I recently had the opportunity to reconnect with Stephanie Hunter’s mom. Stephanie was murdered by Brandon Ivy in 2019 after she tried to end their relationship finally once and for all. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of Stephanie — her mom — and her adult son, too. Our cases become part of the fabric of who we are as human beings — sometimes that fabric is rough, hard to comprehend, and just plain-old heavy. But, there are more moments, like the one I was just able to share with Stephanie’s mom, that remind us that the fabric of who we are as prosecutors is a badge of honor. It truly is an honor to fight for victims, and to work with their families through the worst time in their lives. What Stephanie’s mom endured during the criminal justice process and ultimately the trial, is unfathomable to most people in our county who are blissfully ignorant to the horrors that take place with our neighbors, our co-workers, our children’s friends.
Then there are people like Stephanie’s mom: family members left behind to pick up the pieces or family members there to support the victim who managed to stay alive, and these people are survivors, too. True fighters. This is why October is such an important month to my office. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and we seize the opportunity, year after year, to support community partners, victims of crime, and to raise awareness about domestic violence.
On average, nearly 20 people in the United States are abused by an intimate partner every single minute. During the typical course of a day, more than 20,000 phone calls are made to domestic violence hotlines nationwide. To make matters even more disturbing, only 34% of those injured by an intimate partner ever receive any kind of medical care.
Ohio is not exempt from these grim statistics. From July 31, 2021 to June 30, 2022, there were 112 domestic violence fatalities in our state, with 22 of those deaths being victims under the age of 20. Breaking it down even further, Delaware County had 185 domestic violence court cases in 2022, with 38 of those cases being felony cases. It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?
Domestic violence can come in many forms, including physical, emotional, verbal, sexual, and financial/technology abuse, and the mere presence of a gun during a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500%! We see the effects of domestic violence every day in our office, and that is why we are committed to bringing awareness and assistance to this cause in every way possible. In the first nine months of this year, our office has seen 24 cases involving domestic violence at the felony level. Our office has also assisted more than 50 residents obtain domestic violence civil protection orders.
On a positive note though, Delaware County is fortunate to be in rich in resources and community partners. This includes Turning Point, our world-class domestic violence shelter. With the average family served by Turning Point consisting of a mother and two children, it is no small or cheap task to offer the necessary services to those escaping domestic violence. Each stay is approximately 45 days, and the average cost to provide shelter and support services is $15,500 for each family.
Now imagine when, just a few years ago, grant-funding was slashed almost in half to community partners like Turning Point! We stepped in to action to do what we could to ensure that anyone who was fleeing domestic violence and sought refuge at Turning Point would not be turned away. As such, our annual Volley Against Violence began — and it is back again for it’s third year on Oct. 14! We are excited to be hosting this event with the Sand Bar Station and to return to our original sand volleyball-style tournament.
The doors to the event will open at 9 a.m. with the tournament beginning at 10 a.m. Throughout the day, there will be raffle baskets, silent auctions, and a 50/50 drawing! Proceeds from the event will go directly to Turning Point. More than $3,500 has been donated by our local community for our raffle baskets! And, we have more than $2,000 worth of donated silent auction items. Check out the list of our amazing community sponsors and donors on our Facebook page!
I hope to see you on Oct. 14!
Melissa A. Schiffel is the Delaware County prosecutor.
