Domestic Violence
Make A Plan
Making the decision to leave an abusive relationship can be very difficult. It may take time for you to feel ready. If you are ready to leave:
- Pack a bag to store with a friend or neighbor. Include cash or credit cards, a change of clothing for you and your children, toilet articles, and an extra set of keys to the house and car.
- Take important papers such as medicine and prescriptions, ID, birth certificates for you and your children, check book, health insurance cards, legal documents, and Social Security cards or numbers.
- In case of emergency, know exactly where you will go and how to get a family member or friend to confidentially help you. Call your doctor or go to an emergency room if you think you are hurt.
You should not clean yourself up, clean the scene of the abuse, nor do anything that might alter or destroy any evidence until it has been witnessed, recorded and/or preserved by a deputy sheriff. Evidence includes: blood stains, hair samples, semen samples, grab marks, bruises, scratches, torn clothing, damaged or tipped over furnishings, alcohol containers, pictures of the victim or surroundings, x-rays, doctor's reports, and witness statements by you and anyone else who saw or heard the violence.
A victim advocate can refer you to counseling, shelter and other services. To talk to a Sheriff's Office Victim Advocate call 743-5860 or 743-5861 for spanish speaking.
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