Samantha Broadhead gets no jail time or criminal record after trying to kill her mom by setting her bed afire /Jack Ault sentenced to nine months to two and a half years in a juvenile facility/ Samantha's mother denied visit with Samantha

Good God!
They are from Florida, any relation to the Satsuma crowd?

After reading all of the above, it is plain to see that neither Jack or the little 11 year old have had any decent role models. I wonder what ever happened to Samantha's dad??

And Jack's sista soul talks like she IS a gangsta and her gangsta talk. I agree with Charm. One minute she is so talking the chit and the next as sweet as pie talking about her brother, then..basically telling the police to go F themselves. I see she was in jail 3 days ago.

This is another Florida case of DCF NOT doing their job. Florida is INFAMOUS for seeing a looming tragedy before their eyes and doing absolutely nothing about it.

I pray Samantha is taken from that "home" permanently and gets the help she needs.

goin to get fukkd up &&& forget the drama for a few hours party like a rock star babyy
Mood: to ashleyy
Posted 49 minutes ago

The boy and girl accused of setting a mother's bed on fire may have seen themselves as a couple. But they are likely to go separate ways in the legal system.

Florida's legal system is tough on youths accused of serious crimes — the state sends more juveniles to adult prisons than any other.

That could be the fate of the boy charged in this case, Jack Ault, 15.

At that age, if he is formally accused of a crime such as attempted murder or arson, prosecutors would have authority to treat him as though he were older. If so, his case would be transferred out of juvenile courts and into the court system used to try adults.

But the girl accused of trying to burn her mother is only 11. Even in Florida, charging such a young person as an adult would be rare, if not unprecedented. It would require a grand jury to indict her for a crime punishable by life imprisonment, such as attempted murder.

The investigation into the case is continuing, and no decision has been made on how to formally charge the two, Pinellas-Pasco Chief Assistant State Attorney Bruce Bartlett said.

Bartlett said the office has previously gone to a grand jury to indict someone under 14. He cited the case of Jose Walle, who was 13 at the time he pointed a gun at a St. Petersburg restaurant worker while an adult friend raped another worker on the kitchen floor. Walle, now 15, was sentenced earlier this month to 27 years in prison.

Bartlett said using the grand jury system allows "a cross-section of the community" to make the decision on whether a youth under 14 should he charged as an adult. But he couldn't offhand remember the last time that happened, before Walle.

Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Irene Sullivan, a veteran of the juvenile bench, said the juvenile system is geared toward rehabilitation, which is why she favors juvenile sanctions for youths in most cases.

"You don't get that rehabilitation in prison for a kid. They're not designed that way."

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The rough seams of custody hearings, police calls, arrests, drugs and violence thread through Nancy Broadhead's life like a curse, starting when she was just a year older than her own daughter was when police say the girl tried to burn her alive on Tuesday.

In her own words, from a deposition in a 1989 custody hearing over her son, Brent, Broadhead said she started trying to leave home when she was 12. She ran away, but was brought back home to her mother. She started smoking pot. She had been arrested, she said, more than once by the time she was 15.

Her 11-year-old daughter, who is not being named by the St. Petersburg Times because of her age, created an online persona on MySpace.com that seems entangled with many of the same themes of substance abuse and domestic discord that have dogged Broadhead throughout her life.

The girl and 15-year-old Jack Ault, whom she described as her boyfriend, face charges of arson and attempted murder.

On her page, the girl posted pictures depicting herself as "high," closeups of her bare midriff and a marijuana leaf image.

Her site was laden with profanity — as was Broadhead's household when she was younger.

A revealing case

Nancy Broadhead, 48, gave birth to son Brent in 1985. The father, a man named Marvin G. Geizentanner, would wage a years-long custody battle with Broadhead that raged throughout most of the boy's childhood.

"Have you ever heard Brent call his father (expletives)?" an attorney asked during a custody deposition when the boy was 4.

"Sure. People sit around the house all the time calling each other (expletives)," Broadhead said.

Later, Broadhead said her son was afraid of his father. In a petition for a protective order on behalf of her son, in July 2000, she said her son had run away from home "fearing for his life."

Broadhead wrote to the court that her son had been "physically and mentally abused … repeatedly" by his father.

Broadhead did receive a temporary injunction, but a month later a judge refused to issue a permanent injunction because of insufficient evidence.

According to court records from the late 1980s, Geizentanner worried about how Broadhead was raising their son.

Barbara Broadhead, Nancy's mother, said in a 1989 deposition that it was common for her daughter to drive with her baby while intoxicated.

Those events would be a prelude to one of her later arrests. She was pulled over the night of July 4, 2002, according to Clearwater police records, accused of driving drunk with her then-4-year-old daughter in the car.

Barbara thought Nancy had a drinking problem. Geizentanner would sometimes call her to help remove his son.

"He wanted the baby out of there because Nancy was in no condition to take care of him," she said. "It's more or less traipsing around and dragging him with her, whether it's day or evening or whatever, and I don't think a child that age should be handled that way."

She thought about seeking full custody. In 1990, she would take over raising the boy for a time.

A history of drinking

In November 1988, Nancy Broadhead spent a month in a detox clinic. She attended more than 20 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings along with Geizentanner, whom she lived with before he kicked her out for breaking a window after she returned drunk from a Huey Lewis concert.

After detox, Nancy lived with her mother for a short time, but her drinking soon resumed, Barbara Broadhead said. Nancy would stay out until 3 a.m. sometimes, and other times not return home at all.

"I could just look at her eyes and know," she said in court records. She asked her daughter to leave, and she did.

Nancy Broadhead moved in with a mechanic she had recently met. He told her his name was Frank Lucky. He was 38 or 39 — she couldn't remember.

They didn't have a relationship. But they did hook up.

"Once," Nancy said, shortly after she moved in with him after he started fixing her car.

