From the Clinton County Leader

Apr 12

Sorry, this is about to be a long message. But, it’s been on my mind constantly, so I think I should share. (share and share alike 🙂 )

Back in 2012, when my husband and I started dating, he owned a house in NKC close to Macken Park. At that time, my youngest son was 3 years old. One Sunday, a friend of ours had come over. Not even a minute after she walked in the door, we noticed the front door was open. We were having issues with the door not closing all the way before, so we had been extra careful about watching It. My son had walked out the door, down 3 steps down the sidewalk literally like 20 feet and was right in front of his neighbors house. The man that lives in that house is a politician. I only knew that because it was around election time, and he had signs all over his yard. He was running for representative. So, I walk out the door, see my son, the man was hanging up his cell phone when I was walking down the stairs. I said something to my son about waiting for me before he comes outside, and say sorry to the neighbors. I start to pick my son up, and the man grabs my son and tells me “you need to wait the police are on their way,” and refused me to take my son. OK, anyone that knows me knows I’m an easy going person. But, mess with my kids or try to question me as a mother, hits the automatic mama bear switch. So, I’m about to punch the dude cause he won’t let me pick my son up! Then, here comes a police around the corner. Literally less than 2 mins from when he hung up his phone. So, Mr officer gets out, dude HANDS my son to the officer, and walks away. Officer of course asks what’s going on, so I tell him. Then point out how I’m literally right next door to my husband’s house. The officer tho, is being an ass. Making comments about “a good mom knows where their kids are constantly.” I had alcohol on my breath cause it was football Sunday. But, had only had not even a full beer yet, just started drinking it. So he makes a comment about alcohol on my breath, pretty much implying I’m an unfit mom without giving me a chance to say anything. Understandably, I get upset.

THEN the officer tells me “I could call family services and arrest you for child neglect. He then follows me into my husband’s house, sees my husband and instant attitude change. “Oh, Mr. Ward! I didn’t know this was your house.” Makes some small talk with my husband, then just cleavearly not saying anything more to me. So, whatever, forget about it and go on with our day.

Fast forward about 2-3 months. It was the weekend, my husband and I were drunk, got into an argument. Side note, I still had my own apartment, but I was pretty much living in my future husbands house. Anyway, my current boyfriend told me to leave. But, I wasn’t taking him serious, we were just arguing. I told him I needed to take a nap, then I would leave. Went to bed, fell asleep.

Next thing u know, I have 2 officers, one of the coincidentally being Ficken, waking me up saying my bf wanted me to leave so I needed to get up and leave. Another side note, the law is that if someone stays even 1 night in someone’s home and have personal items of theirs in the home, they have established residency. I even had my kids personal items in the house. So, I tell the officer’s we are just arguing and I would leave after I took a nap and called for a ride. They told me “the homeowner wants u to leave NOW, so are you going to leave?” Now, I’m irritated and mention I have been living there so he would have to go thru the court in an eviction process. I once again said, “but I will leave after a nap and finding a ride. They STILL would not leave me alone. At this point, I sit up, grab my phone and tell them I’m calling my lawyer.

Within a second, my phone was hitting the wall across the room and I was pulled up thrown around and handcuffs on. They told me I was being arrested for trespassing. Then they physically push me out of the house, pushing me into the back of a police car to take me to jail.

At this point, I had a serious emotional breakdown, crying so hard and panic attack like I EVER had experienced before and I could not breathe. Like my face was going numb, my hands and feet were tingling and cramped up. All signs of not enough oxygen getting to my brain. I’m not nor have ever been a criminal or been in a jail.

The 2 minute that felt more like an hour drive to the police station, I was telling Ficken that I can’t breathe, feel sick, going to pass out, PLEASE JUST OPEN MY WINDOW EVEN AN INCH so I can get some air. He TOTALLY is ignoring me, no acknowledgement I was even in the car, which intensifies the panic attack.

By the time we get to the police station and he opens the door to get me out, I can’t walk. Legs are jello, and I start to black out. He just let’s me collapse on the ground. I hear him saying something to someone about needing help cause he has “a crazy drama queen. And the butch is acting like she can’t walk.” I somehow get into the police station on a bench waiting while they book me in, but of course taking their time. I lay over on the bench and immediately get yelled at to “Sit back up!” I said “I’m sorry sir. I’m really not trying to be hard to handle, I really just don’t feel good.” I mention I have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and take medication for it. My medicine is in my purse, my name is on the prescription bottle, can I please just have one?

