After that, uh, entertaining interlude, let's get back to the subject at hand. THIS IS THE DAY (sorry but I couldn't help projecting back to OCT. 16, 1997 for a moment). The proceedings for the April felonies and the flashing incident are scheduled for today per the court calendar as of late last week. It seems unlikely that the latter would occur so soon after the event and it was listed for Dec. 5 in said calendar just a few weeks ago. Perhaps there is just a preliminary action that is being dovetailed with the trial.
It's good that at least a few of the recent posts referenced the earlier, actual confrontation with the police, automobile style. I understand that any "sexual" charge is going to generate a good bit of attention. Still, as I mentioned earlier, it still astounds me that neither of the earlier cases seemed to be cited on the internet or anywhere else (save the local paper) until months after the fact, to the best of my knowledge.
I can only hope that the trial is conducted with as much fairness, probity, and dispassion as possible and that Ms. Lien's public defender renders effective representation. Sorrowfully, I find it most likely that the felonies did occur as described , given how her psychiatric illness (my opinion), isolation, and probable lack of effective care, has devolved her existence over a number of years. The events enumerated by these charges, aside from the possibility that Ms. Lien could have easily been riddled by bullets, are materially more damning than being found guilty of committing the deleterious crime against minor children. Additionally, I think that the the opportunity for any mitigating circumstances that might be presented to lessen the sentence on the felonies is dubious due to Ms. Lien having already been given another chance by whatever form of advantageous adjudication was reached in the domestic violence case involving her mother.
Not to say that being labelled a sex offender isn't serious, but the impact of that eventuality pales in comparison to the consequences of an adverse verdict on the felonies. I'm very much afraid that Ms. Lien will be facing a number of years in prison without even the leavening help of effective treatment being available, according to the posters who claim familiarity with the area.
Some posters have wondered how they might be of assistance in this perilous time for Jennifer. I believe that the best recommendation one can make now is to simply write to her to extend the message of the personal meaningfulness found in witnessing her rare and special talents and that further, that there are many many people who care deeply about her welfare.
How she might receive such communications is problematic. I have long believed that Jennifer most likely doesn't want to be reminded of her past vocation to the greatest extent possible. I'm not sure that she has felt anything positive about this part of her life, her comments about acting at the time notwithstanding. This would certainly help explain her reticence in attending conventions and other events, aside from knowing that to do so meant she had to find a way to cope with her apparent social anxiety disorder. Also, why as far as I'm aware, she has never established any on-line presence.
All of that is to say, that Jennifer might take these sentiments as delusional characterizations of herself, that if they ever had any substance, that time has long since passed. I can only hope that if that some critical mass of such missives reaches her, expressed in a genuine and heartfelt manner, she might come to accept their truth to some extent, even in her disordered thinking, and find that they provide some solace and positivity as she faces a very difficult future.
The address to post, mentioned earlier in the thread, is Roane County Jail 230 North Third Street Kingston, TN 37763 marked to her attention.