He was also a member of the Ku Klux Klan. In 1989, the Klan held a rally in Arcadia. She drove there with Lucky and a friend. Brent was in the car.

They didn't spend much time together, though. Broadhead didn't even know what Lucky's position with the Klan was.

"It's grand — its almost like poobah," she said of his title.

Money problems

Money woes have dogged the Broadhead home.

For most of her life, Broadhead worked as a waitress, at restaurants like Oysters, Etc., and Pappas' Restaurant. She earned less than $300 a week, mostly in tips. She worked nights sometimes, and said in a deposition that she used mail-order amphetamines to make it through long shifts.

According to records, her house in Clearwater entered foreclosure on Dec. 22.

Police cruisers outside the house have been a familiar sight.

Within the past year, Clearwater police responded to seven calls, not including the fire Tuesday, at the Broadhead home at 1580 Huntington Lane.

On Thursday, police released reports generated by three of those calls. Though heavily redacted because of the girl's age, they refer to a runaway juvenile who refuses to come home, holes punched in the wall and marijuana in plain view.

Only under rare family circumstances does a child attempt to kill a parent, experts say.

Kathleen Heide, a professor of criminology at the University of South Florida, said there are only about 100 cases of children slaying their parents each year.

"When you have a girl accused of killing or attempting to kill a parent, it's very, very rare," said Heide, who has researched and written books about juvenile homicides.

The families are usually fractured. The killer usually involves a child who is severely abused, antisocial or mentally ill.

"Clearly, there's no question that this girl needs help," Heide said.

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HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERY ONE , ITS TIME TO START MY LIFE OVER &&& LIVE LIFE STR8!Mood: YAYY
Posted 1 hour ago

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At the wee hour of 1:15 AM on Tuesday, the 29th day of December, 2009, firefighters arrive at a blazing residence, 1580 Huntington Lane, Clearwater, Florida. A desperate woman, blackened with soot, cries out in the dark: "Where's my baby, where's my baby!"

Just 15 minutes before, two angst-filled teens enter the bedroom of this sleeping woman, and with a gasoline can in hand, they generously douse the floor and bed with petrol, light the accelerator, then make a hasty getaway in the burning woman's 2007 Ford Focus.

The two teens were arrested early Tuesday for attempted murder and arson resulting in injury. The 15 year old boy was charged with grand theft of Broadhead's 2007 Ford Focus.


Samantha Broadhead, one of the accused teens, is the 11 year old daughter of the burn victim, Nancy Broadhead. The 15 year old boy accused of these crimes is Jack Ault, a youth with a troubled past.

Luckily, Nancy Broadhead escaped the fire because of a functioning smoke alarm. She did however sustain burns to her head and hands. She was treated at Tampa General Hospital for burns and smoke inhalation, but was released Wednesday afternoon.

Normally a case such as this one would pass us by unnoticed, but this one is very different. This case has a maze of paper, a winding path of troubling documents, coming from the court systems, and from social agencies such as the Florida state Department of Children and Families.

And it's not just Nancy Broadhead that has a checkered past. The accused teen, Jack Ault, a boyfriend of her daughter Samantha, has been arrested 7 times since 2003. Five of those arrests have occurred in 2009 alone. And that's not all of it. Nancy's exes and boyfriends, some who have fathered her three children, have elaborate criminal records themselves.

Yet a Clearwater police spokeswoman, Elizabeth Watts, has said that the mother and daughter got in a row over cigarettes the previous day (December 28th). This may have been a catalyst, an enactment of teenage rage, but something more sinister lurks beneath the surface of this explanation.

Yet the row over ciggies could have been an immediate trigger, a straw that broke the camel's back. The teens were now so enraged that action would need to be taken, maternal homicide. The combination of teen personalities may have been a factor as well. I can't help but remember the case of Charlie Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, who went on a killing spree in late 1957.

It is very rare that a child will kill or attempt to kill a parent. A professor of criminology at the University of South Florida, Kathleen Heide, has said there are only about 100 cases per year of children slaying their parents each year.

"When you have a girl accused of killing or attempting to kill a parent, it's very, very rare," Heide has stated. (Drugs, discord way of life...by Dominick Tow and Rita Farlow with David DeCamp a contributor-St Petersburg Times-1/01/2010)

Nancy Broadhead's entire life is being exposed in the media now. To sum up her problems would fill up an entire book. But a few items caught my eye and I will share them with you now.

Basically, it comes down to alcohol and drug abuse, child beating, money woes and some poor judgment in choosing romantic companionship. I've even heard that she once consorted with an odd character, Frank Lucky, who was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. In 1989 Nancy and Frank attended a Klan rally in Arcadia, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

As far as the money problems go, there house in Clearwater is in foreclosure, and Broadhead owes $216,768.97. That's an expensive house for a woman whose occupation was a waitress, and who earned less than $300 a month from mere tips. I am thinking that the money problems may have been a motive for Samantha also. The argument over cigarettes is at its roots, financial in nature.

Absolutely, I will write more on this case. Local reporters on the beat in Tampa are doing a superb job at bringing the details of Nancy Broadhead's sordid life to the public. Because this is such a heinous crime, of 'juvenile matricide,' this will become a popular national story.

Talk shows, such as Jane Velez-Mitchell and Nancy Grace, will amplify every vivid, excruciating detail, to millions. Whether this case is characterized as a misdeed, a crime or merely as a victim of social circumstances, will depend on the judgment of experts, criminal psychologists or even the public at large.

The gutted, charred domicile at 1580 Huntington Lane, Clearwater, Florida, will be driven by, leered at, and digitally photographed a million times over. And poor Nancy, Samantha and Jack will be hounded constantly by small time i-reporters, until their already miserable lives will be consumed by a woe of cruel misfortune.

Pangs of guilt grip me as I type, but more will come your way. The set of facts in this case are too overwhelming to let it rest. Yet suddenly a frightful truth hits me: Anonymity must be paradise, if your name happens to be Nancy Broadhead!

