Glidewells deny report of physical altercation, look to future
By Kyle Troutman ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com
Three charges against a former Cassville wrestling coach have been dropped by the court, citing insufficient probable cause to move forward with the case.
Benjamin Glidewell, 42, of Cassville, was arrested at about midnight on April 28, charged with two counts of domestic abuse and one count of child abuse.
At a recent preliminary hearing, Judge Robert Foulke did not find probable cause for the case to proceed, and Ben Glidewell and his wife, Joni, deny the allegations of physical altercations and injuries to their children.
Ben and Joni said the altercation was entirely verbal, resulting from a parenting disagreement, and the situation escalated when law enforcement arrived.
“This was a family issue, and nobody in our house called 9-1-1,” Ben said. “It was a personal matter we were trying to work through, and as soon as the officer showed up — I don’t know if he had a vendetta or was just having a bad day.”
“It was an unfortunate situation,” Joni said. “What that officer said, there was no truth to the probable cause statement. And, our kids were hurt because they were quoted as saying things they did not say.”
The probable cause statement was filed by Deputy Kyle Burbridge, with the Barry County Sheriff’s Office. Among the allegations were that Ben had slapped, choked and punched his children.
“DJ had just wrestled four days before that and torn his ACL,” Joni said. “He also suffers from rosacea, so his cheeks are always flushed and red. At one point, the deputy asked DJ something and he asked if the deputy was talking about his rosacea.”
“He kept asking probing questions and pointing out things that were not there,” Ben said.
“It was way exaggerated and blown out of proportion,” Joni said.
The arrest occurred on a Friday night, and on Saturday Joni said their daughter was preparing for prom and expecting her father home soon.
“it was so surreal,” Joni said. “Saturday the kids woke up to texts from their friends and I woke up to calls and texts from everyone. Prom was the next day, and the kids continued on with life. My daughter wore a low-cut dress to prom and had her hair up, too. When they realized Ben wasn’t coming home, they asked what they could do.”
On Monday morning, Joni said both children wrote sworn statements to the victim’s advocacy center, located in the Barry County Judicial Center, saying Ben did not do anything to them physically, and neither of them were injured in any way.
Joni said the Department of Family Services also visited the home on Saturday afternoon, determining there was no sign of abuse or neglect in the home.
“By the end of their visit, even they said they felt it was blown out of proportion,” Joni said.
A letter to Ben Glidewell from Darrell Missey, director of the Children’s Division of the Missouri Department of Social Services in Barry County, dated May 23 states the division received a report of physical abuse on April 29. The Division investigated the allegations and determined there was insufficient evidence to conclude by a preponderance of evidence, proving something is more likely than not, that Glidwell’s children were abused.
The determination hinged on the children’s written statements to Prosecuting Attorney Amy Boxx at the victim’s advocacy center, both of which recanted what they allegedly reported initially in the probable cause statement.
Ben said some people reached out to support him in the aftermath of the arrest, and his resignation from the school district was appropriate.
“Some people reached out who knew my character, and the news article hit the community hard,” he said. “I felt resigning was the right thing to do with the perception that was left. I’m looking forward now to a new beginning.”
Joni said she has secured another teaching position in the area, and Ben is hoping after two months of the charges lingering, he can soon move on.
“With the news article and the charges, I have not had a lot of options,” he said. “I have been in a holding pattern hoping everything is dropped. Now that is has, our side is getting out and people can see the truth, I hope to see some new opportunities.”
“God turned all of this around for good, and we are moving forward with a chance at a new beginning,” Joni said. “We will always cherish our time in Cassville and the opportunities it has given us and our kids. We know God has a new plan for us in a new district.”