They looked at each other and just laughed.

I finally make it to Clay County jail, I was so happy to be out of NKC.

I get out the next day, and between then and my court date a few months later, my husband and I decide it was stupid and he isn’t going to pursue anything. He is going to tell the judge he wants to dismiss it.

Later, I will thank my lucky stars that we had worked it out. Court day comes, my husband’s mom comes with him.

Now, I already know his parents know a lot of people because they are very involved in the community. His mom is one of the president’s for the Harvest Ball.

So, I’m never surprised when I see strangers always knowing them every where we go. But, this was odd. Court starts, the judge, Steve Fuller starts calling names off the docket.

While the first person had already been called up and was in the middle of stating their case, Judge Fuller seems to notice where my then bf and his mom were sitting. He calls the bailiff over and everyone can hear him tell the bailiff, “Mr. Ward is right over there. Go ask him why.” I watched the bailiff walk over to Jason and ask him why he is there and hear Jason say he was there as a plaintiff and points at me making a comment about it’s with me. Bailiff goes and tells Judge Fuller. The judge then totally stops the person and tell them he’s going to call them back up in a while. He has that person sit down then calls my case. We get up in front of the judge and he asks Jason what’s going on as he opens the file to look at it. Jason tells them what happened but he doesn’t want to pursue the charges. The judge asks him if he wants the case dismissed, Jason says yes. So, at that point, heiunsuredly says to have a seat, whispers something to the bailiff. But instead of calling the other person back up or moving on, everything just stops.

A few minutes later, Judge Fuller says to his mom, “Mrs. Ward, will you come up here for a minute?” She goes up there and everyone hears him say hello, how are you doing? And how is Mr. Ward doing? Is he still on the school board? Haven’t seen you guys since so and so had that party for… Then, he cuts off the microphone, motions for Jason’s Mom to come closer, and for almost 5 mins have huddled conversation. The bailiff comes back in and whispers something to the Judge. He tells his mom she can go sit back down, it was nice chatting with her, tell Mr. Ward he says hello..etc. He then calls Jason and I back up.

He asks Jason like 3 times if he was sure he wanted it dismissed, Jason says yes every time. Then he looks over at me and tells me he “was fully ready to trial me that day, but guess it’s ur lucky day. He never let’s a person dismiss a case in court but he was going to let it happen THIS time. Hope it learned a lesson, and he doesn’t want to see me in there again.” I never had a chance to utter even 1 word.

Life went on, it was just thrown to the back of my brain, just forget it… And so on. But since Toni’s car was found, the memory has been popping up more and more. Then hearing more information triggers more thinking.

ANYway, that long story is to get to the point, it DOES matter who you are, women don’t matter, after all, we are “just crazy bitches, drama queens.”

Multiple officers saw me during my panic attack and even when I asked for medical attention, they refused and laughed at me.

There’s a reason Toni’s case attracted my attention. Ask anybody my friends, I don’t watch the news, read it, or even acknowledge it. Usually if I hear from someone about something thats happened, my attitude is “it’s not me that’s going through it.” That keeps it just a “story”, not my business.

I truly feel it attracted my attention because of what I personally experienced. I think the straw that 100% convinced me something is definitely wrong, it for sure was not an “accident,” was just the other day when I saw the pic of Ficken and heard he was involved.

It was seriously bells going off, the immediate feeling that something bad did happen to Toni.

I can honestly say that I know 100% that Toni was killed.

Mary Ward
Sorry, it was 2011, not 2012
Anyway, I forgot a big point.

Come to find out, Jason’s parents to school with Judge Fuller from elementary school thru college

Justice for Toni Anderson
Wow, thank you for sharing your story Mary! That is horrible that they treated you that way!

We had another woman message us and tell us that she went to school with Ficken and he was really creepy back then. I am starting to wonder if he was the one that murdered her.

Mary Ward
Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised. Even if not purposely,

I feel he knows something about it.

