got two little horns growing out of the side of my head. I feel fairly certain they're just pimples. But their symmetry is quite spooky. Who knows? Maybe they're battle horns because I will, and am fully prepared to go to the field and fight for the Sudweeks', our kids and the future of Whitmore Academy. But let me go and massage them and pray that you deliver back to all of us the good news we want to hear.

Thank you. I greatly appreciate your time.

Respectfully Yours,
Patrick Radoci
Baltimore 2004
pradoci@930redmaple.com

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