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Happy New Year to all the contributors to this wonderful forum. Let us hope the new year brings solace to those who have suffered and had loss during the previous year as we strive for peace and harmony
for all peoples of the earth. As to the article above,
Im sure there will be millions of words written and spoken regarding this case. But some of those words should be directed to the Governor of the State of Florida regarding the APPALLING condition of their Department of Children's Services and their failure time after time to protect these unfortunate children
in his state. I thought Los Angeles was bad, but Florida takes the prize. Time after time we read about
people who have over and over again have had visits from various agencies and children remained in the home. Nancy Broadhead is only one failure among a multitude of failures that needs to be addressed and soon. I pray that someone at least tries to start the ball rolling for an overhaul of their severely deficient
system, in Florida and in other states as well to protect
children at risk.

In her own words, from a deposition in a 1989 custody hearing over her son, Brent, Broadhead said she started trying to leave home when she was 12. She ran away, but was brought back home to her mother. She started smoking pot. She had been arrested, she said, more than once by the time she was 15.

It would seem logical to ask where the grandmother was and why she didn't step in and do something about the mistreatment of her grandchildren. I know I would have. But with all the problems Nancy had during her childhood HER mother may not have been any better of a mother than she was. This is generational and there doesn't seem to be any way to change it. I think these women only have children because they have sex.....not because they want a child. The child is just a 'result' of a roll in the hay. What can be done?

And another thing, why is 11 year old Samantha wearing eye liner and lip gloss. She should still be playing with dolls, not smoking and talking about getting married. Was she having sex with her boyfriend, too?

As to BJ's question above, Im sure Samantha
was having sex. I did hear a quote from Nancy Broadheads mother who said that her daughters lifestyle and her own were "worlds apart". Yes it could be generational and we know that those abused sometimes,
but not always, become abusers). Remember the case of Sante and Kenny Kimes mother and son serial killers.
Sante had another son, Kent Walker who she also raised and became a writer - in fact he wrote a book, Son of a Grifter about it. There are many cases of children suffering terribly from parents who drank, took drugs and
slept around that have done spectaculary well and others
who have gone the way of Samantha. Still the system
failed this child miserably. Interesting that Florida is so tough on the juvenile offenders - children that they neglected to help when they needed it, but fast to put them in jail or juvenile halls and shut them away when there is trouble.

Nancy Broadhead has the same last name as her mother, Barbara. I wonder if she was ever married to any of the three men that fathered her three children?

Police were called six times in 2009 to the house where an 11-year-old girl and her 15-year-old boyfriend are accused of trying to kill the girl's mother by setting the mother's bed on fire.

Authorities have released redacted police reports for the three calls in which reports were filed. The cases involved a missing teenager, allegations of child abuse and disorderly conduct by juveniles.

Police on Tuesday arrested Samantha Broadhead and Jack Ault, charging them both with attempted homicide and arson resulting in injury. Nancy Broadhead, 48, was released Wednesday from the burn unit at Tampa General Hospital.

Court records obtained this week revealed Nancy Broadhead had a troubled past that included charges of child abuse and neglect. She also is described in documents as an alcoholic who sometimes became violent. She has refused to talk to reporters.

The police reports made public have all names other than officers' removed, along with other details, including the age and sex of people involved. They also have the address involved removed, although they were released in response to a request for reports involving the Broadhead house at 1580 Huntington Lane.

According to the reports:

•Police were called Feb. 28 because of a missing child who was age 13 or older. The complainant told officers that the teen did not come home and would violate probation. The teen didn't want to come home because the juvenile didn't like living there and wanted to live with his or her father. The complainant notified police on March 9 that the juvenile had returned home. The probation officer had been contacted and the Department of Juvenile Justice was involved.

•Police responded July 5 to a call about a juvenile who had violated probation by leaving the residence without permission. The suspect was under a court-imposed curfew as a condition of probation. The reason for the probation was not given.

When police responded, the complainant reported that a juvenile was "acting irrational and punching the walls inside their home." The juvenile had a court appearance scheduled for the next day and was thought to have possessed alcohol when leaving the home. Police notified the State Attorney's Office of the probation violation.

•A week later, police responded to a call regarding possible child abuse and marijuana possession. The weapons involved were listed as "hands/fists/feet."

The caller told a police dispatcher that someone was punching holes in the walls. "We were familiar with this family from a previous case," the officer reported. "I had completed two juvenile arrest affidavits." Someone "had previously fled from police on foot. I anticipated this again" and brought a K-9 officer and another officer to the scene.

When police arrived, they saw three juveniles in a bedroom. After police knocked and announced their presence, the juveniles ran into the backyard. Two of the suspects were caught; the third got away but was captured.

Police later went to the home and saw three holes in a wall, estimated to be the size of a fist. On a table below the damaged wall, police spotted "a small amount of loose marijuana in plain view."

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Is the above report regarding Jack?

No, this is in regards to the home of the 11 year old girl.

The whole system failed this girl. She needs intense treatment in a locked high security facility. A friend on VH had a signature that read "KARMA'S a bitch, she'll take care of it!". That about sums this case up.

by lindamarie Today at 2:32 pm A friend on VH had a signature that read "KARMA'S a bitch, she'll take care of it!". That about sums this case up.

That's resembles a comment that Jack's sister made about Samantha on her MySpace page, but it's gone now. She seems to think her brother is blameless and Samantha started the fire all herself without any help from Jack. That's yet to be seen.

