BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — A Broken Arrow family has been fighting for eight years to see their child. Now, they're trying to get him away from his current guardian due to alleged abuse.
In 2018, Bill and Lisa Woolley were falsely accused of murdering their infant grandson in their care. Because of that, they lost guardianship of the older child, Clayton.
The family has maintained for years, and put into public court records, that they believe the current guardian, Amanda Lindstrom, is abusive.
The entire Woolley family has been fighting the justice system for years just to see Clayton, including his biological mother, Desiree Worley (married name), who lost custody during a battle with addiction.
“Nobody’s been able to see him, legally, and we are threatened if we were to try and go see him,” she said.
Worley and her parents, armed with a large support system and what they feel is strong evidence, entered a Wagoner County courtroom on Thursday for a protective order hearing. They had a goal of getting Clayton into another home.
One of the bigger mysteries surrounding this case is that two of Clayton’s half-brothers have already been removed from the Lindstrom home by protective order. Why not Clayton?
Julia Evans, the half-brothers’ grandmother and current guardian, believes she was successful in removing the boys because Oklahoma Human Services (also known as DHS) was not involved in her case.
“They have a huge barrier to getting their child back,” said Evans. “DHS has failed him, and he should have been removed a long time ago.”
In the end, the protective order hearing was delayed due to a paperwork issue.
2 News Oklahoma was in the courtroom when Lindstrom told the judge she was not properly served. But we later confirmed with two of the process servers that she was served in her driveway. Why it was not filed in the court is unclear.
Lisa Woolley still has hope for the next hearing. It will be the first time she has ever been able to share her side of the story with a judge.
“I think it’s progress, an opportunity to be heard,” she said.
“Hopefully it’s not when he’s 18 that we get to see him again, but we will do what it takes for as long as it takes to keep him safe,” said Worley.
2 News has asked Lindstrom multiple times to comment on the allegations. She declined.
The next hearing is scheduled for July.
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