In 2010, my 78-year old grandfather-in-law, John Gill, married a woman, Tara, nearly 30 years younger than him. His first wife passed away almost 20 years ago, and John believed he had once again found a companion to share his life with.
Soon after they married, the relationship took a maniacal turn.
Tara began dismantling John’s life brick-by-brick, culminating in an onslaught of false allegations of mental, emotional, and physical abuse. Her ultimate goal was obtaining a Protection from Abuse (PFA) restraining order. These orders are handed out like candy on Halloween in Pennsylvania, and they grant the accuser sole access to the legal residence, all marital property, and all financial assets. They deprive the accused of due process, and legally require just a 51% certainty that the allegations are true in order for a judge to rule in the accuser’s favor.
The allegations left John, a minister for over 50 years, penniless and with no legal recourse as he fought desperately to keep from being imprisoned.
John is the sixth man Tara has victimized in this manner.
If that wasn’t bad enough, my investigation into Tara’s allegations revealed collusion between the District Attorney’s office, a local police precinct, John’s former attorney, and a county judge. I also discovered forged evidence that was submitted by Tara, and later suppressed by the District Attorney’s office.
That “evidence” was used to incarcerate him, and he remains behind bars to this day.
EDIT: John was released early and unexpectedly on Monday, December 5th.
I confronted local government officials and was stonewalled, with most replying that they would not talk to me without an attorney present. I also contacted local media outlets, all of which claimed they were uninterested in the story. Out of options, I created this podcast in order to shine a light on deeds done in darkness.
You can listen to my 15-episode investigation by clicking the link at the bottom of the page or by subscribing to ‘Corrupt Clearfield’ on iTunes, Google Play, or any other major podcast app.
You can view the legal documents referenced in each episode here. The documents are in sequential order for your convenience.
Please share this podcast with everyone you know, and help our family by contacting the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office and asking them to investigate John’s case. Contact the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office here.
Have you or someone you know been affected by unconstitutional Protection from Abuse orders in Pennsylvania? Please contact us at fearthebeardmedia@gmail.com and share your story. Together we can achieve strength in numbers.
Please consider donating to help our family with legal expenses and other associated costs here.
UPDATE: Many residents have reached out to share similar stories. I’ll be traveling to Clearfield in the near-future and conducting interviews with many of the folks who have reached out. My goal is to chronicle so many cases of misconduct that it becomes impossible for the state authorities to ignore. I’ve created Twitter and Facebook profiles specifically for this ongoing investigation, and anyone interested can follow along.