YUH ALL WANNA SAY MY LITTLE BROTHER HAS ISSUES THIS GIRL IS 11 &&& WANTS HER MOM DEAD HOW SICK IS THAT? FUKK HER THIS BITCH DONE FUKKD WIT MY BABY BROTHERS HEAD AND NOW HIS LIFE IS ALL WACKED OUTTA PLACE JUST KNOW LITTLE GIRL [[ KARMA IS A MOTHA FUKKN BITCH ]] &&& IT WILL HIT YUH IN THE FACE REAL FUKKN SOON!!!

oh no I don't think those resemble each other at all. How old is this Samantha talking crap like that? Is there a link to her myspace page that I have missed?

Link to Samanta's MySpace. She's 18. I posted some of what was on a few days ago upthread, but it changes almost hourly. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Links to her mother's page are upthread, too.

Ault was arrested at a friend's house. He was additionally charged with grand theft for taking the car. Ault, who already has a long record of arrests, could be charged as an adult in the case.

Samantha, however, cannot be charged as an adult under Florida law. Only in the case of a capital felony can minors under 14 be treated as adults. Attempted murder is not a capital crime.

Ault is being held without bond. Samantha is in a psychiatric hospital, being examined under the state's Baker Act.

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I pray that the State Baker Act helps Samantha and she never sees her mother again. I feel sorry for her, no matter what some of the pundits on HLN say about it.
She has had zero parental role model at all. NO 11 year old should have a boyfriend, especially one that is 15!!

As far as Jack Ault, I also feel some sadness for him as it looks like his mother only cares about her men and not her kids (the sister is a prime example!).

The problem is that Jack not only assisted an 11 year old in attempted murder, but stole the 11 year old's mother's car..so this shows malice and intent. I say yes..he will be tried as an adult and it will be years before he sees the light of day.

I also think the sister will end up in the "joint" before too long. She's already well on her way.

Broadhead needs to go to jail IMO for her blatant negligence of her daughter.

by Wrapitup Today at 2:15 pm I also think the sister will end up in the "joint" before too long. She's already well on her way.

The sister, Rachel, WAS in the joint on the 28th of Dec, but is out now. Read upthread.

I know. That's why I am saying she will end up there. I call the "joint" the pen/prison. :lightning:

These so called parents need to be charged with something as well . Ok, so we cant make parents have a license to have a kid - but you have to have one to go fishing, so then make them PAY when there is such terrible neglect of the child that it ends up in violence or destruction. They NEED to be held responsible. Id like to see them all get hit in their darn pocketbook. Maybe Broadhead wouldnt have had so much money for drink and drugs if every time there were police or any agency called to her home she had to pay for their time and trouble to make reports, etc. If Children services took their children, then the parents should have to pay for them while in the States care - just give them a bill. If they cannot properly take care of their kids and are found to be negligent, then they need to foot these bills. Maybe that will wake them up.

Right on, woman!

An 11-year-old girl, held for psychiatric evaluation last week after she and a co-defendant were accused setting her mother on fire, was transferred out of the hospital and into juvenile detention over the weekend, officials said.

Samantha Broadhead had a court appearance on Saturday, said Joe Walker, who supervises juvenile prosecutions with the Pasco-Pinellas State Attorney's Office.

Walker said that the detention hearing was held Saturday and that Broadhead, who was hospitalized after her arrest under the Baker Act because she presented a threat to herself or others, was ordered into juvenile detention.

The court also found probable cause for the charges of attempted murder and arson, charges she was arrested on last week, Walker said.

The co-defendant, 15-year-old Jack Ault, described by police as Broadhead's boyfriend, currently is being held in juvenile detention indefinitely through a judge's order last week.

Broadhead will stay in detention for three weeks and will be released after that time, unless the state or court intervenes, Walker said.

Neither has been charged as an adult. That decision could come in a week or two, possibly more, Walker said. If they are charged as adults, they will be transferred to the county jail.

The victim, Nancy Broadhead, 48, was treated in the burn unit of Tampa General Hospital and was released Wednesday.

When asked for a comment this morning, Nancy Broadhead hung up the telephone.

Clearwater police last week arrested both youths charging them with attempted homicide and arson resulting in injury. Police have said they are unsure what brought the incident about, but the mother and daughter the night before had argued over cigarettes.

The home where the fire occurred was familiar to Clearwater police officers, who were called to the address six times in 2009. On three occasions, reports were filled out. The cases involved a missing teenager, allegations of child abuse and disorderly conduct by juveniles. The names and ages of the complainants and suspects were redacted in the reports.

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The Baker Act will only hold someone for 72 hours as I mentioned in another thread. As far as Florida is concerned, it's either return her to her mom or keep her in juvie. I say there is a third option. A foster home. Hello?? This little girl needs help!!!!!!!!!!

So, what happens in 3 weeks? If they return her to her mother, I may throw my puter out my window!!

I bet the mom is lying on what's left of the bed with her booze and cigs within arms reach.

If Samantha is accused of murder, wouldn't she just stay in jail or juvie until the trial. Haven't heard anything about a bond....unless I missed it. Jack is in juvie indefinitely. Good question. What will happen to them both in a few weeks?

Well, she also could be kept in a medical facility - it seems to me that she has a definite mental disorder of some kind. I dont believe she will be charged as an adult and if she is found to be mentally ill or disturbed
possibly some kind of medical treatment could be called for. Actually for Jack as well, these are children who need some interference by therapists who can maybe help them. No matter how they are charged they would still get out of prison later on. Its important something is done now to help them.

I agree, Artgal. All prison will do is teach them how to be harder than they already are. These kids, IMO, deserve a chance. They have both gotten a raw deal in life with the parents they have.

And Rachel Ault, sorry to say, is a lost cause.

I like old movies. Ive seen a lot of horrible prison movies from the 1930's. Inhuman treatment, etc. I wonder if we are really any better 80 years later? When you read about the rape and brutilization that occurs - about the prison guards who do what they want - their union at least in California is so powerful even the governator
couldnt make a dent in their ranks. We try them as adults, how will they be treated? They didnt get a break
in their short lives so far, are we to turn them over to
the horrors that we know exist in an adult prison? If the 11 year old was born to a mother who drank, she probably as a baby had fetal alchohol poisoning too
which can cause brain damage. Im so furious at these so called parents for their neglect and abuse that has brought us to finally have to send these kids to jail.

