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H. Beatty Chadwick and Zuzu's Petals
Yes, it is a holiday tradition.
Every year defrocked attorney H. Beatty Chadwick petitions a Delaware County court to be released from prison - it's been 14 years now - and every year he has been turned down.
He is turned down because he refuses to sign the paperwork that would allow for a proper search or the millions of dollars he hid during his divorce proceedings.
He has consistently lied to every judge he has petitioned for release. Despite bouts of Hodgkins lymphoma, he has outlived several of the judges who have heard his appeals and denied them.
One of those judges, Joe Battle, said Chadwick had the keys to his own jail cell from day one. And he has.
He remains in contempt of court every day he refuses to abide the court order that caught up with him 14 years ago - an order he arrogantly and flagrantly ignored - playing a Catch-Me-If-You-Can game with authorities for a year.
He was apprehended in a dentist's chair, taken to Delaware prison and that's where he's been ever since.
I have visited Chadwick in prison. He is no Jimmy Stewart or George Bailey. He may be a model prisoner but he is also manipulative and deceitful.
Now 72 years old, his goal in life seems to be to go down as the most stubborn man in history. He has set the record for the longest contempt case in American jurisprudence. Someone call the Guinness people.
But Chadwick deserves no pity or sympathy. He stays in jail voluntarily. He's made his bed, he can lie in it, as he has everynight for the past 14 years.
Every year defrocked attorney H. Beatty Chadwick petitions a Delaware County court to be released from prison - it's been 14 years now - and every year he has been turned down.
He is turned down because he refuses to sign the paperwork that would allow for a proper search or the millions of dollars he hid during his divorce proceedings.
He has consistently lied to every judge he has petitioned for release. Despite bouts of Hodgkins lymphoma, he has outlived several of the judges who have heard his appeals and denied them.
One of those judges, Joe Battle, said Chadwick had the keys to his own jail cell from day one. And he has.
He remains in contempt of court every day he refuses to abide the court order that caught up with him 14 years ago - an order he arrogantly and flagrantly ignored - playing a Catch-Me-If-You-Can game with authorities for a year.
He was apprehended in a dentist's chair, taken to Delaware prison and that's where he's been ever since.
I have visited Chadwick in prison. He is no Jimmy Stewart or George Bailey. He may be a model prisoner but he is also manipulative and deceitful.
Now 72 years old, his goal in life seems to be to go down as the most stubborn man in history. He has set the record for the longest contempt case in American jurisprudence. Someone call the Guinness people.
But Chadwick deserves no pity or sympathy. He stays in jail voluntarily. He's made his bed, he can lie in it, as he has everynight for the past 14 years.
posted by Spencerblog at
7:35 AM
11 Comments:
Ahh, 1994. I was drinking in Pennypack Woods in NE Phila in those days. Sadly, I'm sure you can still find the beer cans...
Am I reading this right? He doesn't actually have to produce the money to be released, right? He only has to sign the paperwork to authorize a search? What is his "official" reason for not doing so?
No official reason.
His unofficial reason is, as I recall, he believes the court is unconstitutionally holding him so he is refusing to capitulate to its demands as a matter of conscience.
Something like that.
Holding this old man all this time is a grave injustice when violent street criminals spend less time behind bars than him.
And it's all about the amount of money. How do we know? Does anyone really believe that he'd be held all this time if the amount of money in question was, say, 10 grand? More injustice.
Once again, Mr. Spencer has the facts wrong - a "proper" search has been done by a forensic accounting firm who indicated that there is no money to be found. How can Mr. Chadwick then prove to anyone what isn't there -- if the court's won't believe a reputable forensic accounting firm? My question to EVERYONE is how long is long enough for this man to suffer? 13 years and counting.......what about cruel and unsual punishment? The former Mrs. Chadwick doesn't seem to be suffering in the least..............How long is too long and at what cost to US the taxpayers to keep him in there?
I thought americans had a right to trial of their peers.For this man to imprisoned for 14 years without a trial is a insult to every american.To allow judges to imprison people simply because they don't believe them is giving them way more power then the constitution allows and asking other judges to limit their god- like power can only mean this man will die a prisoner of the delaware county warlords.
he assisted me in a legal case and everything that he said came true .. he knows more then anyone in delaware county about law. he didnt do anything wrong and should be let go. he helped me in more then one legal bout and helped me escape from prison many times.
he uses long cable wires stripped out just to watch nbc i think he is innocent
Spencer, you are a joke. Take a constitutional law class.
"It runs counter to our entire system to say 'It's your burden to prove a negative,'" says Brooklyn Law School's Ms. Ressler.
And an independent search has been done...no money found.
You should do a little more research before you spout your drivel.
He probably didn't authorize the search because there's already been a search. They found nothing. I think Beatty thought the new search was simply a red herring, and should be ignored. Turns out he was right.
" My husband and I congratulate H. Beatty Chadwick for his FREEDOM! We can only imagine the Hell this man gone through being married to an evil person and then serving time in prison for 14 plus years. When Beatty's ex-wife move into the home next to us in 2000 she and her live in boyfriend at the time dragged my family and I through the coals, suing us, false alligations and manipulating the Police and Judicial System to make us look like horrible people. We fell victum to her heartless and ruthless ways just as Beatty did. (Applegate Vs. Kitching) in the Rockland Maine Courts but no matter how many friggen times she harassed us we hung in there to fight for our rights to be able to live in our home of 27 years,to be happy and most of all feel safe. We hung on to hope and prayers, just as we did for poor Beatty. In 2007 Barbara Applegate and her now husband moved out of Town. Our prayers again have been answered, Beatty has his freedom. We are free Beatty from the grips of the Spider's Web! Praise God! "
Lesa and Carl Kitching
Thomaston Maine
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