Reported by: Elizabeth Gadley
Email: egadley@khsltv.com
Last Update: 8/16 8:23 pm
A family shattered by domestic violence and a young life cut short after years of abuse.
Ran Dal Wert, 24, was allegedly killed at the hands of her own boyfriend. Ty Rone Pitts, 48, was taken into custody Sunday night.
He admitted to police he fatally stabbed Wert, the mother of his two-year-old son. The violent act was committed in front of the toddler and his seven-year-old sister.
“How do you tell your grandkids their mommy’s not going to come back,” sobbed Karen Hollenbeck, Wert’s understandably distraught mother.
Family members say this was not the first time Pitts had gotten violent. In fact, authorities say Pitts even served time for abusing Wert.
“That’s what I think this is, another case within this family of domestic violence. It went to the ultimate and someone lost their life,” says Shasta County Sheriff’s Sergeant John Hubbard.
Despite her family’s protests, Wert took Pitts back for what would be the last time.
“He used to beat on her all the time and she would leave and come back,” says Hollenbeck, “It just progressively got worse.”
Angela Fitzgerald, Director of the Crime Victims Assistance Center, says the cycle of abuse is all too common and it’s often hard for victims to get all the help they need.
“when a mother and child go into a system they are sent off into other systems and other agencies looking for the appropriate resources they need. And it’s very time consuming, it’s very burdensome to take a child, maybe you don’t have any means, any transportation and to go from agency to agency looking for your basic needs to be met,” says Fitzgerald.
It’s too late for Ran Dal Wert but soon other Shasta County victims will be able to get the help they need in one spot, the Shasta Family Justice Center.
“Say a client comes in and they need to talk to an advocate from Shasta Women’s Refuge or they need to get a restraining order, or they want to file a police report, or maybe talk to a lawyer about custody issues. We’ll have all those services available,” says Michael Burke, Executive Director of the Shasta Family Justice Center.
The Justice Center’s grand-opening will be on September 1st. For more information on the Shasta Family Justice Center or if you need help getting out of an abusive situation you can call Angela Fitzgerald at 225-5220.
3 comments:
Ok Ill Bite.... Hey Angela Fitzgerald.... WHY was nobody from your office at the court hearing WHY does the Victims Family HAVE to request your office to be present? and don't give me this garbage of "with budget cuts: blah blah blah... ITS A HOMICIDE VICTIMS FAMILY! PERIOD YOUR OFFICE SHOULD HAVE STEPPED UP LONG BEFORE YESTERDAY...and IF no one could "get a hold of the family" maybe if you had ADVOCATES that took a little initiative then your little Agency...as well as this new addition if the "Family Justice Center" WOULD help People.... Hey Mr BENITO.... why did you PLEA this SOB to 6 months on attempted Murder when she had her finger nearly severed... and to MR PROBATION officer....WHY was Mr. Pitts ALLOWED to go back to her home? WHY was it not part of his PROBATION to stay away from her and her kids? AND TO CHILD SERVICES please tell me why... after this Man had served jail time 2 times for abuse against this woman IN FRONT of her children....why did you not take action? If the victims stays like most of them do why DO WE as a community LET OUR SYSTEM keep failing these families and Children? I DO completely understand that THIS WAS only MR TY PITTS "fault" that her life was taken Period! Oh one last WHY... WHY the hell do we let anyone EVEN let any BLAME be sent towards the CHP officer that was first to arrive???? SO to Mrs Elizabeth Gadley I DARE you to ASK THESE QUESTIONS and report on it! No more BS Please!
It does not matter wether or not all these agencies are accessible in one place, there is no help for pro pers now, Maggie John and the "SWR" are a joke so all the usual suspects that can abandoned real victims in one place, how very "innovative."
I find it disguisting that Mrs. Fitzgerald would use this woman's death to do a commercial for this "Family Justce Center," there must be lots of profit in this thing for them.
Yes Blindbulldog...its is VERY SAD that they are using this woman's death to promote "family justice center" my understanding is SWR is NOT going to be or have advocates within the family justice center....
Shame on FITZGERALD...she did not have an advocate go to the court hearing....so sorta not really a truthful statement from her....unless she is waiting to serve victims when "family justice" is up and running.... Funny would have thought with her statements in THIS CASE she would have made SURE an advocate from her office show up....but I guess that's how she rolls.
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