Woman allegedly mentioned demons before going into ocean

[The Straight Story]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The pregnant woman who reportedly drove a van carrying her and her three children into the ocean on Daytona Beach on Tuesday had contact with police just hours before the incident, before which she allegedly mentioned demons.

Daytona Beach Police Department officers initially interviewed the woman, identified as 32-year-old Ebony Wilkerson of Cross, South Carolina.

Wilkerson's sister called 911 to report that Wilkerson was allegedly mentioning demons.

Officers found that Wilkerson did not make any statements that she was suicidal or homicidal, according to Volusia County Sheriff Ben F. Johnson said Wednesday. If she had, Johnson said would have been taken into custody under the Baker Act.

Johnson said Wilkerson told officers she was heading to an abuse shelter, so they could not take her into custody. Initially, Wilkerson did not want to tell the officers where she was going for fear her ex would find out. Two hours later, the Wilkerson's van was in the ocean.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office is still, interviewing the children, and no charges have been filed against Wilkerson at this time.



http://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/2014/03/04/daytona-beach-car-beach/6035485/

[Warpy]

1. One more case of how lawyers have narrowed the definition of

"danger to oneself or others" to the ludicrous point. Well, we're laughing to avoid crying, really, any of us who have family members who have trashed their lives and finances and alienated everybody around them and no one would offer any sort of assistance to get them back on their drugs.

It used to be that just being crazy enough to have demons talking to you would get you a ride in an ambulance to a nice hospital where you would stay until the nice pills made the voices go away. Now you need a weapon in your hand to be considered dangerous to yourself or others and the cops have to find you with that weapon in your hand. If you live through the encounter, you might get a measly 72 hours in a hospital and a few pills.

This is the clearest example of just why our system is so broken. Because lawyers minimized the dangers, insurance companies and hospitals just blew them off, too. Now you have to be wealthy to be "eccentric" enough to get real help.

Maybe Wilkerson's terrified children can help them understand why it's wrong.

[struggle4progress]

2. 911 calls, report: Woman running from alleged abuse

Michelle Quesada
First Coast News
12:32 a.m. EST March 6, 2014

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- In the hours before a South Carolina pregnant woman drove her car into the surf at Silver Beach with her three children inside, her 28-year-old sister called 911 to possibly get her sister help, even Baker Acted if necessary.

"Her husband beat on her, so she came down to my house from South Carolina," said Jessica Harrell to a 911 dispatch operator for Daytona Beach Police.

Ebony Wilkerson, 32, lives in Cross, South Carolina, according to police. She was with her three children who are 10, 9, and 3-years-old. Harrell said her sister was trying to get away from her allegedly abusive husband.

"My sister was getting abused by her husband I tried to take her to the hospital yesterday. She signed herself out today. She's getting a little bit better but she's still not all here so she's trying to drive and I'm trying to stop her," said Harrell in the 911 call ...

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/2014/03/05/south-carolina-pregnant-mother-of-three-911-call/6104007/

[struggle4progress]

3. Pregnant mom fleeing abusive ex drives minivan with 3 children into surf at Daytona Beach

By the Orlando Sentinel

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Volusia County said the pregnant mother who drove a van with her three children into the ocean on Daytona Beach may have been trying to get away from an abusive ex.

Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson said at a news conference Wednesday the woman, who Daytona Beach police identified as Ebony Wilkerson, is still in the hospital undergoing a mental evaluation and has not been questioned.

Johnson said Daytona Beach police spoke to Wilkerson hours before the incident after a family member contacted them out of concern. Johnson said that she told police she was going to an abuse shelter and police said they had no reason to take her into custody.

A child protection team is interviewing the children, all of whom are in the custody of the Department of Children and Families, Johnson said. Johnson said they are in the process of determining if it is a medical issue or if criminal charges are warranted ...

http://www.cbs12.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_13797.shtml