But if they don't go to jail, do you want them to be sitting next to you at the mall the next time they decide they are angry and need to act out? It might be better for them in prison to be scared instead of the ones calling the shots. These manipulators could have a field day with other impressionable minds in juvie or foster care. I'm not sure what to do with them at the sake of our safety.

I agree that the parents completely f*^#*ed these children up. Selfishness in the new breed of "parent" knows no bounds.

In our members only area is the research on Grand Parents rights.
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In 2009 the police were called to the Broadhead household six different times. Neighbors have said that they frequently saw squad cars pulling up at this household. The contents of four of these redacted police reports have been made public. The names of the parties have been deleted, but you get the picture.

One report (Feb 28) says that a complainant reported that a youth who was older than 13 had left the house. The juvenile, who was on probation, did not like living there and wanted to move back in with his or her father. I surmise that this must have been Zachary, Nancy Broadhead`s second child. He would be 16 now. This is just a guess, not a confirmation.

Another violation of the court-imposed curfew occurred on July 5th. When the police got to the household the complainant said that the juvenile was acting irrational and punching the walls inside their home. A week later, the police responded to a call of possible child abuse and marijuana possession. (Tampa Tribune-Fire wasn`t first 911 call to home-by Elaine Silvestrini-Jan 2)

Part of the problem stems from the fact that Nancy Broadhead has three children with three different fathers. The oldest son, Brent, now 24, lived with Nancy`s mother Barbara for a while. The grandmother to Brent, Barbara Broadhead, has not painted a rosy picture regarding Nancy`s behavior. Barbara kicked her out of the house because of her drinking.

Her lifestyle and mine are two worlds apart, " Barbara said. (Tampa Tribune-Burned mother, family are well-known to authorities-by Tom Brennan, Elaine Silvestrini and Ray Reyes-Dec 31)

Other details are emerging about the second son, Zachary, and his father, John F. Busby. During a custody battle (1996) Busby claimed that Broadhead was constantly drunk and let the son run free in her neighborhood. Busby himself had a drug problem which he claims he had overcome. Nancy had a severe drinking problem. (ibid)

Other charges against Nancy Broadhead are not small. She got a DUI in July of 2002 and her blood-alcohol level was higher than 0.25 percent. 0.08 is the cut-off in Florida for intoxication. Also, in 2005 charges of domestic battery were brought against her and another of child abuse. For some reason these charges were dropped, possibly because the state Department of Children & Families had invented in the matter. (ibid)

Shocking for me, in terms of a possible motive for Samantha to ignite a fire on her own sleeping mother, is the allegation that Nancy repeatedly beat her daughter. This has been backed-up by a live-in boyfriend. A complaint states she slapped the child across the face. While intoxicated Broadhead began beating her child repeatedly with her hands. " (ibid)

A confession by the 11 year old Samantha is telling. She revealed to her interrogators that her mother repeatedly hits her, and as a result, she is in fear of continued living conditions. " (ibid)

Yet another oddity is the situation surrounding Samantha`s biological father. The state Department of Children and Families, through DNA tests, confirmed that her father was William J. Forsman. Forsman has been in prison in Georgia on two separate occasions. He was convicted of "criminal interference of government property and obstruction of a law enforcement officer.` (St. Petersburg Times-Mom defends son in fire-by Dominick Tao and Rita Farlow-Dec 30)

A warning sign regarding the troubled teenage girl was visible on the social networking site MySpace.com. Samantha had referred to herself as Mz. Juicey and had used profanity. From a site quiz she had referred to herself as naughty girl. She had created a green-and-black digital dog named Bad Gurl. " (ibid)

The pics on her site show her scowling or pouting and there are drug use references also, such as when she says she is high. The mother had used marijuana in her youth frequently and was addicted to painkillers. I think it is safe to say she is an alcoholic also.

A new report published Monday the 4th by the St Petersburg Times (by Rita Farlow) says that Samantha has been transferred to the Pinellas County Juvenile Assessment Center. Right after her arrest she was hospitalized under the state`s Baker Act. She had made statements that implied she might do harm to herself.

Samantha could be released in just three weeks, unless the state or courts intervene. Where can she go? Back to live with Nancy? I don`t think so. Reporters called Nancy`s house on Monday and asked her to comment on this situation. Nancy hung up the telephone. (The Tampa Tribune-11-year-old accused of burning mom held in juvenile detention-by Keith Morelli-Jan 4)

So we return to the fire at 1:15 AM, Tuesday, the 29th of December, 2009, Clearwater, Florida, near Tampa. The firemen fight the blaze. Camcorders capture the scene for an early day newscast. A crumpled, soot-covered woman lies defeated on the ground, crying for the things she knows. Trouble has been knockin` on her door for some time.

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The attorney for the 11-year-old girl accused of setting her mother on fire is arguing that she should not be prosecuted.

And he says the girl's mother agrees.

Attorney Roger Futerman also asked during a hearing Friday that a judge release the girl from the Pinellas County Juvenile Detention Center. The judge denied the request, but set another hearing for Wednesday.

Futerman said the girl's mother, Nancy Broadhead, wants the prosecution to focus on Jack Ault, the 15-year-old who also has been accused in the case, because she believes he is the one responsible for the incident.

Broadhead declined to speak to a reporter Friday. The St. Petersburg Times is not naming the girl because of her age.

Broadhead, 48, woke up to flames in her home on Dec. 29. Clearwater police said her daughter and Ault poured gasoline around Broadhead's bed and set it afire. Ault has been described as the 11-year-old's boyfriend.

Broadhead escaped from the home. She was hospitalized and released.

Both Ault and the girl have been charged with arson and attempted murder.

