As the hashtag “StandWithSophie” continues to go viral, it appears that it won’t be slowing down anytime soon. Though Sophie had been returned to her father, this was apparently only for a short duration of time. Sophie is reportedly being returned, yet again, to the very location to which she claims to have been abused. With this, I think it’s time to do a quick scoop on some of the involved, and a bonus tidbit, on those involved, or simply married to somebody who is.
Judge Cynthia/Ray Whelis
As you may already know, Judge Cynthia Whelis is the presiding judge for the 417th District court, located in Collins county, Texas. The infamous judge, at this current time, works within the family court system, to which she hears juvenile and child welfare cases. Shecurrently holds memberships within the State Bar of Texas, the Collin County Bar Association and a sustaining member of the Junior League of Plano, TX. Given how she has handled the entire Sophie case, it is disturbing to know that she is board certified in juvenile law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Judge Whelis, recently attempted to perform a complete blackout on the Sophie case. Threatening the father with jail, it is alleged that she had hoped to prevent the case from going viral. It was around this time that she allegedly stated that 9yo, Sophie, had made false allegations regarding sexual abuse from her mother’s boyfriend, Jacob. We’ll get into Jacob shortly.
Judge Whelis, upon disregarding the allegations being made, had returned Sophie to the very location to which she was being abused. It is, at this point, there was a national outcry against the judge. At one point, there was a petition, which was on Change.org, to have her removed from her positon. However, this petition has since been removed. Though she continues to get unwanted attention, she still remains on the Sophie case, a choice that may result in further harm to the child.
Ray Whelis, until recently, was also a judge. Though he once served in the Collins county courthouse, he would ultimately become a judge out of Dallas. The interesting thing that we discovered about him, was his involvement with a case, commonly associated with the hashtag “SaveJames.” According to a public records search, in 2007 this judged failed the certification exam in criminal trial law. in a 2009 application for a job as a state criminal-court district judge, heclaimed that he only failed because he was in the process of selling his home in previous months and “took passing the exam for granted.” Regardless of this fact, he would be allowed to remain on the bench, although he still remains uncertified in criminal law.
Blake P. Mitchell (PhD)
Dr. Mitchell is responsible for conducting evaluations for the court. It is also worth noting that the Dr. is not only a psychologist, but also an attorney. Currently, he is operating his own practice, “Blake P. Mitchell & Associates.” As with most doctors, he has multiple reviews online. With an average rating of around 3/5, one such review reads as follows:
He is biased and I can not recommend him, as it could cause a harmful outcome to a patients overall mental health.
Beyond conducting the evaluations on involved parties, it is currently unknown to what further extent he is involved with this case. We will try to update this if we are able to obtain such information.
The accused parties
There are two parties of primary concern within this case. Kelly, the mother, and Jacob, the boyfriend. According to Sophie’s allegations, Jacob is the man who has repeated abused her. The allegations continue with accusations that the mother not only encourages the abuse, but watches it. Since our last article, we have found that there are other things to be concerned about, in regards to Kelly.
In September, 2019, Kelly had made a frantic 9-1-1 call. During this call, she makes allegations of abuse from her boyfriend, Jacob. Bear in mind, this is before the sexual assault allegation was brought to light. Kelly had reportedly locked her children into a room, out of fear that Jacob would harm them. The only child who was not in this room, was an infant. Kelly mentions to the emergency operator that Jacob carrys a weapon on him. While this is generally not something we would mention, it is worth mentioning that Jacob is a convicted felon. This means, in order to have obtained said weapon, it is most likely that Kelly had bought it for him. Bear in mind, she would had known of his conviction. Within a few months of this event taking place, Sophie would make her allegations of sexual abuse. Given that the mother had made this frantic call, months prior but still remained with this man, she willfully placed her children in immediate danger. However, for the “great” and “honorable” judge, this held no merit in her choice to return these children to this home.
The nation continues to closely monitor this circus of a case. With the complete incompetence from the judge, to the lack of protection from the mother who should had done so, we can only hope that these children are finally united with the one man who has risked it all for them, their father. Though I am excited about writing the article, announcing their safe return, we are currently left with many unexpeted twists. It is abundantly clear that the father is fighting a bias judge, who’s actions clearly favor the mother. But it was these actions that has given him an entire virtual army, fighting a corrupt war for the safety and welfare of a child.