And after my experience and reading his past record on Richard’s blog, I can totally see something like that happening.

Justice for Toni Anderson
Did you ever report him for how he treated you? Anxiety is a major issue and can cause serious damage to someone.

Mary Ward
Right, it was horrid. I NEVER had an anxiety attack so bad.

I seriously should have been sent to the hospital the moment I collapsed getting out of the car. I needed to be put on oxygen and given medicine thru an IV.

I am a CNA, and they also knew that so they shouldn’t have questioned me.

When I got up to the Clay County jail. I still wasn’t feeling well, but not as bad as earlier. They have buttons in the cells u push if u need assistance for any reason.

So, I pushed the button and told them I think I needed medical help. A deputy came in, and granted she was nice. But I was telling her about what happened in NKC and the way I was treated.

I told her I had requested medical help then, told her how I was treated like a “drama queen”, and that I have no criminal background so it was my first time in jail. She asked me why I was there, then told her about the so called “trespassing”.

She thought the trespassing charge was a joke, but about my anxiety attack, she said,”well, you know anxiety is all in our heads. It’s something WE create.

So, you just need to calm your thoughts and a nurse will be talking to you in a bit.” That’s part of an intake is u have to be seen by a nurse when u are booked into jail. She left making me feel more stupid cause “I was supposed to be able to control my emotions.” Anyway, about 3 other inmates came in after she left asking if I was OK. And they sat with me and told me jokes and stories to help me feel better. Honestly, if it wasn’t for them, who knows what would have happened. Cause at this point, I still couldn’t have my anxiety medicine. About 2-3 hours later, I finally got called out to see the nurse. I went thru the whole story with her too. I then asked if I could have my medicine. She told me that a doctor has to OK prescriptions before they can give them out, so since it was late, I wouldn’t be able to get my medicine at least til the next day.

Thankfully, I was released the next afternoon. I also take a thyroid supplement which is very much needed because they had to take my thyroid out in 2001. That is where my anxiety issues had stemmed from, when I was sick with my thyroid issues.

Anyway, the next morning when they were passing out meds, I got into line and when I got up there, the nurse said “I don’t have anything for you.” I said I should have my thyroid pill and my anxiety pill. She said the doctor hadn’t ok’ed anything for me yet.

I had mentioned the story to a lawyer when I was calling some to see if I needed representation when I went to court. 2 of the lawyers said it would be hard to prove in court because it was my word against theirs and I had been drinking.

Mary Ward
I have seen that the majority of people don’t take anxiety as serious as it is. Because of that, ppl that truly suffer from it get made to feel they are crazy. For example, about 5 months ago, my anxiety starting acting up big time.

My husband still had not truly understand it. Anyway, ended up my son had to call an ambulance.

I currently live in Gladstone, so when the paramedics came, of course the police came. It made my anxiety worse when they walked in the door due to my previous experience and what my husband was saying.

But, the police looked at me, took my husband out in the hallway, the paramedic said first thing, “I deal with anxiety so just know that I know. You are not crazy.”

That was so awesome! Had a ride to the hospital in an ambulance but by the time I got to the hospital, my attack was pretty much finished, thanks to this wonderful EMT.

Ended up the officer’s had a nice “chat” with my husband. So much that when he got up to the hospital he went to talk to my doctor and the doctor educated him on true anxiety and also told him that it’s treated like something in our heads that we can just turn on, turn off. So, at least now ppl are starting to get educated about it.

But, I feel my experience with NKC was purpose torment, and they truly got a laugh out of me. And I feel it’s not just me that have had experiences like that. From the issue with my son getting out the front door to when I got arrested.

They don’t care about u unless u r someone important, that they know. And women are definitely a nothing to them. How can they call a sick woman a bitch and a drama queen??

The judge told me he was ready to trial me THAT without even knowing what my defense would be, why?

Just because he knows my husband’s family?? Now, the 2 lawyers that I told my story to that said I wouldn’t have a case, are on Judge Fuller’s facebook.. Hold on

Mary Ward
https://www.facebook.com/fuller7777
This is his facebook. Note Matthew Rose and David Wells, both lawyers.

Justice for Toni Anderson
Wow !!!
Truly makes me ill. Thoughts and prayers to you hun. We are always here