Now the court system is deciding how to proceed against the two.

Joe Walker, head of the state attorney's juvenile division, said one option would be to present the girl's case to a grand jury to try her as an adult. That would be a highly unusual step, if not an unprecedented one, against such a young person.

It's more common, and legally more simple, for prosecutors to charge a 15-year-old such as Ault as an adult. But that decision has not been made either.

Futerman, a private attorney, said Nancy Broadhead's sister hired him to represent the 11-year-old girl.

"The mother doesn't want the girl prosecuted, and she's 11 years of age," Futerman said.

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I think that is a plus that the "mother" does not want her daughter prosecuted. However, I do not think Samantha should be returned to her mother.

Also, I do have to wonder whose idea this was to set her mom on fire. I doubt we will never know that. What is so telling with Jack Ault is that he stole the mother's vehicle.

If not prosecuted Samantha needs intense therapy and to go into foster care or a group home. She should not be given back to her mother and I believe her mothers parental rights should be terminated and Samantha made a ward of the State. I dont see her
in prison! She would not get life and she would come out hardened and ruined for life - from 11 years old.
Surely we can as a society do something better for her than what she has suffered thru in her short 11 years!

A woman whose 11-year-old daughter is accused of setting fire to her doesn't want the girl prosecuted but does want her 15-year-old boyfriend held accountable for the crime, the girl's attorney said.

Clearwater police arrested both the girl and the boy on charges of attempted murder Dec. 29. They are accused of pouring gasoline on the bed where Nancy Broadhead, 49, lay sleeping then setting fire to it.

Roger Futerman, who represents 11-year-old Samantha Broadhead, told a judge today he hopes his client won't have to go to jail.

"I've been asking the state at this point based on the mother's wishes, the victim in this case, who said she didn't want charges … against SB," Futerman said, using code names for the parties in the case because they are juveniles.

Futerman made his comments during a hearing in which lawyers for Media General and the state Department of Children and Families sought the release of documents detailing previous state interactions with Samantha Broadhead and her boyfriend Jack Ault.

"We do have extensive records," Nick Cox, DCF regional director, told the judge.

DCF workers have 900 pages so far and are still gathering documents from seven agencies that have dealt with the children and their families on matters including from parental abuse allegations and juvenile delinquency.

Lawyers representing both children oppose the release of the records to news organizations, saying it might harm the children and prejudice potential criminal jurors.

Futerman said Samantha Broadhead has already suffered.

"The stories at this point have portrayed her in an unfavorable light," Futerman said. "And when I read a lot of statements on the Internet, they seem to have found her guilty before she's even charged."

After the fire, Samantha Broadhead underwent mental health treatment before her transfer into juvenile detention.

Cox said his agency is joining Media General in seeking the release of some records —excluding medical information, drug histories and other confidential facts — because of his agency's effort to become as transparent as possible.

This matter is unusual among DCF cases because the children are the defendants, not the victims.

Medial General attorney Gregg Thomas told Judge McGrady that disclosure in this matter is important and serves a public purpose.

Florida law allows the media and other outsiders to petition the court for the release of DCF records in some cases but requires judges to balance the privacy rights of children and families with the public good.

"There are many questions that remain unanswered," Medial General attorney Gregg Thomas told Pinellas Judge J. Thomas McGrady. "Did DCF do a good job with respect to its interaction with these children and these families?"

Court-appointed lawyer Andrew Wieczorkowski suggested Media General's real motive is to learn more about Jack Ault's personal history rather than to hold DCF accountable.

Such disclosures, Wieczorkowski said, would only harm his client's relationships with classmates and family.

McGrady said he will announce his decision on releasing records Feb. 8.

Meantime, Samantha Broadhead will be back in court Wednesday when another judge will decide whether to release her from juvenile custody.

Prosecutors could also announce whether they intend to charge Broadhead and whether she would stand trial as a juvenile or adult. Attorney Futerman said Friday prosecutors indicated all options remain open.

Broadhead's mother Nancy, who was treated for burns and released at Tampa General Hospital, was not in court today.

Ault's mother, Shannon Mastrangelo attended the one-hour hearing but declined comment.

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An 11-year-old Clearwater girl accused of setting fire to her mother's bed will be released in a couple of days from Pinellas County's Juvenile Detention Center.

Also, a prosecutor said in a court hearing Wednesday that the girl will be tried in juvenile court, and so will Jack Ault, the girl's 15-year-old co-defendant and purported boyfriend.

The two are facing juvenile charges of attempted murder. Prosecutors had previously been weighing the option of trying the youths as adults, which is fairly common for someone as old as 15, but almost unheard of for someone as young as 11.

Assistant State Attorney Joseph Walker, head of the juvenile division, argued that the girl should stay in detention until trial, and portrayed her as the instigator of the plot against her mother.

"She admitted to law enforcement to pouring fuel, gasoline, outside of her (mother's) bedroom," Walker argued. "She was the one who developed this plan. She got help. She followed through with the plan."

Walker said that she "left her mother in a burning bed. That is a serious event. And she has admitted to it."

Walker stressed that, "she's a danger to herself, and she's a danger to the community."

Defense attorney Roger Futerman argued strongly against that suggestion, and said after the hearing that he was glad the judge ruled against "indefinitely" detaining the 11-year-old girl.

The girl appeared at the hearing, dressed in green scrubs and a white shirt that extended to her knuckles. She did not speak, except to acknowledge that she understood some of the judge's statements in court. The St. Petersburg Times is not naming the girl because of her age.

Both youths are in the Detention Center now. But Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Jack Day said once some medical issues can be worked out, the girl can be sent to live with her aunt Linda Broadhead in Lakeland. He said he hoped that would occur by Friday.

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At the end of the court hearing, Nancy Broadhead said, "Hey, Sam," before her daughter was led away. Samantha turned around. "I love you," her mother said to her.

