Domestic Violence Is A Crime
After Oath Keeper Stewart Rhodes was arrested in connection to the January 6th riots, his estranged wife, Tasha Adams, saw fit to chronicle their journey together and the abusive behavior she tolerated for years. If any of this sounds familiar to your own experience, you are experiencing domestic violence, and need to find a way out as quickly as possible.
This is What Domestic Violence Looks Like
Adams notes that from the beginning, Rhodes was very authoritative in their relationship. He controlled her in many ways, from assigning her attire to coaxing her to work as a stripper so she could support the pair while he went to school. Even though she felt manipulated and trapped in the relationship, she felt unable to escape, and wound up marrying the man.
As life became more stressful for Rhodes, he became more and more violent at home. According to Adams, Rhodes escalated to waving loaded guns around on a weekly basis. Because he was trained in the law, he knew better than to threaten to shoot Adams, instead threatening suicide. He knew exactly what to say to avoid sounding homicidal, figuring that Adams couldn’t report him.
Rhodes engaged in erratic behavior, such as waking the whole family in the wee hours of the night and making them hide in tunnels and holes he’d dug on the property or drive around for hours to escape FBI raids he said were coming.
And This is What Domestic Violence Looks Like
Domestic violence takes many forms, but one thing is common in all cases: it’s about control. If you are experiencing uneasiness or fear in your relationship, consider the array of behaviors that do constitute domestic violence:
- Emotional Abuse: Do you sometimes wonder if you’re overreacting? Are you made to feel like you are to blame for the problems in the relationship? Are you demeaned, harassed, or humiliated by your partner?
- Intimidation: Does your partner have a certain look that keeps you in line? Has your property been ruined, your pets abused, or weapons been brandished as a way to get you to comply?
- Threats and coercion: Are you subjected to threats of physical harm, coerced into illegal acts or unwanted sexual activity, or told that your partner will commit suicide if you take certain actions?
- Isolation: Does your partner control who you see and spend time with? Do you deal with jealous rages? Have you found yourself making excuses to get out of spending time with friends and family?
- Minimizing: After abusive episodes, are you made to feel that you’re making a mountain out of a molehill? Is there outright denial –or blame–about what occurred?
- Economic Abuse: Is your access to money limited by your partner? Do you live on a strict allowance dictated by your partner?
- Cultural norms: Are you designated as a lesser person due to your position in the family, whose primary goal is to serve the “master of the house.”
- Using the kids: Are you threatened that you will never see your children again? Are the kids put in the middle of conflict, forced to take a side?
Get Out Now
If you are experiencing these kinds of issues in your relationship, the time to get out is now. At WiseLieberman, our experienced Boca Raton domestic violence attorneys can help. Schedule a confidential consultation in our office today.
