http://www.king5.com/news/cities/tacoma/Sex-Offender-Sues-Family--122369809.html
Posted on May 20, 2011 at 5:39 PM
TACOMA, Wash. -- A Tacoma mother says her family is going broke fighting a legal battle against a man convicted of victimizing their child.
A sex offender, Patrick Rojas, is suing the mother for negative comments she made about him on her blog. Rojas, 26, was convicted four years ago of inappropriate contact with Danielle Schneider's 11-year-old child.
Danielle spends her days cleaning, cooking and caring for her family, but at night when all six of her kids are asleep, she says she blogs about him.
"His story became my story when he chose to abuse my child," Danielle said. "I just felt if I could save one child from being abused, I could take being vulnerable and sharing my story," she said.
[COMMENT: How often have we heard this battle cry to justify illegal activity?]
But sharing her story has come at a price. Rojas is now suing Danielle for $60,000. He says she's slandering his name. Now mounting legal bills and counseling for their daughter has left Danielle's family almost broke. "My husband and I have had to go to food banks," Danielle said.
KING 5 News spoke with Mike Davis, Rojas' attorney, who said he tried to come to some sort of compromise with the Schneiders before filing a lawsuit. He says there are many details on the site that are private information and simply not true. He also says Rojas served his time and has gone to counseling. Davis hopes to come to an agreement with the family before this goes to trial in December.