As a condition of her release, Samantha is not to have any contact with her mother or the witnesses, some of whom are friends of hers.

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The whole darn family must be crazy. I would be scared to have a child who tried to burn her Mother to death in my home. I would never sleep.

she needs medical help! she's going to do this again and next time she might succed

I can believe it because our system to handle cases like this is just so screwed up. This girl needs to be in a facility that can treat her mental health needs. She does not need to go back to any family member now or maybe ever. This is an eleven year old. What help can she get from her Aunt? What recriminations will she face? Will her mother come around to see her?
My god, is there no common sense left in the world?

Fifteen-year-old Jack Ault, center, is flanked by his attorneys Dwight Wolfe, left, and Donnie Scruggs at a hearing Friday morning in Judge Jack Day’s courtroom at the Pinellas County Criminal Justice Center. Ault is accused of conspiring with his 11-year-old girlfriend to set fire to the girl’s mother.

Jack Ault, the 15-year-old boy accused of helping an 11-year-old Clearwater girl set fire to her mother, pleaded guilty to five charges in juvenile court Friday morning.

His mother, Shannon Mastrangelo, said she has been told he is likely to be sentenced later to a juvenile program that would last up to two years.

The case stems from a Dec. 29 fire in which Nancy Broadhead, 48, woke up to flames in her home. Her first instinct was to call out for her daughter.

But Clearwater police said her daughter and Ault poured gasoline around Broadhead's bed and set it afire. Ault has been described as the 11-year-old's boyfriend.

Broadhead escaped from the home and was hospitalized and released, but she has ongoing medical issues. Both of Broadhead's hands were bandaged as she appeared in court Friday. She needs surgery involving a skin graft, her attorney Kevin Piccarreto said.

At Friday's hearing, Ault pleaded guilty to two charges stemming from a previous fight with his sister, and three charges stemming from the fire: attempted murder, arson and grand theft auto. The teenager was not asked to speak, other than to answer questions from Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Jack Day about whether he understood his rights.

Ault's sentencing hearing has been tentatively scheduled for Jan. 25, assuming Broadhead is not in surgery at the time.

Piccarreto, her attorney, stressed that Broadhead wants to be present for the sentencing, and that she had been adamant that Ault be prosecuted as a juvenile. "The reason she was adamant about that is that she wants to see Jack get the help that he needs in order to prevent future events such as this and Jack making the choices that he did."

Mastrangelo, Ault's mother, said she has been told that her son is likely to be placed in a maximum-level juvenile program, serving roughly two years. However, in such programs, a youth can stay confined for more or less time, depending on their behavior and how well they progress in educational and other programs.

Assistant Public Defender Dwight Wolfe said Ault is "100 percent committed to being successful at it. His mother is a great support. She encourages him and she'll be there for him."

Mastrangelo said she still believes in her son, and does not believe he was present to pour gasoline on or around Broadhead's bed — although she did not not deny that he had some involvement in what happened.

"I'm grateful for what he got," she said, having been told that he could face 15 years to life if charged as an adult

In fact, she maintained that her son had been trying to talk Broadhead's daughter out of the plan. She said the night before the fire, she heard him saying "Don't do that, you won't do that, you can't do that."

At the time, Mastrangelo asked her son who he was speaking to and he told her, but didn't say what it was about. Mastrangelo also said neither she nor her son realized the girl was just 11. She said she looks older. Ault and the girl met at a church youth group, Mastrangelo said.

Mastrangelo said she has been meeting her son at the Juveneile Detention Center, and he has expressed more worries about her than about himself. He recently wrote her a letter saying "I'm sorry for missing your birthday" and promising to make her a cake when he is freed.

In a previous court hearing this week, Assistant State Attorney Joseph Walker portrayed the girl as the instigator of the plot against Broadhead. He said she admitted to police that she poured gasoline, and that "She was the one who developed this plan. She got help. She followed through with the plan."

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A 15-year old boy pleaded guilty today to charges filed in connection with an attempt to kill his girlfriend's mother by setting her bed on fire.

Jack Ault is expected to receive two years in juvenile detention when he returns to court for sentencing Jan. 25, his mother, Shannon Mastrangelo, said today.

He had faced 15 years to life had he been prosecuted as an adult, she said.

Ault insists he was not involved in the crime, Mastrangelo said, but the family still agreed he would plead guilty to attempted murder, arson, grand theft auto, and an unrelated charge of aggravated assault and battery related to an earlier fight with his sister.

"I'm not taking the chance of playing Russian roulette," Mastrangelo said. "He's already been convicted on the Internet."

Samantha Broadhead, 11, still faces trial in connection with the incident Dec. 29, which left her mother, Nancy Broadhead, with serious burns. Both defendants are being prosecuted as juveniles in the case.

Nancy Broadhead appeared in court today for Ault's plea, with bandages covering her hands to the fingertips. She had no objection to prosecuting him as a juvenile.

"She wants to make sure Jack gets the help he needs," said her lawyer, Kevin J. Piccarreto.

Ault's mother, Mastrangelo, said outside the courtroom that he met Samantha Broadhead in a youth group at their Clearwater church.

Mastrangelo said she thought Samantha Broadhead was 13 or 14 years old.

She described her son as immature for his age, and produced a letter he wrote her from custody which contained several misspellings.

"'Mom, I'm sorry for missing your birthday,'" the letter reads, in part. "'I'll make you a cake when I get out of jail.'"

Mastrangelo said her son was at the scene of the crime before and after it happened, but wasn't there when the bed was set on fire. She said friends of Ault's told her he had been trying to talk Samantha Broadhead out of hurting her mother.

Mastrangelo said she overheard her son on the phone in the days before the crime.

"I heard him say, 'You won't do that … you can't do that.'"

"Yeah, he's had issues with his mouth," she added, "but his heart is as big as this world. He would never do that to another human being."

Asked whether he has expressed any concern over what becomes of his co-defendant, Mastrangelo said she had not spoken about that with her son.

The aggravated assault and battery charge stemmed from a family fight, Mastrangelo said. Ault was arguing with his sister and locked himself in a bathroom with a knife, she said. No one was stabbed in the incident, she said.

On Wednesday, over the objection of prosecutors, a judge ordered Samantha Broadhead released to the custody of an aunt in Polk County. Ault is still being held in juvenile detention.

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Thanks BJ. I thought he denied being involved but plead guilty because he was convicted on the internet??? Jeeze what is wrong with people that think bloggers and the media wrongly convict these people.

He's his moms little sweetheart.
If she admitted that he did it she might have to admit that she was a crappy mother that only thought about who her next bed partner was going to be.

I agree with Artgal. What will the aunt do for Samantha? Who is to say she won't try this again?

I think Ault may have plead guilty just to get it over with. Maybe he'd rather be in jail than live with his crappy mother.

I think that it's wonderful that Nancy feels nothing but love for Samantha (why do they keep saying the press won't release her name when they already have??)
However, as stated upthread..I highly doubt the best course of action is to send Samantha to her Aunt in Lakeland. Then what? Will she go to a new school? Will she be home schooled? Will she get court ordered counseling?

Even if Samantha goes to a new school everyone will know that she's the girl who tried to kill her mother. She should have home schooling, intensive counseling and her aunt should get her involved in some hobby or sport that would not leave her much free tim. Someone has to start expecting that girl to do something positive with her life.

Rick and Dana Lucas look at a picture of Nancy Broadhead’s daughter as a baby. They helped care for her until she was 4.

When Pasco County residents Rick and Dana Lucas heard that Nancy Broadhead's 11-year-old daughter was accused of trying to burn her mom alive, their shock resonated beyond the news.

They were taken back more than a decade to a time when the couple worried daily about the little girl but felt helpless to save her.

The girl, who the St. Petersburg Times is not naming because of her age, spent much of her early childhood with the Lucas family — and for a time, was considered a part of it.

She came into Rick Lucas' life as an unwanted entity, the sort of permanent reminder of a brief relationship gone bad. He was single, for the most part, a shade older than 40, commitment-free. He spent his extra money on ski vacations and Vegas trips, not diapers and kids' clothes.

But Nancy Broadhead, he said, told him the girl was his daughter. And by then, he'd met Dana, the woman he would eventually marry.

"I didn't want the responsibility. I was living the good life," Rick Lucas said. "But (that little girl), she changed it."

At the time, in 1998, he was living in Clearwater, working in the telecommunications field. And even though he had moved on from their relationship, he still stayed close to Broadhead, if only for the baby.

Broadhead would drop off her daughter with the Lucases while she was at work. Sometimes, the Lucases say, she would leave her there for days without announcing when she would return — a claim that Broadhead denies.

For the new family, the girl's presence was a burden.

"Our life was literally turned upside down," Dana Lucas said.

Before the girl's first birthday, her paternity was sorted out. A man named William J. Forsman, now in a Georgia prison, was her father. But that didn't change anything.

"She was already in our lives, in our home, in our heart," Dana said.

The girl's visits, as many as three or four times a week, would continue for years.

The burden evolved into a blessing.

"She called me 'Daddy,' " Rick said.

To this day, he keeps pictures of the girl in his wallet.

The gruff man, who never wanted kids, was turning soft.

Rick and Dana Lucas fondly remember taking the girl to the zoo, swimming and out to dinner. They remember how she loved to catch lizards whenever they took her to Rick's father's house in Largo.

A moment indelible on Dana's mind was a time when the girl, just a toddler, waddled over to her husband as he stood on the front porch and patted him on the foot.

"Sit here," she said, "sit here."

She directed him next to her on the steps. She wanted him to blow bubbles with her.

"She opened him up. If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have kids," said Dana Lucas, 46.

The couple now has two children of their own, ages 6 and 7. They have a photo of the girl holding their oldest daughter.

Every Christmas, Dana Lucas would pick out a Precious Moments ornament.

"Train, elephant, giraffe, lion," she recalled. "We only got to four."

Before the girl's fourth birthday, the couple's relationship with Nancy Broadhead had turned sour. A shadow that had been hanging over their time with the girl was beginning to emerge into something more tangible.

Broadhead was convicted of driving under the influence in 2002. At the time of her arrest, her daughter was in the back seat.

The Lucases said Broadhead had driven after drinking with her daughter in the car more than once. They believed she wasn't raising the girl the way a child should be raised.

They called the Department of Children and Families multiple times on Broadhead over the years for various incidents they believed were endangering the girl, Dana Lucas said, but nothing ever came of it.

"We called the 800 number. They said they would look into it. That was it," she said.

Years later, a child abuse file on Broadhead would be opened and closed, citing insufficient evidence. Clearwater police records indicate that a visit to Broadhead's house showed holes punched through walls, and marijuana in open view on a table.

"It was like the dominoes were falling and falling and falling — and now this comes out," Dana Lucas said. "That baby is in a black hole and now there's no way out."

The Lucases said while they did everything they legally could do to help the girl, they felt stonewalled by the system, and by the fact that if they pushed too hard, they were afraid Broadhead would stop letting her daughter spend time with them.

After Broadhead found out about one of the calls to Children and Families, Dana Lucas said, their fears came true.

"We'll never see her again. We knew it," she said.

Broadhead said the call was unfounded.

"He (Rick) was trying to say I wasn't getting (my daughter) medical care," Broadhead said. "That wasn't true. When she needed it, she was always at the doctor's (office)."

Despite their repeated efforts, the Lucases still bear guilt from their part-time daughter, and wish, somehow they could have done more.

"We failed her. Period. We, as people, failed her," Dana Lucas said. "As hard as we tried, we were stonewalled around every corner."

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